Chapter 185
“Bro, you’re here!”
When Angel saw Byron step out of the car, her eyes lit up. She rushed over excitedly and wrapped her arms around his.
Byron’s deep–set eyes rested on Angel, his gaze tinged with a trace of tender emotion.
Though usually strict with his sister, Byron’s expression now showed unmistakable concern. He gently asked, “Are you alright? Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
As Byron recalled the Al’s prediction about Angel–how this incident would ultimately drive her to depression and suicide, his worry grew heavier.
Angel’s eyes welled up as she looked at Byron. “Byron, you don’t think I hit Joanna like she does, do you? You’ll stand by my side, right?”
She feared Byron’s sudden kindness might be nothing but an illusion–he had always favored Joanna before.
Before Byron could say a word, Joanna had hobbled over with an exaggerated limp, her face twisted in a wronged expression, whining, “Byron, Angel hit my leg. It hurts so much–what if I end up permanently disabled?”
Byron scoffed, “Disabled?”
He jerked his head up, his eyes icy as he glared at Joanna. “You brought this on yourself! It was you who rammed into Angel’s car for no reason!”
Joanna froze in shock, her eyes darting around instinctively.
She had deliberately crashed into Angel’s car precisely because there were no surveillance cameras around–she thought she could get away with it. But to her shock, Byron somehow knew the truth.
A flicker of panic flashed across her eyes, which Byron caught instantly.
He became even more convinced of the Al’s earlier prediction–Joanna was clearly trying to frame Angel!
Just then, Liana approached with a stormy expression. “Byron, what’s going on? Clearly, your sister is the one at fault. How can you still take her side like this?”
With Liana backing her up, Joanna felt even more emboldened.
Angel’s heart leaped to her throat again. She knew Byron had always been obedient to their mother, and she fear
this.
might change sides because of
Byron’s face was cold and unyielding as he cut Liana off. “Mom, stay out of this! Remember, Angel is your own daughter. Trust the girl you raised, not some outsider!” He didn’t even try to spare Liana’s feelings
Joanna’s face instantly flushed with embarrassment–she never expected Byron to openly defy even his own mother.
“Byron, are you and Angel trying to give me a heart attack?” Liana snapped.
Byron waved his hand dismissively and said, “Mom, need you to be reasonable here. Even if Angel did hit Joanna on purpose, what’s the big deal? That’s what insurance is for.”
Joanna immediately whined pitifully, “But that changes everything! Auto insurance doesn’t cover this!”
Byron’s face darkened with suppressed rage as he suddenly seized Joanna by the throat. He growled, “Joanna, are you still adding fuel to the fire? Do you want to tear my family apart?”
Joanna felt her breath being cut off, her throat rasping with desperate, choking sounds as she clawed helplessly at Byron’s arm. Panic flooded her while her vision blurred, and she struggled in vain for air.
Chapter 185
Byron gave her a dismissive shove, sending her staggering backward until she crashed heavily onto the ground.
Both Liana and Angel froze in shock. They never expected Byron to go so far with Joanna.
A glimmer of triumph flashed in Angel’s eyes. ‘At last, Byron isn’t fooled by Joanna anymore,‘ she thought.
Liana was utterly horrified. She clapped a hand over her mouth, then rushed to help Joanna up, all the while scolding Byron, “Byron, how could you do
this to Joanna?”
Panic flooded Joanna’s eyes.
She realized that Byron must have found out the truth–that she deliberately rammed into Angel’s car.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have flown into such a rage.
Her eyes darted frantically as she racked her brain manipulator.
a way to change Byron’s opinion of her. She couldn’t let him know she was some scheming
Out of the corner of her eye, Joanna caught sight of a woman emerging from a nearby car.
It was Sylvia!
Sylvia had dropped her colorful disguise. She’d come to see how Byron would handle things, but now it seemed he’d chosen to trust his sister–and this reassured her.
“Sylvia!” Suddenly, Joanna exclaimed, as if clutching at a lifeline.
A thought flashed through her mind as she hobbled over to Sylvia, hastily grabbing her arm while just happening to block Byron’s view with her body. She looked at Sylvia with pleading eyes. “Sylvia, for old times‘ sake, you’ve got to help me out.”
Sylvia only scoffed. “Help you with what, exactly?”
Joanna gritted her teeth. “Sylvia,” she pleaded, “you have to tell Angel that all those original songs you gave her were actually written by me–that I was the one who told you to pass them on.”
She would not only change Byron’s opinion of her–she wanted to sway Angel as well. In fact, she was determined to make the entire Blair family owe her a favor.
With a barely concealed sneer, Sylvia shot back, “Why the hell should I help you?”
Joanna gritted her teeth and hissed, “Sylvia, think carefully. Liana dotes on me the most. If I get upset, she won’t be happy either, and she’ll cause you trouble. Then you and Byron can forget about ever being together.”
Back then, Sylvia had always dreaded Liana. Now that Joanna was playing the Liana card again, she was certain Sylvia wouldn’t dare defy her.
After a brief pause, Sylvia gave a half–smile and said, “Fine, I’ll play along.”
A smug sense of triumph rose in Joanna’s heart.
True to her words, Sylvia walked up to Angel with an inscrutable smile. “Angel, there’s really no need to argue with Joanna. In fact, she’s been really nice to you. Remember those original songs I gave you? They were actually all written by Joanna.”
Angel’s face was full of disbelief. “Sylvia, are you serious?”
Sylvia’s lips curled into that same inscrutable smile. “Of course I am.”
08:55 Fri, 4 Jul
Chapter 185
Just then, Joanna hobbled over with exaggerated difficulty, putting on a show as she cleared her throat. “Angel, those songs were written by me. i originally wanted to give them to you directly, but I was worried you’d think it was too precious a gift and wouldn’t accept it, so I had Sylvia pass them on instead. Now… well, I guess I have no choice but to come clean.”
Angel’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. “If those songs were really yours, then why did you argue with me about them on the street that day?”
Joanna panicked for a split second, but quickly fabricated an excuse. She stammered, “That’s because… well, I realized later there were some issues with the songs and I wanted to make a few changes. So I just pretended I wanted them back, that’s all.”
Liana nodded approvingly and walked over to Angel. “Angel, you see? Joanna has always been so good to you. Your album showcase is about to begin- you should let everyone know that Joanna wrote those songs for you.”
Angel still had her doubts, but at that moment, Sylvia subtly stepped closer and gave her arm a discreet pinch.
“Angel, listen to me–take everyone to your album showcase now, tell the press everything, and thank Joanna in front of everyone!”
A sudden understanding dawned on Angel. She blinked, then broke into a radiant smile, saying. “Alright, I’ll play along, Sylvia.”
