Chapter 87: This isn’t how it was supposed to go…
"Betty, is this true?"
Castor asked the question before he could even think. When he realized it, he shook his head.
"Impossible!" he raised his voice. "Betty would never do such a thing! She cared about this project just like all of us! There has to be an explanation for this."
"Do you have proof?" Nelly, siding with Castor, turned to Sally. "If you don’t, then you’re accusing someone recklessly!"
Sally pursed her lips as she noticed others agreeing with them. It wasn’t surprising—somehow, Betty had earned their soft spot.
"I also don’t want to believe it, so... I took photos of her going in and out of the greenhouse," Sally said, taking out her phone, her hand trembling. Then, as if mustering courage, she looked up and shouted, "Betty, I’m really sorry for this! I also hope you have an explanation! Please tell me I’m wrong—that you’re not the one behind this!"
While everyone was still shocked, one of the maids quickly snatched the phone from Sally to check the "evidence." She didn’t need to look long, as it was all readily prepared.
She scrolled, letting others lean in to look. Shock spread across their faces. Seeing their reactions, the maid smirked inwardly before raising her chin and facing Betty.
"Betty, how do you explain this?!" she demanded. "Why were you inside the greenhouse at this hour? And this photo shows you leaving hours after everyone else! What were you doing in there?!"
Castor and Nelly frowned, looking at the maid holding the phone. Then one of the gardeners, noticing their confusion, took the phone and walked toward them.
"Boss, look at this," the gardener said, handing it to Castor.
Nelly stepped closer as Castor browsed through the photos and their timestamps. They were taken on different nights—one during the peak of the crisis, and another just last night.
"There must be an explanation," Nelly said, lifting his head toward Betty. "Betty, tell us. What were you doing in the greenhouse at those times?"
"Betty," Castor’s tone dropped, his expression hardening. "Explain these. What were you doing in the greenhouse on both nights?"
Betty glanced at Castor and Nelly, whose expressions urged her to defend herself. Whatever she said, they would try to understand.
Then she shifted her gaze to Ashley, who stood there calmly, waiting, her expression relaxed.
If I want to help the madam, then I have to help myself first... and stand my ground.
She drew a deep breath, scanning the crowd. Then she exhaled sharply.
"I’ve always stayed behind in the greenhouse—not just on those nights," she began, her voice firm but calm. "I’ve done so since day one. As the madam’s secretary, it’s my job to do final checks, to prevent problems—or at least lessen them."
She lifted her chin. "If you don’t believe me, you can review the mansion’s CCTV. I always use the same route. It will show that I leave the greenhouse at roughly the same time—even before the problem began."
For a moment, silence fell as everyone took in her sharp, unwavering expression.
Betty didn’t flinch, not once. If anything, her back was straight, her chin high, her gaze steady.
"However, what I don’t understand is... why was Sally near the greenhouse at that hour to take these photos?" Betty raised a brow, tilting her head. "As far as I know, your group always leaves early, and your quarters are on the other side of the residence."
"Compared to me, isn’t that more suspicious? After all, poisoning the seedlings will only become my problem, not my benefit," she added. "I had more to lose than gain in it."
Silence fell again as heads slowly turned toward Sally and the maid who had been speaking.
"Now that you mention it... Betty always stays behind, even before we leave," one of the gardeners said. "And our group stays longer too, since we double-check our work."
"That’s right. And Betty even asks what needs checking so she can handle it before leaving."
Then they all turned to Sally.
"So now that Betty brought it up... what were you doing there at that hour?" Castor asked, shifting his attention to her.
Compared to Betty, Sally’s presence there was far more suspicious.
"I—I..." Sally opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find the right words.
This isn’t how it was supposed to go...
Why wasn’t Betty panicking? Why wasn’t she begging to clear her name?
Sally had expected that reaction. If Betty panicked, it would’ve been easy to redirect attention and eventually lead them to Betty’s room.
But Betty stood composed, clear-headed, staring straight at her.
"I just... happened to be there!" Sally blurted under the mounting pressure. "I was worried when the problem started, so I wandered near the greenhouse! When I realized where I was, I saw Betty coming out! I took photos just in case, but I didn’t suspect her immediately!"
She turned to Ashley desperately. "Madam, I only thought of this after hearing someone was sabotaging the greenhouse!"
"Oh..." Ashley nodded, her mild reaction making everyone frown.
They all had the same thought: Don’t tell me she believed that...
"If that’s the case, then how do you explain this?" Betty took out her phone, already showing the message Sally had sent her the night before. "You asked me to meet you, but when I waited, you never came."
She paused, glancing at the screen. "And yet, based on your photos, you were there."
"These photos are proof."
"Isn’t that suspicious?" Betty tilted her head, locking eyes with Sally. "It feels like... you specifically asked me to come just so you could take those photos."
"Slander! Betty, how could you say that?!" Sally gasped, stepping forward. "I did ask you to come, but that’s because I wanted to talk about what I saw that night!"
"Then why didn’t you show up?" Castor cut in, his frown deepening.
Sally nearly choked on the question. Her mind went blank.
Her eyes darted between them, her mouth opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out. Her heart pounded wildly as she felt herself being cornered.
The maid beside her, seeing Sally falter for the first time, quickly stepped in.
"Sally must have a reason!" she exclaimed, turning to Ashley. "Madam, please investigate properly! There must be a misunderstanding! Besides, if either of them is truly responsible, there should still be evidence to prove who is innocent and who isn’t!"
Everyone frowned, but no one objected. It made sense.
Even so, they already had someone in mind.
So all eyes turned to Ashley.
Ashley remained composed, arms crossed, watching everything unfold.
"There’s no need for that," she smiled. "I already know who was behind this."
"What?!" came a collective gasp.
Ashley simply smiled. "Actually, someone already came clean to me."
She nodded and shifted her gaze toward someone.
Following her line of sight, everyone turned to Bang, who had been silent all this time. As she stepped forward, Sally and the other maid felt their world stop.
Especially when Bang glanced at them and said,
"Sally... it’s over," Bang said. "I already told the madam everything—about how we framed Betty and tried to make her take the fall."