Laura’s Victory Second Chance

Chapter 24

Laura’s words dropped like a bomb, leaving everyone stunned.

“Good grief, this is unbelievable. So Robert has been involved with Olivia all this time?”

“Olivia is just disgusting for seducing her own sister’s boyfriend.”

“They’ve been at it for ages! How can they have the nerve to throw accusations at Laura?”

“Laura is the real victim here!”

“I can’t believe I was just bashing Laura. My bad!”

Emma couldn’t hold back anymore. Instead of confronting Olivia, she chose to scold Laura. “How could a girl as sweet and gentle as Olivia do something like this? You must have doctored these photos to make Olivia look bad! How can you be so cruel?”

Laura found Emma’s reaction ridiculous. “Mom, no matter what I say, you always think I’m lying. Even with proof right in front of you, you still don’t believe it. You call me cruel? Why don’t you say Olivia is cruel for trying to steal my boyfriend? Or do you secretly wish for her to marry into the Brown family?”

Emma’s face hardened. “What nonsense are you spouting? How could I think that?”

David chimed in gently, “Liv, tell us, these photos are fake, right?”

Everyone turned to Olivia. Inside, she was cursing Laura like crazy, but she put on a calm face.

“Mom and Dad, the photos are real,” she said, “but it’s all about the angle. That night, Robby had too much to drink, and I was just looking out for him. Someone with bad intentions probably took those shots from odd angles. Right, Robby?”

After seeing the photos, Olivia quickly cooked up a story. ‘Just a few pictures and Laura thinks she can nail me? So naive. As long as I never confess, what can she do?‘ she thought to herself.

Robert held onto the diamond ring, feeling guilty. Admitting his affair with Olivia would make him a total scumbag.

But Olivia had placed the blame on Laura, and if he supported her, he would be stabbing Laura in the back. Olivia was dragging him into a mess and forcing him to choose sides.

“Robert,” Laura said slowly, “you’re the one involved here. You know the truth. Do you dare say you and Olivia aren’t having an affair?”

Robert avoided her gaze, looking off to the side. “No, we’re not having an affair; it’s just a matter of a bad angle.”

His words lined up perfectly with Olivia’s story. Laura thought, ‘Men can be such liars. If I had believed him, I’d now be the biggest fool on the planet. Forget it. I don’t need to be merciful!

David let out a sigh of relief, knowing different angles could make a huge difference. “Laura, what’s going on with you? How could you set up someone to take those photos and frame Olivia?”

Laura couldn’t help but admire Olivia’s talent for twisting the truth. But thankfully, she was ready for this.

Olivia looked at Laura with tearful eyes. “Laura, I know you don’t want me back. I promise I’m not greedy; I just want to be with my real parents. I won’t compete with you for anything in the Sharpe family. Why can’t you just let me go? Why go to such lengths to hurt me?”

Her tears seemed real and moved everyone in the room.

‘Laura, how can you do this to your sister? She’s been on her own for years. You’re the one who took her place.”

“I never knew Laura could be so cruel.”

“Maybe she planned this all along–to ruin Robert and frame her own sister. Killing two birds with one stone.”

“I almost fell for it. Those photographers have no ethics; they’ll do anything for a paycheck.”

–Robert felt the accusations sting like thorns in his back. He thought, ‘I’m sorry, Lau. At this point, whether to propose or not didn’t matter. What

mattered was saving face–for himself and the Brown family. He had to throw Laura under the bus.

Emma rushed oyer, shaking Laura. “She is your sister! You said you wouldn’t mind her coming back!”

Laura met her frantic gaze. “Mom, I’ve lived with you for over ten years. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? It’s not been too long since Olivia came back, and you trust her over me?

“She twists the truth, and you guys just ignore it. Am I just nothing to you compared with her?”

3:22 PMVI

Even though their bond had weakened over the years, Laura still held onto the hope that Emma and David remembered her as their daughter, even if just a little.

Seeing the pain in Laura’s red eyes made Emma hesitate. Before Olivia returned, Laura had always been the obedient one.

Olivia noticed Emma’s uncertainty and faked a tear. “Laura, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come back. You’re the family; I’m just the outsider.”

She wiped her tears, revealing a big bruise on her elbow. David caught sight of it right away. “What happened to your arm?”

Olivia shook her head. “It’s nothing. I got hurt myself. It has nothing to do with Laura.”

Her frightened demeanor raised suspicions among everyone. Emma pulled her aside, rolling up her lace sleeve to reveal a mottled bruise beneath. “Oh my God! Did Laura do this?”

Olivia stayed silent, and the emotions of Emma, David, and everyone else in the room spiraled out of control.

“Laura, how can you be so heartless? Even if you don’t like her, you can’t treat her like this!”

Elara chimed in with concern, “Liv, does it hurt? Laura, my son must be blind to like you!”

“Laura, you are so cold!” Emma kicked Laura’s calf hard with her sharp shoe, causing Laura to wince in pain.

Olivia suppressed a smile behind her hand, thinking, ‘How could you even think you could compete with me, Laura?‘ Laura sneered at their reactions. “Olivia, are you done with the act?”

With a hand over her mouth, Olivia feigned innocence, her big eyes wide. “I didn’t say anything. Please don’t be mad.”

She hadn’t said anything, but her performance was so convincing that it allowed everyone to rally against Laura.

“Why are you still trying to threaten Olivia? Laura, I’ll tell you right now: if you touch Olivia again, I will-” Before David could finish, the big screen changed from still photos to a live video feed.

There it was–Robert and Olivia kissing in a dark corner of the bar. If the stills were questionable due to lighting and angles, the video brought everything into sharp focus.

They moved from the elevator to the hallway, embracing and kissing each other like they were the only two people in the world. The passion was evident.

“This… seems pretty damning.”

“Robert really knows how to play both sides–proposing to one sister while fooling around with the other.”

“They said they didn’t have an affair–it looks like a full–blown affair to me!”

Laura stared at David and Emma, a smirk playing on her lips. “Mom and Dad, this is the good daughter you trust!”