After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 224

“So what if Hazel said that? I think she’s just framing me!” Flora clenched her fists, her voice trembling with panic. “You think you can have me arrested based on her words alone? Aria, you’re far too confident! Besides, Hazel and Charles used to work together. How do you know she didn’t just steal his card when he wasn't looking?”

Aria instantly seized on the flaw in her argument. “Are you suggesting she stole Charles’s card without him noticing, made a copy without him noticing, and then returned the original card, again, without him noticing?”

Flora was stumped. It was true that if the card was gone for just a few minutes, he might not realize it. But Charles needed that card every time he entered or left the institute.

If she insisted on that story, Charles could be implicated as well.

She couldn't let that happen. If she went to jail, Charles might be able to find a way to get her out. But if she dragged him down with her, the Brent family would never forgive her. And any chance she had with Charles would be gone forever.

Flora was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Seated in the audience, Charles’s expression darkened. Hazel’s apology letter clearly detailed her two attempts to steal Aria’s research.

Two weeks ago, he had sensed something was off with Flora. He had been on a day off, and Flora had picked him up from the institute. They had spent the day on a date, eating and shopping. The next day, Flora had offered to drive him back to the institute. Charles thought nothing of it, but when they arrived, he couldn’t find his ID card.

Flora had panicked too, then suggested it might have been left in his room and called the maid to look for it. The maid said it was right there on the table. The incident was forgotten, but now Charles understood. She had copied his card.

If Aria hadn’t discovered it, Hazel might have successfully claimed to be the sole creator of the drug.

A chill ran through Charles. It was as if he was seeing Flora for the first time. The sweet, dependent woman he thought he knew was, in reality, a viper.

“Charles… Aria? Why do those names sound so familiar?”

“I remember now! Weren’t they the winners of that medical research competition ten years ago? Weren't they a couple? How did they end up as relatives?”

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