Sherry glanced at Ivy calmly. "It wasn't me."
Ivy flew into a rage, ready to roll up her sleeves on the spot. "You're still lying! Who else could it be with that outfit and that hairstyle if not you?
"Only some shameless, thick-skinned jerk in this world would—"
"The person was wearing the same outfit and hairstyle as me, sure, but her face was never shown. Besides, quite some time has passed since then. Do you even know what I was doing at that exact time?"
Ivy was fuming. If their leader hadn't been present, she would've strangled Sherry with her own hands. "What else could you have been doing? You were just bitter because Selena is prettier, has a better figure, and has known the boss longer than you have.
"You act all calm and unbothered on the surface, but you're seething with jealousy underneath.
"You had every reason and motive—so it was you! Unless you can prove otherwise. If you can't, then for what you've done, I'll—"
She would have Sherry locked up, make her serve at least a year behind bars, then deport her back to her home country.
In Keiperian, on their turf, anyone they disliked got kicked out immediately.
And they'd make sure she left disgraced, with the scandal spreading all over her homeland, so Sherry would never be able to hold her head up again.
That was how everyone here survived.
Lucas never did much to help them. Surviving here depended entirely on their own skills.
That was why they would never tolerate a woman standing by Lucas' side without earning her place.
None of them could forget the terrible prices each of them had paid to get here.
Why should Sherry waltz in and enjoy everything without lifting a finger?
Romance or not, being with Lucas or not, the simple fact that this woman stood here without contributing nearly as much as they had made them furious beyond measure.
Several of them showed it openly.
Many others kept quiet to avoid lowering themselves, but that didn't mean they wouldn't scheme behind her back.
What really grated on them was that Sherry didn't even seem to know who they were or what they did.
It was as if they were nobles traveling incognito, and she strutted around cluelessly—yet they couldn't reveal their real identities.
The frustration of wanting to lash out but being unable to was suffocating.
Finally, they had an outlet.
"I simply trusted Lucas, and I trusted the character of the person he brought here.
"That's why I let my guard down and didn't look back. I never imagined someone would push me from behind."
A perfect, airtight story.
She'd shifted all blame away from herself without a second thought—truly ruthless.
"If Lucas wasn't still in my bed when you said that, I might've actually fallen for your act."
Sherry pulled out her phone and played a recording of a conversation between her and Lucas.
"I originally recorded it to listen to later. Even though I'm already married, a marriage proposal was a first for me."
She'd never been certain Lucas would actually marry her, and moments like this didn't come often.
She might never find someone she loved again. As it turned out, that secret recording had become her saving grace.
Admitting it out loud might be embarrassing, but she'd take embarrassment over being publicly condemned any day.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Her Revenge Was His Regret (Shirley and Gilbert)