A flurry of whispers and gossip rippled through the crowd.
Ann and Selene’s faces went pale. Mrs. Quinn stood frozen in shock, taking a long moment to process what she’d heard.
She confronted Darleen, her voice trembling. "Miss Ferguson, what proof do you have for saying that?"
Darleen pointed to Ann and Selene. "The people involved are right here. You’d be better off asking them."
With that, Darleen stepped back to watch the show unfold.
Mrs. Quinn turned to face Selene and Ann.
Selene calmly stepped forward. "Mrs. Quinn, we've been friends for so many years. Please don't believe these one-sided accusations."
Ann quickly chimed in, "To be honest, Mrs. Quinn, I did date Miss Ferguson's brother for a while. But his family looked down on my background and forced us to break up. I don't know what I did to offend her, but she seems determined to slander me."
Then, Selene leaned in and whispered to Mrs. Quinn, "Ann and Mr. Ferguson were in a relationship. They broke up over a small argument. Miss Ferguson is just trying to humiliate my niece. Don't fall for her tricks and lose your composure."
Mrs. Quinn was still skeptical. "Is that really it?"
Selene nodded firmly. "Mrs. Quinn, don't listen to Miss Ferguson. There was a misunderstanding between Mr. Ferguson and our Ann, but it's not as serious as she's making it out to be. She's dragging Mr. Quinn into this to deliberately sow discord between us. Please don't be deceived."
Ann looked at the crowd with a wounded expression. "Even though York still has feelings for me, I know I'm not worthy of him. I just don't understand why Miss Ferguson won't leave me alone."
She immediately denied it. "That's nonsense! I'm just an ordinary person. How could I possibly have access to the Ferguson Group's core data? You can't just frame people!"
The officer was firm. "We wouldn't make an arrest without evidence. Our technicians found Miss James's fingerprints on the mouse in Mr. Ferguson's office. You'd better come with us to the station and explain."
A thunderclap went off in Ann's mind, and she collapsed to the floor. It slowly dawned on her that York had set her up again.
Sobbing, she grabbed Selene's arm. "Auntie, help me! I just used the mouse to delete a photo! I didn't steal any confidential documents from the Ferguson Group!"
Selene, both furious and heartbroken, shook her off. "You fool!"

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: No Divorce? The Billionaire's Love Chase!
I love this new version of this story....