Chapter 341: Come, Answer My Question

Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Come, Answer My Question

Estelle Lockwood asked calmly, "First question: Before I even said a word, on what grounds did Miss Yeats determine I was giving this waiter a hard time? Is there something wrong with Miss Yeats’s eyes that she couldn’t see this cup of coffee, or is there something wrong with her brain that makes her logic so abnormal?"

"I was..." Claire Yeats started.

"After all, we are sisters," Estelle said with a smile. "Let me ask you this. If a dispute arises between your ’sister’ and a complete stranger... well, ’dispute’ isn’t quite the right word since I’m the only one who got coffee thrown at me. But upon seeing us, you, as my older sister, immediately assumed I was the one throwing my weight around.

"It’s rather strange, Miss Yeats. We’ve known each other for just a few days at most. Is it that you inherently believe I’m an unreasonable person, or do you feel I stole your status as Miss Yeats, leading you to deliberately collude with this waiter to ruin my reputation?"

The bystanders gasped. Estelle really didn’t know the meaning of the word tact. Her questions were simply too sharp!

Claire’s face paled. "I’m sorry, Estelle... Of course, I’m taking your side. How could you think of me like that? I just saw him begging for mercy and felt sorry for him. I didn’t expect..."

"Oh, is that so..." Estelle nodded. "My next question is for the manager."

Her eyes smiling, Estelle met the restaurant manager’s gaze. The manager shivered all over. "M-Miss Lockwood, please ask."

"What exactly is going on with this restaurant’s security cameras?" Estelle tilted her head. "The patrons who dine here are either rich or noble. If you can’t even guarantee functioning security cameras, what happens if a guest runs into trouble or loses something? Will you just tell them the footage can’t be found?"

Immediately, the other customers began looking at him differently. Exactly! How could the cameras be broken in such a high-end restaurant?!

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the manager stuttered his explanation. "T-That’s not it. The cameras... they only just broke down... We didn’t expect it either..."

"Logically, security cameras should be checked regularly. But even taking a step back... why did they break at such a convenient time?" Estelle offered a half-smile. "Wouldn’t you agree, Manager? The waiter spilled a cup of coffee, then pretended to kneel and apologize, while Miss Yeats self-righteously accused me and dragged my son through the mud.

"And right when I asked to pull the security footage to prove my innocence..." Estelle feigned surprise. "Oh, what a coincidence—the cameras suddenly broke."

The manager was completely at a loss for words. His aged face turned bright red. What was he supposed to say?! Shutting down the cameras was an order from the young boss. He was just a manager; it wasn’t like he had a say in the matter.

Clearly, Estelle also knew the manager couldn’t call the shots. "However, I can’t blame you for this. So, please ask your boss to come out and speak with me."

"This..." Covered in cold sweat, the manager asked, "Is that... is that really necessary?"

Claire finally found an opening to speak. "Estelle... the restaurant is in the wrong about the cameras, but... but this waiter should be innocent. If you escalate this to the boss, you really won’t be leaving him any way to survive.

"If he offends you and Mr. Sloan, the boss will definitely fire him to give you an explanation. He just... he just accidentally spilled a cup of coffee..."

"Daddy!" Mia suddenly called out sweetly, turning to Nathaniel. "Daddy, do you think normal coffee would turn out like this?"

Everyone instinctively looked over. On Estelle’s trench coat, the spot where the coffee had spilled surprisingly showed faint signs of corrosion! The fabric looked as though it had been burned by something—it was blackened, curled, and emitted a foul odor. It was just that the smell had been masked by the rich aroma of the coffee earlier, so no one had noticed it right away!

There happened to be a doctor at the scene. He immediately put on gloves, stepped forward to examine it, and his expression instantly changed. "It’s toxic and corrosive. This substance might not do extensive damage to clothing, but if it had splashed onto a face, it would definitely cause disfigurement! Not to mention, this was put in the coffee. If someone had drunk it, the consequences would be catastrophic."

Instantly, everyone took a step back, their gazes shifting suspiciously between the waiter and Claire.

"Your restaurant actually poisoned a customer?!"

Someone shouted, "Could our coffee be poisoned too?!"

"We need a clear explanation right now!"

"And Claire actually tried to speak up for the restaurant? They literally served poison! At first, she insisted Miss Lockwood was crossing the line and harassing a poor waiter. Then, when it turned out the waiter was causing trouble on purpose, Claire changed her tune and urged Miss Lockwood to let it go."

"Now that it’s revealed someone tried to poison Miss Lockwood, what else can Claire say? Is she going to tell Miss Lockwood not to make a fuss again?"

"Damn, is she a reincarnated saint?"

"I really don’t understand what standpoint Claire is speaking from. In terms of relationships, she’s Miss Lockwood’s sister, yet she’s helping an outsider. In terms of justice, Miss Lockwood is the victim in every conceivable way. Where does she get the nerve?"

"Is this what Miss Yeats calls innocent?" Estelle asked with a smile. "How very innocent indeed."

Nathaniel spoke flatly. "Luke, call the police."

Standing nearby, Luke White nodded respectfully. "Understood, Mr. Sloan. I actually called the police just a moment ago. I believe they will arrive shortly. By the way, should we contact the chairman of this restaurant, Mr. Dominic Ford?"

Dominic Ford was Vincent Ford’s father.

A faint smirk touched Nathaniel’s lips. "What do you think, Estelle?"

Estelle tilted her head. "By the time Mr. Ford rushes over, it will be too late. I heard the young boss of the restaurant is right here, and he happens to be your classmate, Miss Yeats. Why don’t we invite him over instead?"

The venue grew even quieter. The waiter suddenly spilling the coffee, Claire suddenly showing up, and the cameras suddenly breaking—the whole situation was already fraught with suspicion. Now, hearing that the restaurant’s young boss was Claire’s classmate, everything seemed to make perfect sense. After all, rumor had it that Claire was highly resentful of this eldest daughter who had just returned to the Yeats family.

In an instant, the murmurs multiplied.

"So... the young boss of the restaurant, who is Claire’s classmate, is Vincent Ford..."

"I remember Vincent confessed his feelings to Claire in the past, right? She rejected him, but Vincent has been her loyal lapdog for five years straight."

"Tsk, tsk. No one else’s coffee was poisoned except for Miss Lockwood’s. Could Claire have ordered him to do it?"

"Yeah. If Miss Lockwood died, Vincent would take the fall. Claire would come out unscathed and successfully eliminate the true Miss Yeats... It’s terrifying just thinking about it."

Claire’s face turned deathly pale as she bit her lower lip hard.

That idiot Vincent Ford! She had thought Vincent was just planning to teach Estelle a lesson. She never expected him to be so crude and straightforward as to literally poison her coffee. How could he be so stupid?