Chapter 342: The Opinions of Others? I’ve Never Cared.

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: The Opinions of Others? I’ve Never Cared.

They could have swept this under the rug and turned a big problem into a small one, but now that poison was involved, the nature of the situation had completely changed! She had to find a way out of this; she absolutely could not let it be tied back to her...

"Young Mr. Ford, you’re here!"

The manager practically saw him as a savior. He hurried forward to greet Vincent Ford, wiping away a cold sweat as he whispered a warning, "Y-Young Mr. Ford, the person we’re dealing with today is not someone to be trifled with. Please, whatever you do, don’t blow this out of proportion..."

Whoever was to blame needed to take the blame. The manager could easily tell that this whole mess had started because of Claire Yeats. Besides, he had just seen her crying and complaining to Young Mr. Ford backstage.

However, when Vincent Ford met Claire’s tearful, pitiful gaze, his heart immediately ached for her.

The failure of his plan had already infuriated him. Why did they have to make Claire cry? Estelle Lockwood was such a bitch!

Vincent Ford gritted his teeth. "Let me tell you, don’t even think about framing Claire!"

Estelle cast a cool glance at him. "No one mentioned Claire Yeats except you. What, was she the one who planted the poison? Is that why you’re so anxious?"

"You..." Vincent Ford realized he was acting a bit too eager and let out a cold snort. "I guessed it! With a setup like this, anyone could tell what you were trying to do!"

"Then why doesn’t Young Mr. Ford guess what the penalty is for poisoning someone in a restaurant?" Estelle cut straight to the chase. "Who is responsible for this crime? Since it happened in your establishment, Young Mr. Ford, you owe me an explanation."

Vincent Ford shot a meaningful look to the side.

The waiter immediately burst into tears. "Miss Lockwood, it’s all my fault! I didn’t like the look of you and held a grudge. Blame me! Don’t take it out on anyone else!"

Mrs. Kendrick’s expression darkened. "A grudge? You and Estelle have never even met. Where would a grudge come from?"

"I... I..." The waiter gritted his teeth. "I interviewed at Star Group before and was rejected, so I held a grudge!"

Hearing this, Vincent Ford let out a sigh of relief and feigned anger. "You really are something! To hold a grudge against Miss Lockwood over such a trivial matter! Thank goodness she’s unharmed; otherwise, how many lives would it take for you to pay for this?!

"But Miss Lockwood, you’re at fault too. Now that he’s confessed, you can’t keep blaming Claire and me. Even victims shouldn’t falsely accuse and frame others, wouldn’t you agree?"

The police arrived.

Estelle spoke slowly, "So, what Young Mr. Ford is saying is that this was solely his doing and has nothing to do with you or Claire Yeats?"

"Of course," Vincent Ford said smugly.

Seeing that someone was taking the fall and the blame wouldn’t land on her no matter what, Claire let out a helpless sigh, playing the part of a magnanimous heiress.

"Estelle... look, everyone has lost their appetite because of you, and Vincent had to put his work on hold. We’re all trying to comfort you, so could you please just drop it?

"This whole thing was just the fault of this one waiter. If you insist on blowing this out of proportion and getting the police involved, you’ll only end up humiliating yourself..."

"Why would Estelle be the one humiliated?" Before Estelle could even open her mouth, Nathaniel Sloan interrupted, his voice as icy as ever.

Startled, Claire instinctively opened her mouth to stutter, "B-because others might think Estelle is making a fuss. They might wonder why the waiter targeted her and no one else. After all, Estelle..."

Nathaniel’s eyes were as sharp as knives. "Miss Yeats, even you said ’might’."

Estelle clicked her tongue. Claire was getting desperate.

She smiled radiantly, her gaze deep. She looked Claire up and down with a half-smile and spoke slowly, her tone dripping with mockery.

"Miss Yeats, you really don’t know how much it hurts until the knife cuts your own flesh.

"That cup of coffee was aimed right at me. It nearly splashed all over my face.

"I demand an explanation, but conveniently, the restaurant’s security cameras are broken. You’ve resisted every step of the way and refused to admit anything. Young Mr. Ford hasn’t shown the slightest hint of remorse, either. Taking a step back, even if the waiter acted on his own... how did it turn into victim-blaming the moment you two opened your mouths?

"From the very beginning, you spoke up for the culprit, Miss Yeats. Now you’re telling me to let it go because pursuing it will damage my reputation and make me look petty.

"With all due respect, as long as I can punish the real culprit, do you think I’ve ever cared about what others think?"

Estelle let out a light chuckle. "Besides, we all know perfectly well whether or not this was solely the waiter’s doing, don’t we?"

The other guests nodded in agreement.

Claire’s face instantly turned deathly pale. "I-I didn’t mean it like that. I was just worried..."

"Then please keep your worries to yourself," Estelle said faintly. "Since Young Mr. Ford refuses to confess, I’ll just have to speak with Chairman Ford. Let’s go."

Soon, the police took the supposed poisoner away. The waiter had probably never expected he would actually end up in the police station, and he cried hysterically, begging for mercy.

Vincent Ford’s face alternated between green and pale. "What do you mean by that? Are you planning to extort a confession?!"

"Of course not." Estelle feigned surprise. "What are you talking about? I’m an upstanding citizen. I simply want to have a proper discussion with your father.

"Young Mr. Ford..." Estelle pondered for a moment before suddenly smiling. "If you don’t confess now, you won’t get another chance later. Goodbye."

Christian blinked his big eyes. "Uncle Ford~"

Vincent Ford instinctively looked down at Young Mr. Sloan, whom everyone in high society claimed was a sickly, easily bullied child.

Then, he watched as Christian opened his mouth and silently mouthed, "My daddy is not someone you want to mess with~"

After delivering his message, the boy skipped away, following right behind Estelle.

For a moment, the restaurant descended into a deathly silence.

The guests excused themselves one after another, and soon, only Vincent Ford and Claire Yeats were left.

Vincent Ford didn’t fully understand what Estelle had meant. His face flushed red, then drained of color. His expression was a mix of subtlety and panic. "Claire, w-what did Estelle mean? Is she out for my life or something?!

"And that Christian Sloan, he just threatened me—"

"Vincent." Claire’s eyes reddened. "Estelle was almost disfigured, and I was so scared. No matter what, she’s still my sister."

"Claire?" Vincent Ford’s eyes widened in shock. "Don’t tell me you didn’t want Estelle to...?"

"Vincent, I only ever hoped to get along with Estelle! I never thought about poisoning her!" Tears streamed down Claire’s face. "How could you be so impulsive?"

Vincent Ford was panic-stricken. Had he actually misunderstood Claire’s intentions? And ended up breaking her heart! He had truly thought her words were a hint for him to teach Estelle a harsh lesson. He had only taken such a massive risk to win the favor of his goddess!

Crying and choking back sobs, Claire pleaded, "Vincent... you know how ruthless Mr. Sloan can be. That waiter will definitely, definitely rat you out. But I know you did it all for me, so when the time comes... just tell them it was all my idea."

Vincent Ford jolted back to his senses.

Right, this was never Claire’s true intention. He had misunderstood her, so if anyone had to take the blame, it should be him!

"Don’t worry, Claire! No matter what happens, I’ll take full responsibility. This has nothing to do with you!"

Claire bit her lower lip gently, a flash of triumph crossing her eyes.

"What an idiot," she thought.