Chapter 514: The Informant Is Liza Shelby

Chapter 514: Chapter 514: The Informant Is Liza Shelby

"This time, I was the one being framed, but who will she target next? I was only able to prove my innocence because I’m Mr. Lynch’s friend—without any video or audio evidence. What about the other contestants?

"When that happens, and they have absolutely no way to prove their innocence, would that be fair to them?

"If we don’t root out this person, they’ll be the rotten apple that spoils the bunch... None of us will be able to compete with any peace of mind."

As her words fell, the friends and families of the other contestants in the stands could no longer sit still.

She was right! What was Estelle Lockwood’s status? She was Mrs. Sloan, the chairwoman of Star. Yet, even for someone like her, proving her innocence had been incredibly difficult and met with so much resistance.

What if that person falsely accused their own contestants?

If this person wasn’t rooted out, how could anyone focus on the competition!

The contestants themselves nodded in agreement. "Miss Lockwood is right. We have to find this person first.

"Who reported her? Who framed her? Why did the judging panel try to cover it up? Which judges took bribes? As contestants, we need to know all of this! Otherwise, how can you guarantee the fairness of this competition?

"I don’t have any background. I just want to participate in a fair competition...

"Judges, we’re currently live streaming. I think everyone is very curious about who this rotten apple really is.

"We’re just ordinary contestants. We don’t want to become someone else’s stepping stones..."

Mr. Ellis’s face darkened, and he gritted his teeth hard.

Claire also panicked, staring at Estelle with venom, cursing the bitch in her mind. She wondered what she should do now. Wait, she didn’t need to panic, because she wasn’t the one who had submitted the report, nor was she the beneficiary of this whole ordeal! Even though many people could guess that the "Miss Yeats" in the recording was her, as long as Benjamin Carter didn’t confess and she didn’t admit to it, did anyone actually have proof?

Left with no other choice, the judges exchanged glances. "Alright, we will investigate right now."

Claire deliberately sighed. Her words seemed aimed at herself, yet also seemingly meant for the live stream audience to hear. "Never mind, never mind. I had good intentions but ended up making things worse... I was just worried about wasting everyone’s time. After all, today’s schedule is very tight..."

[Exactly! Estelle didn’t do anything wrong, but Claire is even more innocent!]

[Our Claire was just trying to be kind!]

Soon, a few judges returned. Their faces were stiff, and their expressions evasive. "We... we’ve found the person who reported Miss Lockwood..."

Estelle curled her lips into a smile. "Oh? And who is it?"

"It’s... it’s..." Mr. Ellis gritted his teeth and finally spat out a name. "It’s Liza Shelby!"

The smug expression on Liza’s face suddenly froze. Her voice shot up an octave. "You—"

Mr. Ellis hastily cut her off. How could he let anyone discover that this had anything to do with Claire Yeats now? "Liza! You were the one who made the report! Even though you submitted it anonymously, the IP address traces back to you! Furthermore, if Estelle is eliminated, you are the sole beneficiary! You placed twenty-first—if she gets disqualified, you’ll automatically advance to the semifinals!"

Up in the stands, Zion looked as if he had suffered a massive blow, stumbling back into his seat. He had been wrong. Estelle really was innocent all along.

Old Mrs. Yeats wanted to say more, but Zion interrupted her. "I misjudged Estelle. This is all my fault! Liza, I thought that as the young lady of the Shelby family, you were considered a friend to our Claire, but I never imagined you were this kind of person!"

Liza’s face flushed crimson. She screamed, trying to argue her way out of it, but Zion immediately condemned her.

"It’s ridiculous that I actually believed your words and misunderstood my own niece! The Yeats family will hold the Shelby family fully accountable for this matter to the very end!"

So it was Liza Shelby!

A look of sudden realization washed over the crowd. It was unexpected, yet it made perfect sense.

Exactly. Liza was the biggest beneficiary, and she had been acting very agitated just a moment ago. It turned out she was the whistleblower.

Mr. Ellis breathed a sigh of relief. "Estelle Lockwood, now that—"

"Was it only Miss Shelby?" Estelle blinked innocently. "Miss Yeats was so filled with righteous indignation just now, repeatedly trying to stop me from investigating the truth. I actually thought she might have been one of the people who reported me."

Claire’s expression suddenly froze.

"Estelle Lockwood, shut your mouth!" Up in the stands, Old Mrs. Yeats violently shook off Zion’s arm, her face twisted in a ferocious roar. "Our Claire is not that kind of person! Apologize to her right now!"

Zion immediately felt a surge of disappointment again. "Estelle, how could you... how could you..."

Claire curled her lips slightly. "Estelle, oh Estelle, you really are an idiot," she thought. "Did you really think I’d report you myself and leave evidence behind for you to use against me? The act of reporting was entirely Liza’s doing. Even if the investigation scrutinizes her, I am absolutely clean."

At that thought, Claire let out a soft sigh and feigned a pitiful look. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her eyelashes fluttered delicately.

"Estelle, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you earlier. Because Liza is my friend, I’ve always trusted her. When she said you seduced Benjamin Carter, and coupled with that surveillance footage, I... I just assumed...

"I’m truly sorry for misunderstanding you without getting to the bottom of the truth. I know you’ve been wronged. As your sister, I didn’t stand by your side, and I sincerely apologize."

With that, she gave a deep, long bow.

Claire’s fans immediately felt their hearts ache for her.

[I mean, enough is enough with Estelle. This obviously has nothing to do with Claire. The only thing Claire did wrong was trusting the wrong friend. Why isn’t she going after the actual culprit instead of making things difficult for Claire? So bitchy.]

Zion couldn’t bear it either. What exactly was Estelle trying to do? Claire had made a mistake, but she had also sincerely apologized. Wasn’t that enough?

"Estelle, as for Benjamin Carter, Liza, and those judges who took the Shelby family’s money to intentionally frame you, Uncle Zion will settle the score with them later. But Claire didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t take your anger out on her."

"Alright," Estelle nodded.

Zion choked on his words. She just agreed like that?

Claire was also stunned, failing to react for a moment. Wait, something felt wrong—

"It’s true that Miss Yeats wasn’t the one who reported me. From start to finish, the only person who reported me was Liza Shelby." Estelle nodded slightly. "Actually, I’ve already found evidence of this."

Old Mrs. Yeats spat venomously, "Then why are you wasting time—"

Estelle suddenly smiled. "But what about that ’Miss Yeats’ who framed me? Claire, was that you?"

The venue instantly fell dead silent!

Claire’s face paled, looking like she might collapse at any second. Tears fell from her eyes like pearls off a broken string. "Estelle, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Do you really hate me that much? Do you absolutely have to pin a crime on me?

"I just didn’t want you to hold up everyone’s time, but, but you... If you really insist on doing this, then fine, I’ll admit it. I’m the one who bribed Benjamin Carter. Estelle, please stop making a scene..."

"Estelle Lockwood!" Old Mrs. Yeats was furious beyond measure, shrieking at the top of her lungs. "You’re asking for death! How dare you bully Claire! I’ll kill you!!"

Zion furrowed his brows. "Estelle, that’s really enough!"

"It seems everyone really trusts Claire Yeats," Estelle suddenly sighed. "But how did all of you miss the point? I already said... I have evidence."