Chapter 189: Play along

Thomas straightened his shoulders and stood his ground.

If he was going down, then he might as well drag along the people who had brought him to this point.

"Well, that’s a good idea," Clara said with a faint smile.

Julianna, however, looked as though all the blood had drained from her body.

"Officer, how about you check their phones?" Clara continued. "I’m sure both of them have something that might help you uncover the truth."

Julianna’s eyes widened.

"No! You can’t do that!" she protested. "You can’t invade my personal space without legal permission!"

Her voice grew increasingly frantic.

"This is private property. You have no right to search through my phone!"

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you so worried?"

"I’m not worried!"

"You certainly sound worried."

Julianna glared at her. This is all that bitch’s fault. Her hands curled into fists.

Just wait until this mess is over. I’ll make sure she remembers exactly who she messed with.

Before she could say anything else, a deep voice suddenly rang out across the venue.

"How about I give them permission?"

The crowd fell silent. Everyone turned toward the entrance.

People slowly began moving aside as a familiar figure approached.

The moment they recognized him, their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Mr. Graham?"

"What is he doing here?"

"Wasn’t he taken to the hospital?"

"He looked like he was barely breathing earlier!"

"How did he get back so quickly?"

The murmurs spread rapidly through the crowd. Even Julianna stood frozen.

Adrian Graham walked toward them, accompanied by Logan, who looked equally exhausted from the evening’s chaos.

Clara’s eyes widened slightly.

"Mr. Graham..."

Adrian stopped a few feet away and looked around at everyone.

"I believe I arrived at the right time." His gaze shifted toward the police officer.

"You have my permission to check their phones. Infact you can check everyone’s phone." The man smiled like he had been doing fine all the time. There was no sign of fatigue from earlier.

Julianna’s face went completely pale. "Mr. Graham, wait—"

Adrian raised a hand, stopping her. "I heard enough on my way here." His expression hardened. "And if there is evidence on those phones that can explain what happened to me tonight, I want the police to find it."

The crowd fell silent once again.

Julianna stared at him, realizing that the situation had just taken another turn she could no longer control.

Adrian’s eyes moved across the people before they held onto Clara’s with a knowingly look.

[Flashback]

After Penelope left, Adrian continued staring at the card she had handed him.

Beside him, Logan was still ranting about his "childish" behavior, but Adrian barely paid attention. A faint smile appeared on his face as he reread the simple thank-you note.

"Honestly, Boss, sometimes I wonder if you’re actually capable of behaving your age," Logan muttered.

Adrian chuckled. "Let me enjoy the moment, Logan."

"The moment?"

"Yes. Someone actually thanked me without asking for anything in return."

Logan rolled his eyes.

"You’re impossible."

Adrian ignored him and carefully closed the card.

But the moment he did, something else caught his attention.

His brows drew together.

There was another piece of paper tucked behind the card.

Curious, Adrian pulled it out and unfolded it.

The smile on his face disappeared as he read the message.

[Someone is trying to frame Clara, and that person is still unknown. If you want to uncover the truth, play along.

Adrian’s expression immediately turned serious.

He read the note again, making sure he hadn’t misunderstood.

"Someone is trying to frame Clara..."

He murmured the words under his breath.

Logan stopped ranting.

"What is it?"

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he looked around the area, searching for any sign of Penelope.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did she go?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Penelope."

Logan glanced around.

"I thought she was still here."

Adrian folded the note and slipped it into his pocket. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the girl, when suddenly, his phone rang.

He pulled out his phone and stared at the unfamiliar number flashing across the screen. He hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

Whatever he heard on the other end made his expression darken.

[Present]

Lily looked at Clara and pursed her lips.

Clara, however, couldn’t take her eyes off Adrian.

She still couldn’t understand how he looked perfectly fine now. She had clearly seen him struggling to breathe earlier. His face had been so pale that, for a moment, she had genuinely feared that if help came even a second too late, he might not survive.

Yet now, he was standing there as though nothing had happened.

Not only that, he was even standing up for her.

It was almost as if he had already known that something like this would happen.

Clara narrowed her eyes, watching him carefully.

"Officer, here’s the letter for your investigation." Adrian handed the folded note to the officer. His voice remained calm and composed. "Since this is a charity event organized by me, I take full responsibility for the investigation."

The officer accepted the letter and glanced at him suspiciously.

"Mr. Graham, you understand that this isn’t a simple matter, right? We need to question everyone involved, including the people who were near the scene."

"Of course." Adrian gave a slight nod. "You have my full cooperation."

"And if we find that someone connected to the event is responsible?"

"Then deal with them according to the law."

His answer was so straightforward that the officer paused.

Lily exchanged a glance with Clara.

Clara’s fingers curled slightly. Something wasn’t right.

Adrian wasn’t behaving like a man caught off guard by an incident at his own event. He looked prepared—as though he had been expecting this all along.

And that realization sent an uneasy chill through her.

Could it be he was fine all along

The possibility made Clara’s heart firm but the one who looked as if the world has come crashing down her feets was none other than Julianna