Chapter 14

Bethany's social circle had always been small, especially in the past year after marriage. She had only contacted Jenny a few times. Who could be behind this plot against her? The only people she could think of were Megan's friends. During Megan's welcome dinner, Bethany had captured a couple of their faces in the background. However, Agatha denied all of them after Bethany showed her their pictures. Finally, Bethany showed a picture of Megan and looked nervously at Agatha. "What about her?" Agatha looked a little off, but she quickly shook her head. "The woman was wearing sunglasses at the time. Hence, I couldn't see her face." Bethany observed Agatha repeatedly gazing at Megan's photograph, which piqued her curiosity. Yet, she believed that Megan had no reason to harm her. Agatha noticed that Bethany was distracted, so she swiftly stood up and left. She warned Bethany from a distance, "The woman is wealthy and influential. It's not someone you can fight against. Just resign." Bethany watched as Agatha disappeared. She was lost in thought. She picked up her phone. When she saw Megan's photo again, her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. It couldn't be. There was no reason for Megan to harm her. Bethany fiddled with her phone again. When she had confronted Agatha earlier, she had secretly recorded their conversation. She could use the recording to prove she had been framed. Initially, Bethany had considered sending the recording to Megan, but she quickly changed her mind and decided to go to Regina instead. Bethany had missed the office's regular working hours. She had to wait outside the building until Regina finished her work for the day. Finally, when Regina was leaving, Bethany managed to meet with her. "Why are you here now?" Regina snapped coldly, quickening her pace. "Ms. Katz, I was framed yesterday. I have the recording here. Please, just listen to it," Bethany pleaded, chasing after Regina. "I'm not interested." Regina continued to quicken her pace. Bethany persisted, saying, "Ms. Katz, haven't you ever doubted Agatha? Her fortune is modest. She must have been bribed in some way." Regina stopped in her tracks. Agatha wasn't wealthy? Bethany explained, "I saw her this morning. She was dressed casually and hailed a cab on the street. It seemed unusual to me, so I followed her. And guess what? She lives in a run-down neighborhood and is far from wealthy." Bethany handed her phone to Regina and continued, "I recorded our conversation during the confrontation." With a doubtful expression, Regina reluctantly took the phone and listened to the recording. "Is this recording fabricated?" she asked. Regina couldn't comprehend why someone would attempt to frame a growing artist like Bethany. "Ms. Katz, I know you have doubts about me, but I swear on my life, I've never plagiarized anyone." Regina chuckled. "Bethany, do you think I'm naïve?" Bethany understood that Regina was referring to the paintings she had used during the interview. She had promised Megan that she would keep it confidential, so she didn't explain further. "Alright, I'll report this matter to the higher-ups." Regina returned the phone to Bethany. "You may go back and wait for the outcome." Feeling grateful, Bethany responded, "Thank you, Ms. Katz." Then, she said, "Oh, Ms. Katz, has Ms. Reyes returned?" "Megan?" Regina frowned. "She just got back this morning." Then, something struck Regina. "Bethany, you don't suspect Ms. Reyes, do you?" Bethany quickly shook her head and replied, "Of course not." "Great. You would have been out on the streets long ago if Ms. Reyes hadn't been there." With that, Regina walked off. Agatha's reaction to the photos was indeed suspicious. As she connected the recent events, Bethany couldn't shake the impression that an invisible hand was at work. … When Bethany returned home, she gave Jenny a detailed account of what had happened. "I knew Megan wasn't trustworthy!" Jenny exclaimed. Bethany's thoughts were in disarray. "I don't know, Jen. It's just how Agatha reacted when she saw that picture." "All right, Beth. Let's not dwell on it for now. Let's wait for updates," Jenny said, understanding that suspecting Megan was torment for Bethany in itself. The next day, Megan called Bethany during her lunch break. "Congratulations, Beth. The issue has been resolved. You can come back to work," she announced. "Really?" Bethany was ecstatic. "Thank you, Meg." "I didn't contribute much. It's all due to the recording you took," Megan added. Bethany was astonished when Megan brought up the recording on her own. "Did she mention who was behind it?" Megan asked indignantly. "Beth, I'll accompany you to meet Agatha again this afternoon." "Huh?" Bethany felt even more terrible, knowing she should never have doubted Megan. "That's settled, then. Wait for me at home," Megan insisted. Bethany quickly declined the offer. "There is no need, Meg. I know the exact address of where she lives. That neighborhood is enormous. Plus, now that everything's out in the open, she's most likely moved out overnight." Megan sighed. "You should have called the police at the time." "It's a personal matter. I doubt calling the police would have helped," Bethany reasoned. She thanked Megan repeatedly before hanging up. "I'm such a terrible person, Jen, aren't I?" Bethany mourned. Jenny consoled Bethany, caressing her head. "Maybe recent events have made you overly sensitive," she said. Jenny knew there was another possibility—Megan might be cunning. "Anyway, you have to be extra cautious once you get back to the company," Jenny warned. Bethany returned to her job the following day. After initially being somewhat harsh, Regina eventually warmed up and gave Bethany some minor tasks. Bethany accomplished them all flawlessly, winning the respect of her coworkers. Regina even volunteered to take her to meet with clients that day. "Ms. Whitlock is a major client. She's extremely picky. We've taken on a few projects for her before but never managed to seal the deal." Bethany nodded and responded, "I'll do my best." However, Bethany's demeanor changed as she opened the door to the VIP room. The major client turned out to be Megan's friend, Harper. "So, here's the legendary rising star, huh?" Harper remarked, eyeing Bethany with disdain, "A lowlife who enjoys drugging men and getting into bed with them? Not even her cousin's fiancé was spared." Harper grabbed her bag and began to leave. As Harper passed by Bethany, she paused and sneered. "Bethany, how low can you get? Aren't you using drugs on your husband? Are you not content enough?" The door of the VIP room stayed open, and Harper's statements were audible to all. "Her cousin's fiancé? Isn't Bethany's cousin, Ms. Reyes?" "So, Bethany slept with her cousin's partner? Is this for real?" "She was only able to join our company because of Ms. Reyes. Ms. Reyes is too empathetic." "She drugged her husband, huh? Young folks nowadays know how to have fun." The hushed murmurs intensified, and their comments became more and more nasty.