Chapter 1870 Slander
Moonlight kissed the sea, setting its waves aglow, and Elisa was nowhere to be found, entirely off the grid.
Rochelle breathed out a mixture of relief and sorrow. It was a pity that someone as remarkable as Gareth would
meet such a tragic end...
Too bad. It had to be that way.
Rochelle's expression turned steely, resolute in removing any obstacles from her path.
Snapping back to reality, the man who had initially invited Elisa to dance was about to dive into the sea, searching
for her.
But Paul interjected. He looked at the crowd and announced, "I get that we're all concerned about Ms. Benett, and I
am too. However, in her absence, my responsibility is the safety of everyone present. It's wiser to wait until we're
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇton solid ground before seeking assistance."
With Paul's words, the crowd's resistance dwindled.
Bella had been lost in a daze, but now she snapped back to her senses, determined to leap into the sea and rescue
Elisa. Her sudden action sent shockwaves through the crowd, leaving them gasping in horror.
However, fate played a double-edged game. Bella's intentions were thwarted.
Rochelle swiftly intervened, halting her in her tracks. Their struggle ended in a tumble onto the deck, with Rochelle
managing an unexpected feat—positioning herself astride Bella.
Bella murmured in a daze, "Let me go… let me go down..."
Rochelle's response was a slap that seemed to hush the world.
With a grip on Bella's collar, Rochelle's tone oozed menace, "Don't think dying will clear your guilt. Legal
consequences await you!"
The onlookers were bewildered by the dramatic turn of events. Despite the confusion, many had faith that Bella
was no culprit.
Eventually, Bella regained her composure. Her conscience reawakened, and her gaze locked onto Rochelle. Briefly,
Rochelle caught a glimpse of Elisa's essence in Bella's gaze.
A chill crawled down her spine, compelling her to release her grip on Bella.
Bella regained her footing with a bit of support, and she squarely faced Rochelle. "You're accusing me of pushing
Elisa off the ship, but everyone at the company knows how close she and I were. Why on earth would I do
something like that? What could my motive possibly be?"
Rochelle was caught off guard. Then, after a moment of realization, she straightened herself and locked eyes with
Bella, speaking with newfound confidence, "Who can really know what you were thinking? You've proven you can be
pretty extreme, and your motives? Anyone's guess! Maybe you had some sneaky agenda or were gunning to
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmreplace her? And heck! You didn't even save your cousin – I saw you had the chance to rescue Mr. Wickam earlier,
but you let him slip away!"
The crowd only just realized that Gareth had also fallen overboard.
Bella stood there, momentarily stunned, shaking her head as she stepped back, a clear sense of devastation on her
face. How could this have happened? Both Gareth and Elisa had fallen off the ship. How am I supposed to explain all
this to Grandma?
Bella sat there, cradling her head in anguish, lost in silence. In the midst of this, Paul motioned to a nearby waiter.
The waiter hesitated a bit and then stepped forward, saying, "I saw it happen. This lady here pushed Ms. Benett into
the water. Even though Ms. Benett cried out for help, she just ignored her. By the time I realized Ms. Benett was
gone from the surface. Her last words were, 'So your text message was a trap.'"
Camden, who had asked Elisa to dance, piped up, "Why didn't you speak up earlier?"
Slowly, the crowd started to connect the dots, gazing at the waiter with puzzled expressions. If this story was true,
why wasn't she the first on the scene instead of Rochelle?
For a brief moment, the waiter looked panicked, glancing between Paul and Rochelle.