Chapter 4

I jumped back in shock, still trying to process what had just happened. The next thing I knew, Lauren suddenly appeared and shoved me. She then helped Gregory up to his feet, glaring at me with fury.

"Did you just push him?" she questioned me.

I shook my head frantically. "I didn't! He fell on purpose! He's trying to set me up!"

However, Gregory, wincing in pain, insisted it was my fault. "He pushed me, Lauren… He's jealous that you've given me your wedding venue, so he tried to hurt me…"

I opened my mouth to explain again, but Lauren slapped me sharply. "I've heard enough! There's no one else around but you. You're jealous of my relationship with Greg, so you pushed him and tried to kill him!

"I know you've always been jealous, but I never expected you'd be so cruel! If anything happened to Greg, I'd never forgive you, Cameron!"

Then, in a voice sharp as steel, she ordered the staff, "Lock him up in the cold storage. That should give him a lesson."

I covered my face, staring at her in disbelief. "I told you it wasn't me, Lauren! Why won't you just check the surveillance? Will it kill you just to believe me one time—"

Yet, the staff had already grabbed me and thrown me into the cold storage. Right before the door closed, I saw Lauren walking further and further away with Gregory around her arms.

I banged on the door, calling for help, my body shaking uncontrollably from fear and cold.

Just then, the live comments flashed before my eyes again.

"Lauren may seem angry on the outside, but deep inside, she's enjoying it! She thinks Cameron is finally jealous!"

"In reality, she doesn't want to punish him. Nothing happened with her and Gregory anyway. It's just an act to make Cameron jealous. Of course, you can't put up a convincing performance without going all out. In this case, Cameron will have to suffer."

Reading those comments, I began to wonder if it was all just a hallucination. Did Lauren truly love me? If she did, why would she punish me in such a cruel way?

I curled up, shivering violently. The cold seeped into my bones, each breath sending a stab of pain through me. My consciousness grew dim, my breathing shallow, and finally, I went unconscious.

…

I didn't know how long I was out, but when I slowly came to, the cold storage door was open. I forced myself to stand, wobbling on unsteady legs, and limped out.

It was freezing in there. I had to get away. I had to go home.

As I was passing by the hall, I was suddenly stopped by the security guard. "Freeze! You must be the thief!"

My mind went blank. Before I could react, they had already dug into my pockets and pulled out a shattered vintage watch. "Mr. Cooper, this should be the watch you lost, right?"

Gregory took it and nodded repeatedly. "That's it! This was my mother's heirloom… How did it end up shattered like this…"

He then turned to me, his face filled with hurt, as if accusing me. "Cameron, I know you hate me because of my engagement with Lauren, but wasn't pushing me down the stairs enough? You had to break my mother's watch, too?"

He sank to the ground, forcing tears to come out. "I'm sorry, Mom… I couldn't even protect the one thing you left me…"

His movement allowed everyone to notice the bruise marks on his body from the earlier fall. They gasped, staring in shock.

"Gregory, did Cameron do this to you?"

Gregory nodded confidently, and that was all it needed to fuel everyone's anger. The crowd shot me condemning glares, whispering among themselves on how they planned to deal with me.

"This kind of underhanded behavior deserves serious punishment!"

I shook my head frantically, trying to explain myself. "It wasn't me! I didn't steal anything or push him down the stairs! Gregory staged everything! You have no right to punish me! I'm calling the police! They'll find out the truth and—"