Chapter 88 Baseless accusations
“I know we’ve wronged you in the past, but it’s been so many years. You’ve been stirring things up all these years, isn’t it enough?”
“You can’t drag everyone down with you!!”
The woman’s cries echoed, and Leila could hear every word clearly from her bedroom.
Mason’s cold voice followed immediately, “Aunt, how can you be so sure it was me who did this to Omar?”
The woman blurted out, “Who else could it be if not you?”
Mason replied, “Everything requires evidence. Accusing me like this isn’t appropriate, is it?”
After Mason spoke, there was a momentary silence in the noisy living room. After a few seconds, a commanding voice rang out, “Kneel!”
It was The old Mr Ramirez.
Hearing that voice, Leila’s heart skipped a beat.
For some reason, she found herself unexpectedly anxious for Mason.
A few minutes later, Leila got up and headed downstairs. Just as she reached the staircase, she saw the old Mr Ramirez sitting on the sofa. In the middle of the living room stood a woman dressed elegantly, her face tear-stained but her makeup impeccable-a true aristocratic lady.
And there was Mason, kneeling in the middle of the room.
His white shirt unbuttoned all the way down to his waist, his strong waist exposed without any doubt.
Behind him stood two bodyguards, holding a two-centimeter-wide leather whip in their hands, expressionless, clearly accustomed to such tasks.
The old Mr Ramirez leaned on his cane, his face stern as he stared at Mason. He took a deep breath, looking as though he hated to resort to such measures, and asked, “Do you have any involvement in your brother’s injury?”
Facing his questioning, Mason’s lips curled in a slight mockery. “Don’t you already have a judgment in your mind?”
“I want to hear it from you,” The old Mr Ramirez insisted.
Just as Mason was about to speak, Leila, standing on the steps, interjected, “Even if he says it, will you believe him?”
Her voice attracted everyone’s attention, especially the old man. The anger on his face became even more apparent upon seeing her here.
Once Leila spoke up, she had no intention of backing down. She glanced at Mason, still kneeling on the ground, then stepped down the stairs. Before she could reach Mason, Esther blocked her path.
Esther held her hand and gestured urgently, but when Leila didn’t budge, she whispered, “Miss Patel, please don’t get involved in this…”
Esther’s words were cut short as Leila calmly interrupted, “Don’t worry, I won’t stir up trouble.”
Esther had worked in the Ramirez Family for a long time and knew exactly what kind of people they were. She also knew Leila’s position in Mason’s heart. Despite Mason kneeling here, if the old Mr Ramirez dared to harm Leila…
Before Esther could say more, the old Mr Ramirez’s stern voice interrupted, “Each is an ungrateful piece of shit..”
Esther was shocked by his words and released Leila.
Leila smiled at her and approached Mason. She bent down and helped him put on his shirt.
Mason looked up at her without saying a word.
Sensing his gaze, Leila leaned closer to his ear and spoke in a voice only they could hear, “Mason, is this all you’ve got?”
Upon hearing Leila’s words, Mason chuckled softly and replied in the same low tone, “Yeah, pretty pathetic.”
“How will you protect me then?”
Mason’s smile faded as he locked eyes with her, as if wondering the truth of her words.
But Leila didn’t give him much time to ponder. After helping him put on his shirt, she stood upright and addressed the old Mr Ramirez.
“Mr Ramirez, you just said you’d believe Mason if he said it wasn’t him. Do you?”
“As long as he provides evidence, I’ll believe it wasn’t him.”
“Then does this aunt have evidence to prove Mason framed her son?”
The old Mr Ramirez’s face turned grim, remaining silent.
Leila mocked, turning her gaze towards the middle-aged woman beside her, “Does she have witnesses? Physical evidence?”
The old Mr Ramirez stayed silent.
Leila continued tauntingly, glancing at the woman, “She has nothing at all?”
The woman’s expression soured. “And who are you? This is our family matter; it’s none of your business.”
Leila smirked politely but her eyes betrayed her amusement. “Mason’s fiancee.”
The woman faltered, lost for words.
Mason, still kneeling, flashed a faint smile.
Leila couldn’t help but inwardly scoff at these hypocrites who masqueraded as respectable people. This was perhaps the absurdity of the wealthy families, not even comparable to Elsa’s tantrums.
After a silence, the old Mr Ramirez turned his head towards Kara with irritation. “Didn’t you insist earlier that Mason was responsible for this?”
Kara nodded obediently. “Dad, who else could it be besides him? Omar has been unwell for years and hardly leaves the house. Who else could he have antagonized?”
To garner sympathy from the old Mr Ramirez and align him on her side, Kara shed two perfect tears.
Seeing this, Leila pinched her thigh hard, her eyes reddening. “So, you have no evidence at all, just baseless accusations?”
Kara was taken aback, unable to respond immediately.
Since the old Mrs Ramirez passed away a few years ago, Mason’s mother had also left, and none of the younger generation had married. She never expected someone to use the same tactic against her.
Before Kara could recover, Leila turned back to the old Mr Ramirez. “Mr Ramirez, I know I haven’t married Mason yet, and I may not be worthy to call you grandfather, but I still want to ask-has Mason endured years of this treatment in the Ramirez Family? Anyone can throw mud at him, and he must bow down and admit to it?”
The old Mr Ramirez stiffened, gripping his cane tightly. Thoughts of the past years flooded his mind, leaving him feeling uneasy.
Leila wasn’t sure how they had treated Mason over the years, but she had seen the wounds on his body before. Combined with today’s events, it wasn’t hard to guess Mason’s situation.
As she pressed him, the old Mr Ramirez’s aged face grew even darker.
Unable to hear his response, Leila sighed wryly, “A child without a mother will not be loved.”
The old Mr Ramirez remained silent.
Kara remained silent.
Mason, still kneeling but struggling to hold back a laugh, remained silent.
Finally, The old Mr Ramirez left in a huff, with Kara trailing behind, her face pale.
Watching everyone leave, Esther hurried over to help Mason up from the floor. Mason placed a hand on Leila’s shoulder to steady himself and chuckled softly, “Nice way with words.”
Leila turned to him without a smile on her face. “Mason.”
“If you don’t feel like laughing, then don’t.”
Feeling complicated at the moment, Leila didn’t linger in the living room. Before heading upstairs, she asked Esther to check if Mason’s knee was okay.
As Leila went upstairs, Esther whispered to Mason, “Miss Patel was a good girl.”
“Yeah.”
Elsa added, “No wonder you like her so much. Just those few words she spoke for you earlier are worth your liking.”
Like in that scene just now, anyone with eyes could see Mason was at a disadvantage. If the old Mr Ramirez had gotten angry, not only could Leila and Mason’s relationship be in jeopardy, but Leila might disappear from the Ramirez Group or even Neo City. Yet Leila had stood up fearlessly. She wasn’t someone who didn’t understand weighing pros and cons, nor was she someone who didn’t know how to avoid trouble. It could be seen from how she had endured insults and gossip from creditors and people around her for years, all while keeping her head down and working hard to earn money.
Mason cleared his throat. “Yeah.” He hadn’t expected her to surprise him so much today.
Back in her room, Leila lay on the bed, replaying the scene in the living room and then sighing heavily as she stared at the ceiling.
It felt good to act on impulse, but once she calmed down, regret set in. Especially since she had confidently declared herself Mason’s fiancee. How bold could one person be to lose so much face?
Mason, in a cheerful mood, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, smoking and making a phone call to Caleb.
After hearing Mason out, Caleb, surprised but teasing, remarked, “You must be over the moon right now?”
“Sort of,” Mason chuckled lightly. “I just didn’t expect her to… stand up for me.”
“Did your aunt explode today?”
“More than you can imagine.”
Caleb continued, “She’s been throwing mud at you for years, counting on your unwillingness to explain. Whether you did it or not, it’s always blamed on you.”
Mason sneered, “Let’s see how much longer she can keep this up.”
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Mason’s voice grew serious. “By the day after tomorrow, I will have finished paying back his six years of upbringing.”
“I’m really curious, what are you aiming for? Enduring all these years just to pay back those six years the old man raised you. And those six years weren’t even good…”
“My principle in life is not liking to owe favors,” Mason replied seriously. “What did Wendell do to Omar?”