When Patricia saw the photo of her greeting Tracy and Sheila on Ellinorâs phone, she turned as pale as a sheet.
Xenia also noticed the photo and immediately sensed something bad was coming Ellinor handed her phone to Balfour, who was standing close, and asked, âMr. Howard, is the lady in the photo your sister?â
Balfour took a look at the photo, his brow furrowing. He then turned to a paleâfaced Patricia and asked, âWhy were you at the place in the photo this morning?â
Patricia was completely stunned. She was caught on camera? Even though she had been so careful.
âCrap! It mustâve been Sheila and her daughterâs actions that attracted Ellinorâs attention!â she nervously thought.
Patricia blinked her eyes, visibly a tad nervous and tried speaking, âI⦠I wasnâtâ¦â
Balfour scoffed, âYou werenât? You were caught on camera and youâre still denying it?â
Patricia insisted, âPhotos can be deceptive! With todayâs technology, photos can be edited, and even videos can faceâswap! You canât just jump to conclusions based on one photo!â
Xenia chimed in. âYeah, Balfour, donât rush! I think Ms. Mendoza has ulterior motives. Why would she stir up trouble in our house with such a fake photo? Every time she shows up, our house turns into a madhouse. Balfour, you need to cool down, donât let her manipulate you!â
Balfour squinted at Xenia, âYou think Ms Mendoza would cause a fuss for no reason? You think sheâd waste her time on you guys without cause?â
Xenia was at a loss for words, âUhâ¦â
Ellinor glanced at Xenia and calmly said, âXenia, if you suspect the authenticity of this photo, feel free to have it verified by any authority. If itâs fake, Iâll apologize to your daughter.â
Xenia knew the photo was real, but they couldnât admit it. If Ellinor really took the photo for verification, theyâd have no room for excuses. She glared at Ellinor and deliberately changed the subject, âMs.
Mendoza, since youâve brought this photo, I bet youâve bribed the relevant authorities. Even if we get it verified, we may not get the truth!â
Ellinor laughed. âXenia, youâve really thought this through! Even if I bribed the local authorities, you have the option to relocate. Verifying a photographâs authenticity is not rocket science. I believe with the Howard familyâs connections; this little thing can be managed!â
Xenia couldnât say another word.
Patricia clenched her hands, quickly calming herself down. She put on an innocent face and asked, âEllinor, why would you bring this absurd photo to our house? What are you trying to say?â
Ellinor looked at Patricia with a composed look and said, âMs. Howard, the two people standing opposite you in the photo, one is my former stepmother, Tracy, and the other is Sheila who is not related to me by blood. You three should have no connection, but why were you meeting in a secluded park early in the morning? Whatâs in the black case youâre holding? Iâm quite curious.â
Patriciaâs eyes flickered, but she was used to longâterm pretense, so she appeared relatively calm, âThe woman in the photo isnât me. I didnât leave the house at all this morning! If you donât believe me, you can ask my housemaid if she saw me leaving!â