When Love Is a Lie (Whitney and Damian)

"How could I?"

Rachel quickly took Jenny's arm. "You're my best friend. In the Howard residence, you're the only one who's kind to me and would help me."

Seeing Rachel's helpless expression, Jenny's anger softened a bit. But then she remembered the mess they were in and grew anxious again. "So what are we supposed to do now? We can't let everyone find out that I was the one who did this!" Rachel hesitated, then said thoughtfully, "If we want them to fail, the key is the witness. Unless we can stop that cleaning lady from testifying..."

Jenny's eyes widened in horror. "You don't mean... You don't want me to kill her, do you?"

Rachel thought, "Even if I do, would you actually have the guts to do it?"noveldrama

She quickly put on a shocked expression. "Jenny, I wouldn't even kill an ant! How could I ever ask you to do something like that?"

"Then what are you suggesting?" Jenny asked, still panicked.

"Actually, it's not such a big deal. I could try asking Uncle Damian for help. Howard Group's legal team is top-notch. Maybe they could..."

"You want me to confess?" Jenny cut her off, panicking. "No way! If I end up in court, it'll affect the Howards, and Uncle Beckham will be furious! Grandpa would have my head if he found out. I'd probably get kicked out of the family!" Elijah had warned her never to bring trouble to Beckham's family and to be cautious in her actions. If she got dragged into a lawsuit, she'd almost certainly be thrown out of the family.

"In that case, there's only one solution left," Rachel said reluctantly. "Convince Yvette to drop the charges."

Yvette had almost fully recovered and was scheduled to be discharged in a few days.

"Just thinking about Jenny getting what she deserves makes me so happy," Yvette said, grinning from ear to ear.

Jenny had falsely accused her of theft, so now, Yvette planned to press charges against her.

As they said, one didn't know pain until it was one's skin that got cut.

Yvette wanted Jenny to experience what it felt like to be the one facing a court summons, to feel the same worry and dread.

Whitney checked her calendar. "Next week is the court date for Rachel's lawsuit against you for assault. Are you planning to attend?"

"Of course, I am. Not showing up would only hurt my case. Besides, I need to defend myself. I'm not going to let her say whatever she wants."

Whitney nodded. "Alright, I'll be there with you."

Just then, Helena entered, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked in.

"Ms. Howard, thank you for all your hard work!" Yvette said, bouncing over to give Helena a shoulder massage.

"Easy there. Your ankle just healed. I don't want you to injure it again. I don't want to spend every day at the hospital discussing case details with you," Helena said, gently guiding her back to the bed.

Whitney sensed something in Helena's tone. "We've already decided to go forward with the charges. What else needs to be discussed?"

Helena took a seat on the couch. "Jenny came to see me this morning. She wanted me to pass along a message. She knows she was wrong and hopes Yvette will drop the charges."

Early in the morning, as soon as Helena stepped out of her bedroom, Jenny pushed her back inside.

Jenny insisted that she regretted her actions and that she never should have framed Yvette. She begged Helena to help smooth things over.

"She's sorry?" Yvette laughed dryly. "If she was really sincere about it, she wouldn't have delivered her apology through someone else. With that attitude, does she think I'd consider dropping the charges? Dream on!"

"So, just to confirm, you're unwilling to drop the lawsuit, right?" Helena asked, needing a clear answer.

Yvette nodded, then softened her tone slightly. "But are you sure you're okay with this? I mean, you'll be going up against your cousin. Won't the Howards blame you? If it's going to cause an issue for you, I'd understand if you want to recommend another lawyer." Helena stood up. "Don't worry. It won't affect me. Just make sure you're ready to pay my legal fees in full-not a cent less."

At that moment, an idea suddenly popped into Whitney's mind.

She looked at Yvette and Helena.

"I think... there might be another way."

Yvette had been craving ravioli from Tanner's Table, so Whitney picked some up for her.

Just as Yvette finished her last bite, Thomas and Noel arrived.

Thomas' visit was understandable enough. But why did Noel show up too? That was unexpected.

"Well, well, Mr. Howard! I never thought I'd be important enough to merit a visit from you." Yvette's tone was half-teasing, half-sarcastic. After all, he was Damian's cousin.

And given his ambiguous connection to Whitney, Yvette figured a little light-hearted jab wouldn't hurt.

However, Noel hadn't come specifically to see her.

"I was visiting Rachel's ward and ran into Thomas, so I thought I'd stop by as well," Noel said plainly.

Yvette rolled her eyes. "Does he have to be so blunt?" Yvette thought.

She glanced at Whitney, who was quietly tidying up, her face expressionless as if she hadn't heard a thing.

"Since Rachel's also part of the Howards, it would be inappropriate for Noel not to check on her," Thomas added in explanation.

Then, he turned to Yvette. "You're being discharged tomorrow. I'll have a driver come pick you up."

"That's not necessary. I already have a driver," Yvette replied dismissively.

"Alright." Thomas nodded, then continued, "I heard the case has taken a turn. You're planning to press charges against Jenny?"

"What's the matter? You're not here to tell me to let it go, are you?" Yvette asked, moving closer to Whitney. "Whitney, why don't you tell him what we're planning?"

Whitney's expression remained calm. "For now, it's better to keep things under wraps. It's not exactly convenient."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Noel.