"Why did you do that? No wonder he's so angry," Ellis muttered.
"She's so rude!" Mabel cried through her tears.
"She acts like she's better than everyone else, even though she's just a nobody," she said, grinding her teeth in anger.
Alice shook her head, clearly upset. "Why are you getting involved with a slave? You have no reason to go near her! Why would you even talk to her?"
"Did you think about your fellow elites before doing this? Did you think what the tribunal might do to Edward because of it?" Alice asked angrily.
"Mom, please," Mabel whispered.
"Nothing ever happens to Edward. He'll be fine," she added.
"Not with Lord Mitch still there!" Ellis snapped, glaring at his sister.
"Everyone heard what he did on the day of judgment, how he refused to stamp the punishment, how he made the whole tribunal read the servitude sentence out loud!" Ellis was fuming, barely able to breathe.
"And you think he'll just ignore this? Ignore someone being hurt under Edward's roof? An omega?" His voice got louder as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Mabel," he said, softer now.
"Tell us the truth. Did she pour the hot water on you?" he asked, hoping Edward had lied.
But Mabel stayed silent, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Did she?" he asked again.
Still nothing.
He didn't need to hear more. Her silence said everything. That omega didn't hurt her.
His eyes dropped, full of disappointment. "You lied," he said quietly, then looked at Alice.
"Mom, she lied," he repeated, as if she hadn't heard.
Alice slowly shook her head, her face full of disbelief. "You lied."
"And she just lay there, watching me dare Edward, to register a report against you!" Ellis shouted again, his anger boiling over.
"You hit her! She got your bath ready, and instead of checking the water, you jumped in, then called for help and lied!" Ellis shouted, pacing around the room, clearly frustrated.
If Edward went to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, it could turn into a full-blown fight between the Jones and the Fletchers.
No wonder Edward was so angry. No wonder he kept saying Mabel was plotting something. No wonder he said she wanted to make him look bad in front of the elites.
If Ellis were in Edward's shoes, he'd probably feel the same way.
"Are you really dating him?" Ellis asked sharply.
If she could lie about the hot water, she could also lie about being in a relationship with Edward.
"Yes," Mabel whispered.
"Ellis, that's enough," Alice said, trying to calm him.
"Mom, this could get worse," Ellis said, still very worried.
"I know. But let's talk about it later." Mabel was still hospitalized, recovering from the burns. Her health should come first.
Ellis nodded slowly, sat back on the sofa, leaned his head against it, closed his eyes, and fell deep into thought.
In the car, in the parking lot of the hospital, Mark kept watching Edward. The anger around him was almost too strong, spreading through the car.
"Eddy, are you really going to report this to the bureau?"
"Definitely," Edward replied without a second thought.
"Why?" Mark asked, confused.
"To expose her before she makes her move," Edward replied coldly.
"Didn't you hear them inside?" He turned a hard look on Mark.
"She wants to trap me into making her my mate. That will never happen!" he snapped, anger rising inside him.
"But she's not a bad person. You've been with her for four years," Mark said carefully, trying not to upset him.
Edward glared at him. "There were no promises. We were just having fun."
"But she's smart and would make a good mate," Mark insisted.
"No way! She's planning something!" Edward shouted.
Mark was silent. Then he said quietly, "Maybe she was already angry with Lucille. And honestly, who just jumps into a hot tub deliberately?"
If Edward really thought about it, maybe Lucille had made the water too hot on purpose. Maybe to get back at Mabel for the slap.
"She should've tested the water!" Edward barked.
"Are you defending Lucille now?" he asked again.
"But she's innocent," Mark replied.
"Does it matter, Eddy? She's just a commoner. She should face whatever comes her way," Mark said with a tired sigh.
"No!" Edward snapped again. His eyes blazed with fury.
"You hate her, Eddy. You really do," Mark said, watching him closely.
That struck a nerve. Edward suddenly looked unreadable, his face stiff and strange, even to himself.
"Or... are you starting to like her?" Mark asked, unsure.
Edward's eyelids fluttered. His thoughts were all over the place. Without a word, he started the car and drove off.
Mark's chest tightened with worry. He could tell, Edward's heart was beginning to soften toward Lucille. He might say he was going to the bureau to report Mabel, but deep down, Mark believed Edward was actually going to protect Lucille.
Back in the hospital, Ellis stood up restlessly. If this were just between his family and the omega girl, he wouldn't care much. But now, it was turning into a fight between his family and Edward's.
Ellis stood up and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Alice asked, but he didn't answer. He opened the door and stepped out.
Outside, he pulled out his phone and called his father.
"Dad," he said quietly when the call connected.
"Things might go really bad."
There was a short pause. "What do you mean?" his father asked.
"Mabel lied. That girl didn't pour hot water on her."
"So?" his father said without emotion. "She's just an omega."
"Dad," Ellis said again, trying to make him understand.
"Mabel hit her. She hurt her badly."
His father let out a sigh. "She deserved it. Foolish omega."
"It's not about that, Dad. Her servitude is under Edward's roof. No physical harm is allowed. Mabel broke that rule," Ellis said quickly, walking toward the parking lot.
"She dragged Edward into this. He might survive it, but not with Lord Mitch watching."
He searched his pocket for his car keys, as he approched the parking lot.
"Edward thinks Mabel planned all this to ruin his image. Right now, he's on his way to the bureau to report it," Ellis added as he reached his car.
There was a sharp pause, then his father spoke clearly, "Stop him immediately. I'll call the High Councilor's secretary." The call ended.
Ellis unlocked the car, got in, started the engine, and sped off. He had to reach the bureau before Edward filed that report, or.....