Chapter 107 Infuriating Words!
Byron glanced at Athena, his brows furrowed. Karen instinctively took a step back.
Everyone in the Crawford family knew—Byron rarely interacted with Karen, and when he did, it wasn’t pleasant. He had made a name for himself by being ruthless, even toward his own mother when taking over the Crawford Group. Karen, a distant cousin, was insignificant to him.
“Are you saying you were framed?” Byron asked Athena, his tone low and measured.
“Yes,” Athena replied without hesitation.
Lola snapped, her voice rising. “Who do you think you are?”
Athena looked at Byron, then calmly explained, “Just before it happened, a girl asked me to help pick up a ball. It wasn’t far, so I let Mrs. Alivia Crawford know and stepped away for just a moment. Then, a boy came running and pushed her wheelchair—straight toward the slope. He let go and ran. If I’m right, those two children are long gone by now.”
Lola’s lip curled in contempt. “How convenient. The surveillance was down, so now you can say whatever you want!”
She turned to Byron, voice brimming with disbelief. “Whose side are you on?”
Byron didn’t answer immediately. He simply studied Athena, silently.
Then, “Liam, find those kids. Now.”
“Yes, sir.” Liam nodded and rushed off.
Lola’s face twisted in disbelief. “Byron?”
“You said she hurt Grandma to vent her anger,” Byron said coolly. He took Athena’s hand and stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. “But that doesn’t make sense.”
Lola’s eyes widened. “Why wouldn’t it?”
“Because,” Byron said icily, “if anything, she was happy I got engaged to Heather.”
Lola was stunned into silence.
Byron continued, “She quit the moment she found out. She left without hesitation. I only managed to bring her back by threatening her—threatening her friends, her relatives. If she didn’t want to be here in the first place, why would she sabotage anything?”
The entire room went quiet.
Heather’s face paled. The other Crawfords stood frozen in disbelief.
“Byron, what are you saying?” someone finally muttered.
“I’m saying,” Byron said slowly, his voice heavy with implication, “that if Athena didn’t do it out of anger, then maybe it wasn’t an accident at all. Maybe someone planned this.”
Lola’s face turned a furious shade of red. Her glare toward Athena was practically venomous.
Just then, the unfamiliar middle-aged woman, the one Athena still hadn’t identified, stepped forward.
“Well, I’ve got a reception to attend, so I’ll be heading out.”
“Since you have something on…” Lola started to reply, but Byron cut in sharply.
“No one leaves until we get answers.”
The woman froze. “What… What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” Byron gave a small nod toward the bodyguard. The man moved to block the door.
Then Byron gently led Athena to the other side of the hallway. Athena followed, momentarily stunned.
She had been ready for a fight. Ready to face scorn, even rejection. But this?
Byron’s loyalty, his quiet yet fierce defense of her, wasn’t something she had expected.
She had believed his pride and his family would always come first.
Behind them, Heather stepped forward.
“Byron, how about I take Miss Newton to get her face treated while you talk things through with your mother?”
“There’s no need for that,” Byron replied without even turning around.
His voice was like frost.
Heather’s hand froze midair. Her expression fell.
Athena didn’t say a word, but something in her heart stirred.
Byron’s grip tightened slightly—not possessive, not harsh.
Just steady.