It was time for the birthday gift-giving, and Lise's face was full of triumph as she wiggled her hips and walked toward Zara.
She stopped in front of her and feigned curiosity, "Zara, come on, open your gift and let's see what it is!"
Everyone gathered around, their faces full of anticipation as they stared at the gift in Zara's hands.
The grandmother and Evander also smiled as they looked at Zara.
Lise continued, "Zara, let's guess what your gift is. I'm sure it must be a valuable and expensive one, right?"
Zara calmly opened the gift box.
Everyone was shocked. It was a tapestry with a landscape and forest theme.
The grandmother's face changed from sunny to cloudy, and her body swayed. Her maid quickly supported her.
Evander's face turned as black as a pot, and his eyes shot daggers at Zara.
Lise exclaimed in a great fuss, "Zara, my grandmother likes you so much, yet you publicly upset her and made her sad! What are your intentions? Who are you, really?"
"Exactly, how outrageous!"
"Outrageous!"
"..."
Sounds of discontent came from the crowd.
Suddenly, Evander rushed to Zara, grabbed her hand, and started to walk out.
Zara shook off his hand and asked, puzzled, "Is there a problem with my gift? Is there some secret in it? Why are your reactions so baffling?"
"Shut up!"
"You can't pin a baseless crime on me. I have no idea about the story behind this!" Zara turned and walked to Lise. "Please, tell me, okay?"
Lise slapped Zara across the face. "Are you heartless? Are you still trying to provoke Grandma! I'll teach you a lesson for Grandma today!" As Lise spoke, she raised her hand to slap her again.
Zara blocked her hand. The other party's repeated attempts to find fault had infuriated her!
Zara fiercely slapped Lise back.
Lise screamed and rushed forward, grabbing Zara's hair.
Zara fought back, and the two of them wrestled together. In their wake, cups, bowls, and cutlery fell to the floor, and food rolled everywhere. Some people, who enjoyed seeing trouble, took the opportunity to shout, and the scene became chaotic.
"Stop!" the grandmother growled. Her body tilted, and she fell backward.
Everyone was startled. "Margaret!"
"Quick, to the hospital!" Evander picked up his grandmother and ran out.
Zara stood frozen in place.
In the hospital room.
The grandmother slowly opened her eyes.
"Grandma, how are you feeling?" Evander held his grandmother's hand, his eyes red.
"It's all Zara's fault!" Lise grumbled indignantly, pouting.
"What time is it, and you're still making things worse?" Ferlock glared at Lise.
"It's true. If it weren't for her, why would Grandma have fainted?" Lise was unwilling to back down.
"Shut up!" Evander glared fiercely at Lise.
Lise was startled and fell silent.
"Don't... don't blame Zara! It wasn't her intention!" The grandmother smiled weakly. "I can see that Zara is a good girl, Evander. Please don't blame her!"
Evander nodded sadly.
"Alright, I'm tired. I want to sleep for a while! Leave me alone!" The grandmother slowly closed her eyes, and a line of hot tears slid from the corner of her eye.
When Evander saw this, his heart was torn to pieces.
Zara, worried about the grandmother, quietly followed behind.
After learning that the grandmother was out of danger, she was about to leave quietly from outside the hospital room when the door was yanked open. Zara turned around and saw Evander, and her heart sank!
Zara said cautiously, "How is Grandma? I'll go in and see her!"
As Zara spoke, she tried to enter the room.
Evander flashed and blocked her way, saying in a low, powerful voice, "If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of here right now!"
Zara was stunned and stammered, "I'm sorry, I never thought something like this would happen. Just let me see Grandma. I'll apologize to her personally!"
Evander grabbed her wrist, dragged her to the hospital entrance, his eyes red and his veins bulging. He roared, "Don't make me say it a second time! Get out! Get out!"
"Evander, have you forgotten the clause in our contract that says, 'When something sad happens, we should talk about it and solve it together'? You used that to convince me when I was homeless! So, at least let me know what happened! Don't let me be accused of a baseless crime!"
Evander glared at her fiercely and said solemnly, "It seems my initial feeling was wrong. You're completely different from what I imagined. You're just a selfish woman—at a time like this, you're still only thinking about whether you'll be accused of a baseless crime! You think too highly of yourself!"
"You're emotional right now, and you're letting your emotions cloud your judgment. I won't argue with you. When you're clear-headed, we can talk again!" Zara took a step back, turned, and left quickly.
Evander squatted on the ground, holding his head in pain.
At that moment, a dark figure in a high-rise hospital window looked out at the hospital entrance, a triumphant and sinister smile on their face.
In Sophia's apartment.
Zara curled up on the sofa, burying her head between her knees.
Sophia opened the refrigerator door. "Coffee or soda?"
"Coffee, with lots of sugar, as much as possible!"
"Honey, too much sugar sometimes doesn't make people happy! It just adds to the burden on your stomach! Listen to me, it's not your fault that Evander's grandmother is in the hospital. You're also a victim! Because you had no idea beforehand! In fact, you need comfort more than anyone else who was there!"
"Then to protect my stomach, just a little bit of sugar will do!" Zara smiled, then looked up with a grateful expression. "Sophia, thank you!"
Sophia walked over, hugged her, and patted her on the back thoughtfully. "Did it ever occur to you that someone deliberately framed you? Otherwise, why would it be such a coincidence that the gift you gave just happened to shock the grandmother?"
Zara looked up, deep in thought, then shook her head. "No, it's impossible! Lise is a rude and spoiled person; her thoughts are written all over her face. How could she secretly harm someone?" Suddenly, Zara remembered how she had found out what kind of gift the grandmother liked and told Sophia everything.
"Then someone deliberately leaked the information to you!"
"Who could it be?" Zara fell into deep thought, then烦乱地 pulled at her hair.
Sophia saw this and quickly comforted her. "Honey, don't worry. The bad guy will eventually reveal themselves! What you need to do is watch and wait, and don't alert the enemy. By the way, what's your plan now? Are you still going to continue with the contract girlfriend agreement?"
"Do I have a choice? You know my mom is sick and needs a lot of money! Also, I long to be like you! To become a senior programmer and then move up to become..."
"That's what I admire most about you. No matter what happens, you keep a clear head and always know what you really want. Honey, I support you!"
Zara smiled helplessly. "It's just that after such a big incident, Evander no longer trusts me!"
"I really want to help you, but sometimes a friend's help only makes things worse!"
Zara smiled gratefully. "Trust me, I can do this myself!"