The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 304
“Ms. Sherwood, you can’t just make wild accusations! Our Tamara has been kind since childhood. How could she do something like that?”
Yvonne looked as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. “Mr. Sloan, if you really think Tamara is kind, why don’t you ask her why she tried to hire a hitman? After all, the evidence is right here!”
Hackett choked on his words, his expression turning even uglier.
Zadie saw the situation and quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. “Yvonne, calm down first. Tamara is going to be your sister-in-law, after all. There… there might be some misunderstanding
here…”
She looked pleadingly at Milford. “Milford, say something!”
Milford stood rooted to the spot. He looked with complicated eyes at Tamara, whose face was as white as a sheet of paper, and then at the resolute Yvonne. Finally, he lowered his head in silence.
What could he say? The facts were right in front of him. He didn’t know what to say.
Seeing this, the guests gossiped even louder.
“Look at Mr. Sherwood’s reaction. Is it actually true?”
“Tamara is finished. Hiring a hitman is a serious felony!”
“Tsk, tsk. You really can’t judge a book by its cover…”
Being pointed at by the crowd, Tamara’s face went ghastly pale. Even her carefully applied makeup couldn’t hide the panic in her eyes. Her slender fingers gripped the hem of her wedding dress so tightly her nails almost pierced her palm.
Yet, she forced herself to maintain a facade of composure, squeezing out tears of grievance. She told herself to stay calm. She was just one step away from marrying Milford; she couldn’t stop now. If she admitted to anything in front of all these guests, she was truly dead.
Her eyes darted around until they landed on Leilani, who was standing nearby. An idea formed in her
mind.
Tamara’s voice trembled, tears swirling in her eyes, making her look pitiful. “Yvonne… how could you accuse me like this? Today is the most important day of my life, yet you… you do this to me.”
She suddenly looked at Leilani, acting frail, but her eyes held a trace of malice. “Leilani… was it you? Did you make Yvonne accuse me like this?”
Her voice choked with sobs, as if she had suffered a monumental injustice. “I know you’ve never liked me, but why would you ruin my wedding like this?”
Leilani watched her performance coldly. “Tamara, you really are better than anyone at twisting the
truth.”
Tamara’s expression stiffened, but she quickly returned to her tearful persona. “Leilani, why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong?”
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She turned to Milford, tears streaming down her face. “Milford, belleve me. I really haven’t done these things…”
Milford just looked at her with complex emotions, remaining silent.
Seeing that he remained unmoved, panic rose In Tamara’s heart. She turned back to Yvonne, her voice soft but laced with manipulation. “Yvonne, tell me, were you deceived by someone? Is someone jealous of me, so they deliberately made you say these things today? Everyone here today is an important friend or partner of the Sloan and Sherwood families. To provoke a rift between our two families in front of so many people… the person behind this has truly sinister intentions!”
She glanced pointedly at Leilani, the implication clear.
Gloria was the first to react. Many of the guests were business partners of both families. If things got too messy in front of them, it would be bad for everyone.
She walked quickly to Yvonne and grabbed her hand, lowering her voice.
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