Chapter 164
It had happened her senior year of high school, the same year Candice had returned to the Fletcher family.
Rebekah, miserable and acting out, had gotten into an argument with a classmate. The next thing she knew, the girl had committed suicide, and her family was accusing Rebekah of bullying her to death.
The police had investigated her thoroughly and cleared her of all charges. But by then, the damage was done. The truth didn’t matter; to the rest of the school, she was a murderer. It was the moment the Fletchers had started to distance themselves from her, ashamed of the scandal she had brought upon them.
“Isn’t that Benjamin Forrester’s wife? She drove a classmate to suicide in high school p>
“And didn’t she just get out of jail for a hit-and-run? I saw it online. It seems she has a pattern p>
“How did the school let someone like that in here? She’s a danger to our children p>
“Exactly! And now she’s brought some maniac with a knife in here. What is a murderer doing at a school event p>
The parents, realizing the immediate threat wasn’t directed at them, settled in to watch the drama unfold.
“Today is the anniversary of my sister’s death!” the man screamed, his eyes wild. “And you have the nerve to wear the very dress she designed herself! Are you even human p>
He struggled against Benjamin’s grip, trying to get to Rebekah. Benjamin,
however, was stronger. He twisted the man’s wrist sharply, forcing him to drop the knife with a cry of pain.
“The Forresters! You’re nothing but a haven for killers! You married a murderer, had a son with a murderer! What, you think your money and power make you invincible? I will get justice for my sister today p>
It was then that Benjamin noticed the small camera pinned to the man’s chest. He was livestreaming.
Across the room, Rory saw it too. He quickly pulled out his phone and checked the top trending topics. Sure enough, there it was: a live feed from the auditorium, with hundreds of thousands of viewers. The comments were a torrent of rage.
‘Her again! Is corporate power really this strong now? They can even protect a murderer? Are The Capital’s police completely useless p>
‘Wasn’t she the one from the hit-and-run? So she was a bully in high school too. Some people are just born evil p>
‘Yes! And she’s the one who caused my favorite actress to sprain her ankle and miss that competition! Women like her are pure jealousy. They should just die p>
The feed was a waterfall of hate.
Rory gripped his phone, his face grim. This wasn’t something a simple celebrity scandal could overshadow. He knew his sister wasn’t capable of such a thing, but proving her innocence now would be nearly impossible.
Just as he was thinking this, the sharp crack of a slap echoed through the auditorium.
Benjamin had struck Rebekah across the face.
“Rebekah,” he snarled, “what else have you been hiding from me p>
Faced with a PR nightmare, Benjamin’s first instinct was to distance himself, to play the part of the deceived husband and direct all the public’s fury onto Rebekah. It was the only way to protect the Forrester Group.
Rebekah absorbed the blow without flinching. She wasn’t surprised. She knew that even if he believed in her innocence, he would never choose her over his family’s reputation.
“Sister, I was just about to say
something, Candice chimed in, her voice filled with false concern. “I saw that dress design in Yvonne’s sketchbook once. She created in high school. I know you’re a designer now, but you shouldn’t steal the
work of someone you drove to their, death. And to wear it on the
anniversary of her death… it’s just cruel p>