Chapter 695

Chapter 695:
Rising to her feet, Erica responded, “Of course.”
Just then, the doorbell chimed.
“Excuse me for a moment, Mrs. Lopez. I need to get the food delivery. I’ll be right back.”
With that, she hurried to the door. As expected, the meal she had ordered had arrived. Securing the package, she placed it neatly on the nearby cabinet.
Returning to the living room, she led Erica upstairs. They entered the second-floor study where Candice fired up her computer and brought up a series of surveillance videos for Erica to watch.
After a while, Candice pointed at one of the feeds and asked, “Mrs. Lopez, you can see yourself arriving at the ambassador’s wife’s birthday party here. What did you do?”
As Erica reminisced, she remembered encountering Rachel and Madilyn, who were spreading rumors about Candice. At that moment, Erica had stood up to defend Candice.
But she chose to keep this detail from Candice. She simply said, “I encountered a few ladies of distinction, and we engaged in casual conversation. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Candice’s gaze met Erica’s, carrying a depth of understanding. She was fully aware of what had transpired. She had watched from behind the curtain as Erica stood up for her. Up until that—
Up until that moment, Erica had been her secret guardian, yet she had kept silent about it. Erica’s generous spirit and broad mindset were indeed rare.
Without delving further, Candice continued, “You might have heard of the unsavory event involving me and the Harman family that evening. Throughout the event, I never caught a glimpse of you in the banquet hall. The security footage showed you leaving the hallway, disappearing from view. Where were you during that time?”
Erica recalled, “Ah, the ambassador’s wife’s sister was engaged in business with my father. I had an extended conversation with her. The location wasn’t far from the banquet hall. Upon my return, I heard about the Harman family’s affairs.”
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After pondering for a moment, Candice realized it made perfect sense. There was no cause for suspicion.
Before Candice could ask more, Erica said, “Afterwards, I saw you near the banquet hall entrance. I stopped you and asked a few questions.”
“Yes. I noticed you weren’t looking well then. I even offered to help you stand. I asked if you wanted me to accompany you back into the banquet hall, but you declined,” Candice recounted the exact events from that night.
She had sidestepped Erica’s inquiry about her being Corrine’s daughter, choosing not to complicate matters for the time being.
Clearly, Erica was familiar with her mother. However, the nature of their relationship or any underlying grudges remained unknown to Candice. Her gut told her it wasn’t a happy history.
Erica’s expression was filled with frustration, as if she had been deeply hurt during that time.
For now, Candice needed to focus on the immediate issue, postponing questions about the distant past for later.
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