Chapter 83

Chapter 83:

Cristian calmly walked over and picked up the screw.

Ava tried to move, but it was too late. When she had fallen earlier, she caught herself with her wrist, and now it pulsed with a sharp, twisting pain, leaving her dazed for a moment. By the time her mind caught up, the screw was already in Cristian’s hand.

Her eyes went wide with shock, her face draining of color. That was the screw she had taken out of Fernanda’s motorcycle. Ava’s heart pounded in her chest as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

She had forgotten that the screw was still in her bag. Earlier, her plan was to get rid of it in the restroom after she had taken it out. But then the organizer had called her over in a hurry to go over the celebration details, and she had meant to get rid of it after the meeting.

However, during the discussion, her mind was pulled in a hundred different directions. She couldn’t stop thinking about Bobby’s race progress, her nerves about Cristian’s situation weighing on her, and in the chaos of it all, she completely forgot about the screw in her bag.

Ava wanted to scream at herself for being so careless, so foolish. How could she have been so blind?

Cristian passed the screw to Fernanda, who examined it carefully, her trained eyes scanning it for any sign of familiarity.

With her deep knowledge of motorcycles, Fernanda was almost certain that this was the missing screw from her bike’s braking system. But to be thorough, she handed it off to a professional mechanic. “Could you check if this is the missing screw from my bike p>

Ava sat there on the ground, her body too drained to move, her mind in a fog. Minnie rushed over, her hands outstretched, trying to help Ava to her feet, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t lift her.

“Ava, the ground’s dirty. You need to get up,” she insisted.

ᗰσ𝓇𝑒 υ𝐩𝓭𝑎𝓉𝑒𝓈 ι𝐧

Ava swallowed hard, her throat dry, and glanced nervously at Bobby. He was staring at her too, his expression a mix of shock, disbelief, and anger. His handsome face looked almost menacing now, sending a chill down Ava’s spine, and she couldn’t help but feel even more afraid.

It felt like only two minutes had passed, yet time seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, the mechanic returned, his expression serious. “Yes, the screw you found earlier is the one missing from the motorcycle’s braking system,” he said. “That’s what caused the brake malfunction during the race p>

Fernanda gave the mechanic a brief nod of thanks, then turned her icy gaze back to Ava.

“So, it’s you again.” Fernanda’s voice was so cold that it sent a shiver down Ava’s spine, making her skin crawl.

Ava sat frozen on the ground, shaking her head over and over, unable to say a single word. What could she possibly say? Everyone had seen the screw fall from her bag—there was no denying it.

Fernanda’s gaze was terrifying, her eyes promising punishment as if she could devour Ava alive right then and there.

Panic took over, and Ava blurted out, “It wasn’t me. I don’t know how that screw got in my bag. I’ve been framed p>

But Fernanda didn’t believe Ava for a second.

To her, Ava was nothing more than a deceitful woman who schemed her way out of everything. Whenever her lies were exposed, she instinctively lied again, trying to cover her tracks. It had always been this way, and it was no different now.

Fernanda made a move to stand, but Cristian quickly stopped her. “You’re still hurt. It’s better if you stay put p>

“That’s right. Stay still,” Bobby urged, his tone firm. “I’ll talk to her p>

With that, he stepped toward Ava, closing the distance between them. Ava had always known Bobby to be tall—over six feet, with broad shoulders and a lean waist. Normally, being near him made her feel safe, as if she could lean into his solid presence. But now, as he stood before her, she felt him like an unmovable mountain, his presence suffocating, closing in on her with a pressure she could barely bear.

The light behind him made it hard to read his expression. She tried to look up, but all she could make out was his face in shadow. The heavy, oppressive aura around him felt so overwhelming that it almost pushed her to the edge of collapse.

“Was it you?” Bobby asked.

“No, it wasn’t me!” Ava shook her head in panic, her voice rising in desperation. “Bobby, please believe me. I’ve been framed p>

“Then who framed you?” Bobby asked.

His voice was calm and steady, almost weightless, with no sign of emotion. But Ava could feel the tension building. She knew it was only a matter of time before the storm broke. Bobby was usually easygoing, full of energy, but when anger took hold, he became unnervingly calm. The more upset he was, the more composed he appeared.

“I swear, I don’t know!” Ava’s voice cracked, desperation lacing her words as she shook her head frantically. “Bobby, please, you have to help me figure out who did this. I promise I am innocent.” She sat up, clutching his hand in her desperation.

Bobby yanked his hand away, and Ava collapsed back to the ground.

“Bobby, you have to believe me,” she pleaded.

Bobby’s gaze turned icy, his words cutting through the air. “You’d better tell me who did it. If you don’t, we’ll have to assume it was you.” Ava’s eyes went wide with panic, her head shaking violently in denial.

“Was it you?” Bobby asked one final time, his voice strained with frustration as his patience wore thin.

“No, it wasn’t me!” Ava cried out.

Bobby, standing in front of her, suddenly crouched down, gripping her shoulders with an unyielding force, shouting, “Ava, was it you or not?!” He was so close that Ava could see the veins pulsing on his forehead, the redness in the corners of his eyes from fury, and her own panicked reflection mirrored in his intense gaze.

His shout caught Ava off guard, and before she could stop herself, tears began flowing uncontrollably.

“Stop crying,” he yelled again. “Ava, I don’t want any more lies. You’d better tell me the truth p>

Ava froze, her body rigid, too afraid to let a single tear fall. Her shoulders were drawn up, as if trying to protect herself from an invisible threat, and her wide eyes betrayed the sheer terror she was feeling.

“There are so many people here. If we go through them one by one, we’ll eventually uncover the truth, and by then, it’ll be too late to avoid the embarrassment.” Bobby’s tone softened again. “Ava, you p>

“You’d better come clean. Don’t wait until it’s too late.” Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

Ava stared blankly at Bobby, his hands gripping her shoulders with the force of iron, causing sharp pain. His words echoed in her mind, pressing down on her guilty conscience. She knew without a doubt that he would find out the truth. And when the truth came to light, she couldn’t bring herself to think about the consequences.

Bobby didn’t press further. He simply stared at Ava quietly, waiting for her response. He already had a good sense of things. After knowing Ava for so many years, he understood her well. She was bold and lively, used to getting her way since childhood. If she had truly been wronged, she would have raised a storm by now, not sitting here, quietly insisting on her innocence.

“Ava.” Bobby’s voice broke through her daze. He spoke each word firmly. “Tell the truth. Don’t make us waste time investigating p>

Ava was jolted back to reality as the weight of Bobby’s pressure finally shattered the tension in her heart. In an instant, her tears came pouring out, uncontrollable and flooding her face. She trembled violently, grabbing Bobby’s hand as she cried, “Bobby, I didn’t mean to, I swear I didn’t. Please, just let me go. I promise I’ll never do it again p>

Bobby had expected her to crack, but hearing the words from her mouth still left everyone around them stunned. No one had expected it to be Ava, not in a million years.

How could she be so malicious, tampering with Fernanda’s motorcycle, no less? This was no trivial matter; a single misstep could have been deadly.

Bobby gave a disappointed sigh as he stood up, his gaze cold as it settled on Ava. “You shouldn’t be apologizing to me,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I’m really let down by you p>

With that, he moved aside, and Ava’s eyes landed on Fernanda in the distance. Fernanda’s expression remained composed, her steady gaze betraying no hint of disturbance or emotion in the midst of it all.

“Miss Ross, this is the third time you’ve tried to cause harm,” Fernanda said firmly. “If your parents couldn’t teach you properly, I’m more than happy to take over p>