Chapter 381: Why Moral Blackmail
A shrill, piercing female voice rang out from the gallery, and this act of taking all the blame upon herself utterly stunned everyone’s ears!
Even Cecilia Vaughn was momentarily dazed.
She looked in disbelief toward Florence Warner in the audience, never having imagined that she would shoulder all the blame for Fiona Vaughn.
Of course, Florence being an accomplice was no surprise, but to say she’d clear Fiona’s name out of motherly love? That’s just ridiculous.
...
No matter how unbelievable it seemed, this was exactly what happened.
Florence Warner broke down in wailing sobs, slapping her own face again and again.
"Your Honor, if you want to arrest someone, arrest me! This really has nothing to do with my daughter!"
"The rotten idea to drug Cecilia in the first place—that was mine! I was the one who sent for the young master of the Trent Family! Even that string of pearl earrings I gave Winston Zane, I took them off to show my sincerity!"
As Cecilia Vaughn was about to frown and speak, Florence tearfully looked toward Rosie Sullivan.
"Assistant Sullivan, maybe I shouldn’t call you that now that you’ve resigned, but have you forgotten? It was me who ordered you to send one million to Winston Zane! Back then, Fiona was still on a closed set filming; how could she have found you?"
"If someone has to go to jail, let it be me! Fiona really is innocent!"
Florence Warner seemed crazed, pushing through the crowd, trying to lunge at Cecilia Vaughn.
"Cecilia, I’m begging you! Auntie admits she has no conscience, that I’ve wronged you and Evan all these years, but please, spare your sister! She’s getting married at the end of this month—don’t set her up just because Tyson abandoned you and you hold a grudge!"
People all around were shocked by Florence Warner’s hysterics—none of the surrounding reporters dared stop her.
Finally the judge acted first, ordering several officers to subdue Florence.
"Order! This is a courtroom—how dare you shout and scream!"
Though Florence’s movements were restrained, her mouth wasn’t gagged.
She gazed at Fiona Vaughn through swollen, tear-filled eyes, her voice filled with utter misery.
"Fiona, don’t blame your mother for what I’m doing—it’s because I love you too much!"
"Promise me, don’t do anything silly to make up for me. You’re still young, you still carry Tyson’s child; you have to get married properly! Tyson loves you, your wedding at the end of the month must go on—then I can die in peace!"
Fiona Vaughn looked just as stunned, tears streaming down her face as if she was deeply moved. She gently covered her lips, tears falling one after another like broken pearls.
"Mom... please don’t..."
A good, proper trial was threatening to turn into a mother-daughter sob-fest.
Cecilia Vaughn’s cold sneer at the corner of her mouth could no longer be contained.
The judge, exhausted, rubbed his temples, then struck the gavel.
"Significant changes to the case—court is adjourned!"
...
In the end, Florence Warner was forcibly taken out by the police officers.
Fiona Vaughn couldn’t stop crying.
Realizing a goldmine of news had just dropped, the reporters surged over like a tidal wave.
"Miss Fiona, is what your mother said true? She decided to ruin your sister’s engagement party for your sake?"
"Miss Fiona, in light of all this, will your wedding with the Second Young Master Law still go ahead at the end of the month?"
"Miss Fiona, please say something..."
Fiona sobbed, tears streaming down her face, her eyes shining with vulnerable light that inspired sympathy.
"I...I don’t know, but...my mother loves me so much. As her daughter, I can’t blame her for anything..."
...
Confronted with the image of Fiona as the perfect daughter, Cecilia Vaughn’s eyes turned icy and cold, her voice full of deep contempt and scorn.
"So this is your excuse for hurting others?"
"Parading your ’deep mother-daughter love.’ How noble of you..."
Cecilia’s eyes were as black as the sea at night; being fixed with such emotionless scrutiny sent a chill scraping down Fiona Vaughn’s spine.
Her eyes were red, and her voice choked with aggrieved tears.
"Sister... I know it’s Mom who wronged you, but I’m her daughter—how can I blame my own mother? Please, forgive me, okay..."
As she spoke, Fiona’s delicate hand trembled as she tried to grab Cecilia’s sleeve.
"Don’t touch me!"
Cecilia flung Fiona off like she was brushing away garbage, utterly unmoved.
"She’s your mother, not mine. Enough with this moral blackmail—I’m not buying it, thanks."
Fiona shrieked desperately, still wanting to cling to Cecilia.
"Sister! I..."
But Wyatt Law stepped forward at just the right moment. Towering above them, even his honest eyes were now full of contempt.
"Miss Fiona, please have some self-respect."
...
Having no interest in continuing this pitiful charade with Fiona, Cecilia brushed her off and left with Wyatt.
—Now that things had come to this, Cecilia saw clearly: most likely, from the very beginning, Fiona intended for Florence Warner to take the fall for her—and had promised a very generous reward.
Otherwise, someone as calculating as Florence would never volunteer for jail time, not even for her daughter. How could she selflessly serve time and insist that, even if she went to prison, Fiona’s wedding must go on as planned?
Letting your own mother take the blame while you host a perfect wedding—this kind of maneuver... you just can’t help but be impressed.
The previous clues—reached a dead end here.
If she couldn’t convict Fiona, how could justice be served?
Back at Starfall Bay, Cecilia started browsing the comments online.
Back then, to clear Cecilia Vaughn’s name, the trial had been live-blogged by reporters in real time.
Sure enough, this incident was already trending on Weibo—but the keyword was actually "The Greatest Mother-Daughter Bond in History."
—My God, was the Vaughn Family’s eldest daughter really falsely imprisoned for murder? Did we misunderstand her?
—More than anything, the fact that Fiona’s mom was the mastermind is really unexpected.
—Fiona’s mother is so pitiful! Though she did wrong, it was all for Fiona’s sake. A mother’s love is truly great—she even made sure Fiona’s wedding wouldn’t be delayed. I’m in tears.
—I can’t stand Cecilia Vaughn’s aggressive personality. She took the inheritance, married the Eldest Young Master Law, she’s got everything going her way. Why be so cruel to Fiona? No way would she force her own mom to confess if it were her instead.
Evidently, there were internet trolls muddying the waters, but there were also people who genuinely sympathized with Fiona and her mother.
Reading those comments, Cecilia felt a sense of absurdity rise in her eyes.
As she lowered her gaze and sighed, a lean arm slowly encircled her shoulders.
A deep, concerned voice sounded overhead.
"Cecilia, are you disappointed by this outcome?"