The Phantom Heiress Rising From The Shadows

Chapter 7 Chapter 7 You Are Lying Rosie could sense Ethan was giving her a chance to explain herself. Anxiety twisted in her gut, but dongide it. a flicker of hope. So what if Brenna, the Harper family's real daughter, had returned? It couldn't change a thing Ethan would never choose someone like Brenna over her.

As long as she handled this well, Ethan would still be hers.

Moreover, Brenna was an ordinary person who didn't even finish grade school- what chance did she have with a distinguished man like Ethan? She didn't need to worry too much about Brenna, who was no threat to her.

With that thought, Rosie's face brightened, and she gave a composed smile. "Ethan, here's the situation. My parents and my brothers had important matters to handle today, so they couldn't pick up Brenna I offered to do it myself, but something urgent cup at the company." She turned to Brenna with a practiced, apologetic look, only to be met with clear skepticism. Brenna clearly didn't believe her.

Ethan, meanwhile, remained unreadable, his expression betraying nothing.

Rosie's fingers curled nervously as she clasped her hands together. She had to be careful-her image in Ethan's eyes depended on how she handled this.

With a slight smile, she continued, "I didn't want Brenna to feel neglected, so I asked my secretary, Lilian, to take care of the matter for me. I made sure to tell her that Brenna is our parents' biological daughter and that she might face sdifficulties adjusting to the situation due to her lack of formal education. I told Lilian to take good care of her. I think Lilian misunderstood my intentions and thought I meant to teach her a lesson." She looked at Brenna, her voice deliberately gentle as she said, "I'm so sorry my secretary misinterpreted my words and caused you trouble. I sincerely apologize to you on her behalf. Please, let's put this behind us." To further solidify her innocence, Rosie pulled out her phone. "When I'm in meetings, my secretary handles all my messages. If you don't believe me, Ethan can confirm it." Brenna watched her with a knowing smirk. Rosie was clever, that was certain. With just a few well-placed words, she had effortlessly distanced herself from blame. But did Rosie really think she was that easy to fool? Brenna tilted her head slightly. "Oh? That's interesting. Because, if I recall correctly, your secretary had just messaged me, saying she'd take care of the bill. And just after that, the waitress showed up, causing trouble for me. And then, what do you know? You arrived right after. Barely five minutes later. Tell me, Rosie... How far is your company from here? It's not just around the corner, is it? How could you have gotten here so fast from the company?" Ethan's eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. A flicker of admiration flashed in his eyes before he turned his eyes to Rosie. He said in a calm voice, "As far as I know, the Harper family doesn't own a company nearby. Rosie, you are lying." 0.0% 20:01 Rosie's heart pounded. Ethan was siding with a stranger? She knew that if she didn't regain his trust now, it would be nearly impossible to do it later.

She exhaled sharply and quickly said, "I was already on my way here earlier! I promised my parents and my brothers I'd pick up Brenna-I couldn't just leave her waiting! This is just a misunderstanding, Brenna, letcover the bill for you. We'll talk properly when we get home. Look around-so many people are watching, Let's not embarrass our family like this. It's your first day back. You don't want to make a bad impression on Mom and Dad, do you?" Rosie thought that Brenna, being barely acknowledged in the Barrett household, wouldn't dare risk offending the Harper family, not when she had nowhere else to go.

She studied Brenna's expression, confident that Brenna would take the hint.

However, Brenna didn't even flinch. If anything, her expression sharpened. She had spent twenty years in the Barrett family, learning how to read people to survive. She understood what Rosie meant perfectly.

She had already made up her mind-if the Harpers were anything like the Barretts, she wouldn't hesitate to leave the Harper family and live on her own.

Humming softly, Brenna glanced up at the surveillance cameras. "Well, seeing as there are cameras everywhere, I suppose it'll be easy enough to get to the truth. Are you still not going to be honest?" Turning to his assistant, Nevile Blake, Ethan said coldly, "Go and retrieve the surveillance footage." "No!" Rosie quickly said, flustered. If Ethan saw the footage-if the truth cout- everything would be over for her. She wouldn't be able to becEthan's wife anymore.

A lump formed in her throat as she realized just how close she was to losing everything. Her nails dug into her palmas she stomped her foot, a look of wounded innocence on her face. "Fine! I admit it! I just wanted to play a prank on my sister. That's all!"

She turned to Brenna with a pleading look. "I was only messing around with you! I am sorry. You won't really hold N this against me, will you? I'll make it up to you in the future-I swear! Isn't that enough?" Brenna arched a brow, unimpressed. She believed Rosie's apology was empty- she didn't mean a word of it. She knew Rosie was trying to guilt trip her. She looked away, refusing to be manipulated by her.

Rosie's jaw clenched. She yanked a bank card from her purse, shoving it toward the waitress. "I'll pay the bill." Brenna's attitude made her angry. What did she want? An apology on her knees or something? This was too much!

Rosie was furious now, hating Brenna to the core. Over something so trivial, Brenna had humiliated her ve! in front of Ethan, in front of the entire restaurant. Brenna clearly didn't care about her or the Harper family's reputation" 20.01