Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 196: Chapter 196

As soon as Zoe finished speaking, everyone in the room froze, eyes wide in shock. They all stared at the bracelet, looking both surprised and skeptical. They thought, 'Could a simple bracelet be that dangerous? It sounds almost like a joke.'
But any doubts they had vanished with Zoe's next move.
Zoe tossed the bracelet into a nearby washbasin. Then she asked Yuri to bring over some regular hydrogen peroxide.
After a quick treatment, the weak oxidizing property of the peroxide caused the bracelet's surface coating to fade. In no time, the water began to change color.
When the red bracelet had turned completely black, Zoe fished it out and shot Shawn a look.
Shawn instantly got the message. He turned to pull the curtains shut and switched off the lights.
In the darkness, the bracelet in Zoe's hand began to glow with a faint green light.
"What the hell? What is that thing?" someone blurted out, unable to hold back his shock.
The lights came back on, and the room was bright again.
Shawn understood what was going on. His face turned cold as he said, "It's a radiation stone."
Zoe picked up, "Radiation stones put a huge strain on the nervous system and the body."
Yuri's eyes went wide with shock. He said, "Who could be so heartless? This stuff is dangerous even for healthy people, let alone someone who's already sick.
"No wonder Mrs. Ludwig kept getting weaker and her condition kept getting worse. It was all because of this radiation stone! Whoever gave her this bracelet is truly vicious, targeting even a seriously ill old lady!"
Yuri's words made everyone's faces change. Suspicion flickered in their eyes. No one was sure who could have done something like this, and everyone grew wary and distrustful.
When Sophia saw how easily Zoe had uncovered the bracelet's secret, she was so shocked she nearly lost her balance. Luckily, she was leaning against the wall, so no one had noticed how rattled she was.
Sophia's mind raced. She thought, 'If they keep digging, my secret would come out.' She darted her eyes around, scrambling for an excuse. She said, "Did you give that to Amy, Zoe?
"You really will do anything to steal the spotlight, right? Now you're trying to play the victim and pin it on others?"
Zoe, unfazed, replied coolly, "Ms. White, why are you so nervous?"
Trying to cover up her panic, Sophia blustered, "Nervous? Who's nervous? Fine, since you say someone's out to get Amy, why don't you tell us who it is? Don't tell me you're accusing me?"
A cold glint flashed in Zoe's eyes. She shot Sophia a frosty look and pointed straight at her. She said, "It's you."
Sophia's heart dropped. She thought as long as she stuck to her story, she'd be in the clear, especially with Amy still out of it. She never expected Zoe to call her out so directly.
Everyone in the room was stunned. Most still chose to believe Sophia. After all, they'd watched Sophia grow up.
One said, "Come on, don't joke around. How could Sophia be the culprit?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, she'd never hurt Amy."
Someone said, "There must be some mistake."
Seeing people still on her side, Sophia started crying. She said, "Joseph, I know Zoe's jealous that I'm engaged to Shawn, but she can't just accuse me like this. Amy's always been so good to me. Why would I ever hurt her?"
The onlookers all nodded, convinced Sophia couldn't have done it. One of them even pointed at Zoe and said, "Do you have any proof? You can't just throw out accusations."
Sophia had calmed down. She chimed in, "Yeah, where's your evidence?"
Seeing the Ludwig family's reaction, Zoe's eyes turned cold. She said, "It's not hard to find out who gave Mrs. Ludwig the bracelet. Just ask her."
"Amy's not all there. How can anything she says count?" Sophia argued, her chin lifted, as if she were speaking the absolute truth.
Just then, a clear, decisive voice came from outside, saying, "I've brought the evidence."
Chase walked in, and right beside him was the young maid who used to look after Amy.
Chase brought the maid forward. He gave Zoe and Shawn a crisp military salute. Then he turned to the maid and said, "Tell them everything you know, just like before."
The maid looked up nervously, sneaking a glance at Sophia. She was scared to speak. But with Chase and Shawn backing her up, she finally spoke up.
The maid said, "I saw Ms. White give the bracelet to Mrs. Ludwig. She even said it was blessed. Mrs. Ludwig believed in that stuff, so she wore the bracelet all the time and never took it off."
Sophia's face changed color at the accusation. She practically jumped up, pointing straight at the maid's forehead. She said, "You are lying! Zoe must've threatened you to frame me, right?
"You better think hard about whose side you're on. If you help her set me up, your life won't be easy."
Chase said coldly, "You really won't admit it until the evidence is right in front of you." Then he played a recording for everyone to hear.
In the recording, Sophia asked, "Is this thing going to work?"
A person replied, "Relax, it's the real deal."
Sophia said, "I'll pay you the rest once it's done."
The Ludwig family members had known Sophia for years. They had practically watched her grow up. As a result, they recognized her voice almost immediately.
As the audio played, Joseph's face shifted from suspicion to anger, and then to a look of utter shock and rage. He never imagined Sophia could be this kind of person.
With a furious thud of his cane against the floor, Joseph barked, "Sophia, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Sophia was so scared she burst into tears on the spot. She said, "I'm being framed! They faked all this evidence! Joseph, you have to believe me!"
Sophia was trying to talk her way out of it, but the Ludwig family members weren't stupid. They thought, 'If Zoe could cure Amy, why would she go to such lengths to harm her?
'The only one with a motive is Sophia. If Amy died, Zoe would never be allowed into the Ludwig family, and Sophia would still be the chosen daughter-in-law. Now that there is both hard evidence and witnesses, there is no denying it.'
Joseph said, "Sophia, I always thought you were a good kid, but I never expected this from you. You've let me down."
Someone chimed in, "Sophia, we all thought you were one of the good ones, but it turns out you've picked up the same dirty tricks as the rest of your family."
"I can't believe it. Who would've thought Sophia could be so calculating? She can hurt people and act like nothing happened," another person said.
"I didn't expect it either. I used to think she and Shawn were a perfect match, but I was wrong. She's got a heart of stone," someone muttered.
Finally, Joseph waved his hand and said decisively, "Someone, get this scheming girl from the White family out of my house! She's never to set foot in the Ludwig residence again!"