Chapter 171: Affected Manners

Eric might not be easily swayed, but Rachel was confident that with time and the right tactics, she could gradually make him grow tired of Ella. Eventually, she believed, his attention would be focused solely on her.

Amelia walked over to Ella. "What happened? How did you get hurt all of a sudden?"

Ella shrugged, clearly exasperated. "I don’t know either. I was just peeling an apple, and she came over to talk to me. Somehow, she managed to bump into my knife."

Ella stated the facts plainly, and Amelia shot a cold glance at Rachel. "Rachel, are you blind or something? She’s over here peeling an apple, and you just walk right into her knife?"

Rachel lifted her tear-streaked face, stealing a glance at Eric, who was staring at her intently. She quickly averted her eyes in feigned embarrassment.

"Amelia... it wasn’t that I walked into the knife. It was an accident—Ella accidentally nicked me!"

Rachel was sticking to her story, but Richard, who had been watching the exchange, interjected. "Alright, let’s not blame her. She wouldn’t deliberately hurt herself."

Amelia, noting Richard’s defense of Rachel, smirked sarcastically. "Oh, so your little cousin is tugging at your heartstrings? Because I find it hard to believe that Ella would hurt anyone. It seems more like your cousin here is trying to smear Ella’s name."

Amelia had a keen sense of character and tended to trust those who resonated with her on an instinctual level. Over the years, her female friends had all turned out to be women of strong moral integrity.

"Enough, Amelia. Let’s drop it. She’s injured," Richard said, standing up after finishing Rachel’s bandage.

Ella smiled faintly, turning to Eric. "Mr. Nelson, it seems your old friend’s judgment might be a bit off."

Richard froze for a moment, glancing between Ella and Eric, his brow furrowing as doubt crept in. He hadn’t thought much about it earlier, being focused on treating Rachel’s wound.

"I... I really didn’t walk into it on purpose. It was an accident, and I believe Ella didn’t mean to hurt me!" Rachel stammered nervously, looking at her bandaged hand with a pained and pitiful expression.

Ella couldn’t help but laugh. "So, you’re saying you believe me, but it’s okay if they don’t?"

"No, that’s not what I meant..."

Ella sighed softly, setting down the apple and the bloodied knife. She picked up her phone, which had been resting nearby, and revealed the screen, showing that it had been recording.

Amelia raised an eyebrow, covering her mouth as she chuckled. "You clever girl, so you were prepared from the start? No wonder you were so calm despite being accused!"

Rachel’s tearful face quickly snapped up in shock as she stared at Ella.

Ella calmly stopped the recording and replayed it.

The video clearly showed Ella peeling the apple. A few moments later, Rachel approached, and Ella paused, looking up at her. Then, Rachel reached out and deliberately moved her hand into the path of the knife.

The video captured Rachel quickly pulling back, clutching her hand, and letting out a scream.

Amelia couldn’t help but burst into laughter as she grabbed Ella’s phone to replay the video. Rachel’s face turned deathly pale as she sat there, frozen in embarrassment, unsure of what to say or do.

The evidence was undeniable, and Rachel’s plan had completely backfired.

Richard’s expression darkened, and he let out a cold snort. "I must be blind!"

With that, he stormed off into the cabin, his displeasure evident. Rachel’s face paled further as she realized that Ella had recorded the entire scene without her noticing. Her little scheme had been ruthlessly exposed, leaving Richard deeply disappointed in her. This was a blow she hadn’t anticipated.

She quickly stood up, attempting to salvage the situation. "I’m sorry, I... I must have been mistaken. Ella, I apologize for misunderstanding you. I’m really sorry!"

Richard, who had just stopped short of entering the cabin, nearly gagged at his cousin’s audacity. He couldn’t believe how thick-skinned she was. His initial instinct about Rachel had been spot on—he’d always found her fake and off-putting, but his sympathy earlier was purely a reaction to seeing her bleeding hand.

Ella pressed her lips together, her smile laced with sarcasm. "Rachel, there’s no need to apologize to me. If it was a misunderstanding, then it’s just that—a misunderstanding."

Eric couldn’t help but chuckle. "It seems I’m surrounded by schemers."

At home, it was Grace; here, it was Rachel. Such women disgusted him to the core.

Amelia chimed in with a smirk. "Well, it’s your own fault for having such a face that attracts trouble! Poor Ella has to constantly deal with these dangers. If she hadn’t recorded that video and you were being petty, you might have ended up misunderstanding her just like Richard!"

She grabbed Ella’s hand and gave her a triumphant wink, which made Ella laugh despite herself, even after the unpleasant encounter with Rachel.

"Yeah, who told you to be so good-looking?" Ella added playfully.

Eric touched his handsome face with a teasing grin. "What can I say? I’m just too irresistible—even Ella’s fallen for me."

Amelia burst into laughter, and Ella’s face turned a deep shade of red. She shot Eric an annoyed look. "Eric, can’t you speak normally?"

"I am speaking normally—everything I said is true. Besides, Amelia’s your new bestie now. Why are you getting so shy?"

Eric’s eyes gleamed with mischievous affection, and Ella couldn’t help but smile shyly as she playfully kicked him.

Rachel, meanwhile, sat quietly, her face pale and her demeanor somber. Yet, she refused to leave, even as Eric and Ella carried on as if she wasn’t there, laughing and enjoying themselves. Amelia, too, made no effort to hide her disdain, glancing at Rachel with obvious dislike.

Feeling stifled, Ella eventually suggested to Eric that they go up to the deck for some fresh air. As they made their way out, Rachel quickly stood up and called out to Ella.

"Ella, I really... didn’t mean to. I thought it was your knife that came at me, I’m sorry!"

Rachel spoke in a small, timid voice, her head bowed and her lips trembling slightly.

Ella looked at Rachel, who was apologizing yet again, and felt a pang of pity mixed with frustration. How pathetic, she thought, that Rachel would go to such lengths, humiliating herself and playing the victim just for the sake of a man. Even though everyone around her might scorn or despise her, Rachel stubbornly held her ground, refusing to back down.

Such a person was indeed rare—a thick skin and an unwavering resolve that made her a formidable opponent. Rachel was like a cockroach, always reappearing to disgust and entangle you, bringing a stench of misfortune into even the most perfect of days.

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