The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 639

“Stella’s never gotten over my aunt marrying her dad,” Janie said, making sure everyone’s attention was back on Stella. “And this isn’t the first time she’s pushed someone. Who else could it have been?”

Stepmother? Not the first time?

In just a couple of sentences, Janie had spilled more than anyone expected. Her aunt was Stella’s stepmother. Stella hated her, so she’d been making things hard for Janie, even going so far as to try and push her off a cliff.

If that tree hadn’t stopped her fall, Janie would’ve ended up at the bottom of the valley. Who would risk their life over something like this?

After Janie finished, everyone was staring at Stella. Her face was pale, and the whole thing just seemed off.

“You think saying it makes it true?” Andrew asked, stepping up next to Shirley. He glanced at her quickly, his voice cold but his eyes betraying a hint of nerves. “There are cameras all over this mountain. We can check the footage and see what really happened.”

Cameras?

Janie let out a soft laugh. Sure, the mountain had cameras, but this spot was right by the makeshift restroom. She’d checked, and it was smack in the middle of a blind spot.

Her original target had been Charlotte, but when Charlotte disappeared, she switched to Stella. She definitely hadn’t planned on almost getting herself killed.

With no cameras, and people who’d seen Stella grab her, not even Charlotte could help Stella now.

Charlotte, now standing with Stella, glanced up at the nearest camera and smirked. “You say Stella pushed you. Did anyone actually see it?”

“She did!” Janie pointed at Olivia. “And besides Olivia, other people saw too. Even Shirley saw Stella pulling me.”

Shirley’s brows shot up. She glanced at the coach. Andrew and Parrish looked tense too. It was a blind spot, and a lot of people had seen Stella touch Janie’s hand. There was no way to explain it now. Was Janie really going to call the cops and have Stella arrested?

“Go ahead. Call them,” Stella said, locking eyes with Charlotte. Her voice was steady and her gaze didn’t waver. “I didn’t do anything. I’m not afraid of an investigation.”

“Charlotte, what do we do now?” Shirley whispered, her voice tight. It felt like they were cornered.

“If she’s charged with assault, Stella could get at least three years...” Shirley’s words trailed off.

Charlotte stayed silent. Janie thought she’d won and started to gloat, but then Everlot’s voice rang out, cutting right through the tension.

“All right then. Call the police.”