I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 197

As the impeccably dressed Alexander Ramirez entered, Natalie quickly averted her gaze.

Camila suddenly moved in front of her. "You must be tired holding that. Here, let me take it."

She reached out, and before Natalie could react, Camila had the tiara in her hands. But in the next second, it slipped from her grasp as if by accident.

Natalie instinctively lunged to catch it. She managed to grab it just before it hit the floor, but then something tripped her, and she lost her balance, crashing to the ground.

A sharp, burning pain shot through her palm. The tiara rolled to the side, its perfect curve slightly bent, with several loose diamonds scattered on the floor around it.

"Oh, my 'Baby's Breath'!" Camila cried out, crouching down to pick up the damaged tiara. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the dislodged gems.

"Alex, what are we going to do?"

Alexander walked over, his brow furrowed for a moment. "Be careful not to cut your hand." He didn't even look at Natalie, instead pulling Camila to her feet and examining her hands carefully.

"My hands are fine, but 'Baby's Breath'…" Camila said, her voice choked with sorrow and accusation. "I just saw how uncomfortable Natalie was holding it, so I thought I'd take it and set it aside. But before I could even get a good grip, she let go…"

Natalie's fall had been hard, and her elbow ached along with her hand. She glanced at her palm and saw a long gash. To make matters worse, she had landed on her injured left hand.

Using her right hand for support, she struggled to her feet. "Ms. White, you took it from me and then you let go. I tried to catch it, and you tripped me."

She was simply stating the facts as she had seen them.

Camila looked at her as if shocked by the accusation. "This was a gift from Alex, worth eighty million! Why would I deliberately drop it? Natalie, I know you were upset earlier and wanted to get back at me, but you can't just destroy my tiara!"

As she spoke, tears of indignation streamed down her face.

There were no security cameras in the dressing room, and Camila’s story was plausible. Anyone would believe Natalie had done it on purpose. She understood now: this was Camila’s plan all along.

But as she'd said, it was an expensive gift from Alexander. Would Camila really sacrifice it just to frame her?

"What is it?" Alexander asked.

"It just pricked me. It hurts a little," Camila said, her tone laced with a hint of a whimper.

Alexander gently took her hand and saw a tiny red mark, not even deep enough to bleed.

"Alex, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I don't know if it's because I was so upset…"

Before she could finish, Alexander swept her into his arms and carried her toward the door. "Let's get you to the bedroom to rest. I'll call the doctor."

Just before leaving the room, he glanced back at the ruined tiara, a flicker of displeasure in his eyes.

"I won't cause trouble for Billy Firth," he said, his voice cold and final. "But the tiara was dropped because you couldn't hold it properly. You will compensate the eighty million in full."