My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 165

She gritted her teeth. “You wanted to take a shortcut, I wouldn’t agree, so you went and ruined my tulips, didn’t you?!”

It didn’t look like Arianna George needed Emily Blair to answer. She pressed on, her voice sharp. “If you’d put as much effort into practicing the piano as you do scheming, you wouldn’t need to cheat your way in.”

“Frankly, with morals as low as yours, I doubt your piano skills are worth much, either!”

Emily had intended to calmly explain herself, but it was clear that Arianna George was too furious to listen. Her words became nothing but harsher, each one more insulting than the last.

Frowning, Emily reached out to restrain Elizabeth Wilson, who was about to step forward. “Ms. George, you’ve misunderstood,” Emily said, her voice steady.

Only after snapping did Arianna George seem to realize she’d lost her composure. She turned away, inhaling deeply, struggling to calm herself.

Once Arianna’s anger had cooled a little, Emily spoke up, her tone measured. “First of all, when I came to you, it wasn’t to ask for special favors. I’d missed the registration deadline for the Starlight Piano Competition, and I was hoping you might have a spot left.”

“Second, I went to look at your tulips not to harm them, but because I’d heard rats had been damaging them for weeks and you hadn’t found a solution. I wanted to help.”

“But I can promise you, I never did anything to hurt your tulips. I wanted to earn a spot in the competition—you know I’d never risk making you angry. It just wouldn’t make sense.”

Her explanation was clear and composed. Even in her anger, Arianna couldn’t ignore Emily’s calm logic. The facts were still murky; there wasn’t enough evidence to say Emily had done anything wrong.

Still, Arianna’s suspicion wasn’t unfounded, given Emily’s questionable reputation.

A pink flush crept up Isabella’s cheeks as she glanced quickly at Andrew, then offered a small smile. “Emily did live with the Lane family for a few years. That makes her Andrew’s sister, and if she’s Andrew’s sister, then she’s my sister too.”

“We’re family—there’s no need to keep score.”

Sophia Clark shook her head in disbelief. “Isabella, this was Emily’s mistake. I know you’re kind, but you really don’t have to cover for her. If she did something wrong, let the police handle it.”

Arianna, remembering what Sophia had said earlier about the messy relationships between the three, felt her distaste for Emily deepen.

She said, “Isabella, this isn’t your responsibility. There’s no need to make things harder on yourself.”