Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 801

"You!"

She clenched her jaw, glaring at Camila Davis with such hatred that the swollen half of her face turned crimson.

Everyone in the room stared in disbelief.

Camila Davis had actually hit her—again.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Harper Thompson’s eyes blazed with fury. "How dare you hit me, over and over?!"

Lavinia Roberts, stunned for a moment, quickly recovered and snapped, "Camila Davis, just who’s being arrogant here? You think you can throw your weight around just because of Mr. Williams? You’ve crossed the line, assaulting someone here!"

Camila’s gaze was ice-cold as she locked eyes with the two of them. "I don’t make a habit of hitting people," she said, her voice like steel. "But if I do, it’s because they deserve it.

Harper Thompson, you know exactly why things went wrong at the institute. You set me up. So you’d better be prepared for the consequences."

Her words cut through the pretense, and Harper’s palms grew slick with sweat. Still, she forced herself to look composed, shouting back, "Don’t you dare accuse me, Camila! You messed up, not me! And now you’re trying to pin it all on someone else?"

Desperate to salvage her reputation, Harper turned to the guests, raising her voice so everyone could hear, "You all don’t know what she’s really like. After making a mistake at the national research institute, she refused to take responsibility and even tried to blame her own colleagues. Her behavior was absolutely disgraceful—especially in a place like that…"

Some of those still unsure began whispering among themselves, shooting Camila uneasy looks.

"Seriously? If it’s true she made a mistake and tried to shift the blame, that’s really low…"

"Yeah, I even heard innocent lab staff got hurt because of the accident at the institute."

"So this is what it’s all about?"

The murmurs spread through the crowd, and Camila heard every word.

She let out a cold, disdainful laugh and stared Harper down. "You’re really something, Harper. Spreading panic and twisting the truth—what are you so afraid of? If you’re innocent, why try so hard to mislead everyone here?

You keep insisting I’m the one who won’t admit my mistakes—but there were no mistakes. Not on my part. And as for your little scheme, did you really think you covered your tracks?

Harper tried to convince herself she was safe.

But right then, as if on cue, her phone rang.

A wave of dread crashed through her. She fumbled it out of her pocket, and saw the caller ID: the Institute’s Investigation Committee.

How could it be this exact moment?

Panic-stricken, Harper hesitated, her finger hovering over the screen. She wanted to ignore the call, maybe even hang up.

She wanted to claim this was all some trick of Camila’s—but her throat closed up, words choking off before she could speak.

Then she met Camila’s cool, almost amused eyes, her hand trembling so badly she accidentally hit “accept.”

No—she couldn’t answer this call!