Chapter 64 An Oscar Goes to
CRASH!
The bedroom door burst open. Gisella's dad, her mom, and a whole hoard of panicked servants swarmed in. The stench of burning silk curtains was choking me, making it hard to breathe. They came running because they heard my frantic screaming.
"Water! Get water, you idiots!" Viscount Mercer roared at the servants. He didn't give a damn about his dignity anymore, he was just terrified the fire would take the whole house down.
I stood frozen in the corner, hands still shaking, soot smeared all over my sleeves. Gisella was behind her father, her eyes bulging as she watched her favorite curtains turn into ash. Her mom shrieked, "Isle! What the hell?! You trying to get us all burned alive?!"
The servants scrambled, dumping buckets of water on the smoldering remains. Sessss... White smoke billowed out, making the room even more suffocating.
I was completely cornered. I wanted to run, but my feet were glued to the floor. Then, Viscount Mercer bent down. He spotted the pile of half-burned papers on the floor, the evidence of corruption. He snatched them up with his bare hands, ignoring the embers still glowing at the edges.
"What is this, Isle?" his voice was low, sounding like he was ready to slaughter someone. "What are these papers? Why are they in my daughter's room? Why were you burning them?"
My brain shifted into overdrive.
Okay, Anna. Breathe. Time to channel your Public Relation skills. Don't stutter, don't cry. You cry, you die.
I pulled on the bravest face I could muster. I stepped forward, putting myself right in front of Gisella, shielding her from her father's glare.
"It's trash, Uncle Mercer," I said. My voice was steady, calm as hell, even though my heart felt like it was about to explode.
Viscount Mercer furrowed his brow. "Trash? You're burning trash in the fireplace?"
"I burned it because I knew the contents would destroy the Mercer family," I added, layering on the drama, "and I wasn't going to let Gisella be framed for holding evidence of treason."
Gisella's dad went quiet. Her mom too. They looked confused.
"I got those papers from an outsider trying to set this family up, sir," I lied smoothly.
Thank you, years of binge watching K-dramas and political novels.
"They wanted to use Gisella as a scapegoat for the harbor corruption scandal if the engagement was called off. Gisella its My Best Friend, uncle. I wasn't going to let her be the fall guy for people behind the scenes trying to topple the Mercer influence in the palace."
I noticed something weird when Gisella looked at me. Her face was totally blank, like a kitten that just realized it walked into a tiger's cage. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open slightly, ready to protest.
"But Isle," Gisella started, sounding confused as hell. "Didn't that document..."
Holy shit.
I immediately grabbed her hand. I squeezed it so hard she winced. And then, I did the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life.
I gave her a signal.
My left eye started twitching uncontrollably, like I was having a mild stroke or had cement in my eye. I shifted my eyeballs toward her dad, then back to her, and pressed my index finger to my lips while making a face like I was holding in a massive dump.
Gisella stared at me, dumbfounded. She was watching my face twitch like crazy.
"Isle? Your eye... what's wrong?" Gisella asked, completely innocent.
Her dad looked at me, worried. "Isle, are you alright? Are you exhausted from this incident?"
I immediately pretended to sway. I grabbed my forehead, acting like a soap opera star struck by karma. "I... I'm fine, uncle. I'm just... I was too shocked to see documents trying to frame Gisella. My heart is broken into pieces."
I glanced at Gisella again. SHUT UP, GISELLA! SHUT UP OR WE'RE DEAD!
Gisella was still looking at me with a face that was 99% loading. She still couldn't fathom why her best friend was acting like a total lunatic.
"But that document, we put it together so..."
"THAT DOCUMENT IS TRASH, UNCLE!" I screamed, cutting her off, my voice cracking. I pulled Gisella into a hug and whispered into her ear, "Shut up, you idiot! I'm saving our necks!"
Gisella went quiet. She felt my breath on her ear. Her eyes blinked, and then it clicked. She looked at her parents, then back at me. Her confused face melted into... a face holding back laughter.
"Oh," Gisella finally said. Her voice was totally flat. "Yes. It's trash. I... I don't even know why I kept that trash when someone dropped it off yesterday. Isle is right. Isle is... such a loyal friend."
Gisella's mom stepped forward, grabbing my shoulders. Her eyes were teary. "Isle, I'm so sorry I thought poorly of you all this time. You're such a kind child."
I offered a thin smile. More than kind, ma'am. I'm a master con artist.
"Thank you, Aunty," I replied politely.
Behind her mother, Gisella was covering her mouth with her hand, trying her hardest not to roar with laughter because of my face, which was still twitching from that failed eye signal earlier.
"But, Isle," Gisella's dad looked at the pile of curtain ash. "We must be careful. If there really is an outsider trying to frame us, we can't just stand by."
"Of course, un," I said. "I'll make sure no one ever dares to touch Gisella again."
I glanced at Gisella. She was holding back laughter until her face turned the color of a tomato.
Crazy. Absolutely crazy. I deserve an Oscar for this.