Chapter 262

Hearing her crying, James Bennett frowned slightly. He never liked it when women cried, but seeing the red slap mark on her face actually caught him off guard. He quickly got up and helped her over to the sofa. Before he could even ask, Amelia White burst out, "Maria Lewis hit me! She slapped me right in the pantry, in front of a bunch of coworkers!" James’s expression shifted. Sure, Maria didn’t get along with Amelia, but hitting her in public? That didn't sound like her. "Why would she hit you?" He doubted Maria would start a fight for no reason. Amelia's eyes darted away, her voice lowering, "Someone brought up her poisoning your mom thing... She got mad at them, and I just made a comment. Then we started arguing and... she slapped me." James narrowed his eyes, seizing on a detail. "Where did the employees hear that from?" "I don’t know. It wasn’t me!" Amelia immediately denied it. James stared at her, his gaze sharp and unreadable—clearly not buying it. Other than the three of them