Chapter 263

After that line, both of them fell silent again, quietly sipping coffee and nibbling on dessert to ease the awkward vibe. Despite the quiet, James Bennett's lips tilted ever so slightly. He liked what she'd said. What Maria Lewis had just implied was pretty much admitting that they were on the same team, inseparable even. They sat in silence for a while before Maria put her cup down and cleared her throat softly. "We finally got a moment to talk calmly, so I want to clear things up. I swear I had nothing to do with your mom being poisoned—I was just as shocked..." "I believe you." His voice was firm. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "You do?" "At first, I panicked. Everything seemed to point to you, and I couldn’t help thinking the worst. But the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. You don’t have a solid motive—and you're not dumb enough to pull some childish revenge stunt like that on my mom." Hearing that, Maria felt a weight lift off her chest, like a breath she didn’t re