Carmen was very upset to hear it.
She had just said she hadn’t stolen the jade and people didn’t believe her, but now she was pointing the finger at Doria and these people still didn’t believe her.
She was so distraught that she cried and stared at Bianca with reddened eyes.
-Madam, I tell you the truth, it was Doria who asked me. She told me she would give me a hundred thousand when it was done. My mom is going to have an operation and it turns out that I lack the money for it, if it weren’t for that, I would never dare to spoil the lady’s dress.
At these words, Doria raised her eyes full of pain as she said:
-Carmen, forget about doing this kind of thing by yourself, why do you have to accuse me?
Her eyes were full of tears and her appearance was more pitiful than that of a crying child.
-I raised Miss Albina from the time she was born until she was two years old, and I already have too much guilt and remorse for her loss, so how can I allow you to do something like this?
Doria sounded very sincere and justified in every word, on the other hand, it seemed that what Carmen was saying was untenable.
Carmen opened her mouth and pointed her finger at Doria while shaking with rage.
-You’re the one who made me do it. You promised to give me a hundred thousand once the job was finished….
-A hundred thousand?! -Doria scoffed- I’m an old woman, it would take me a long time to earn a hundred thousand, how could I give it to you so easily?
Tears fell from Carmen’s eyes and almost her whole body fell on her knees before Bianca.
-Madam, what I said is true. Doria told me to do, and it was she who created the opportunity for me to enter Miss Albina’s room so easily.
Doria’s face did not flinch.
-Where is the proof? Do you have any recordings or proof that I spoke to you?
Carmen’s voice stopped.
At that moment she was so full of anxiety that she didn’t even think of such a thing and Doria left no opening. She could say no more.
Carmen sat with a stupefied look, and after a long time, she raised her hand.
-I can swear that if there is half a lie out of my mouth, I will let my mother’s operation fail and die in the hospital.
Everyone present recoiled with a sigh and looked incredulously at Carmen.
This poisonous oath was really very harsh.
Some of the servants had been more or less in contact with Carmen and had always known that she was a very filial girl who worked hard for her mother. Since she dared to swear on such an important matter, what she said was probably true.
At the thought of this, the servants looked at Doria differently.
Doria’s heart skipped a beat and she always had the feeling that something was out of control.
Hector and Umberto stared into Doria’s eyes and asked her:
-Do you have anything to say?
-Sir, don’t you trust me? I have been in the Espina family for many years, when have I ever done such a thing? Carmen has only been in the Espina family for how long?
-Enough! -Hector interrupted her directly, “Don’t play the emotion card, I’m a man who looks at evidence, not emotions. A person’s character is not something you get to know by spending time in the Espina family.
When he finished, Umberto asked Doria:
-Are you sure you haven’t had contact with Carmen before?
Doria was anxious to clear her name and shook her head.
-No, I’ve been working hard. I don’t know anything about Carmen, I only know her name and I’ve never been alone with her.
-Oh? So -Umberto turned to Carmen and asked-, when and where did Doria contact you?
Hearing these words, Carmen brightened up.
-In the garden, there must be surveillance there to prove that we had contact.
Hearing this, Doria secretly laughed. She destroyed the surveillance long ago.
Thinking about this, she couldn’t stop the complacency in her heart from reflecting on her face.
Hector saw her and suddenly said:
-By the way, I forgot to tell you that because of the kind of things that happened on Albina’s birthday, I had quite a bit of extra surveillance installed in the house, especially in the garden.
Doria’s face froze in disbelief as she looked at Hector.
-Doria, why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong?
-No, it’s nothing!
Doria’s voice stuttered a little, as Carmen’s eyes grew brighter, almost indignant, as she looked at Doria.
-With the surveillance video, we’ll see how you can continue to refute what I said!
Diana’s heart was beating like a drum and, although she was sure that Doria would not betray her, she feared that something would happen.
The surveillance video was quickly brought up and played directly.
It did indeed show that in the time frame Carmen said, she and Doria walked to the rose garden.
This included her asking Carmen to tear Albina’s dress, and the plans for the day of the party as well as payment when it was done.
Everything was exactly the same as Carmen said.
Doria had absolutely no way of denying it.
Although the servants present had had a hunch earlier, when they actually saw the evidence, they still could not believe that Doria, who was normally so honest and seemingly kind, would do such a thing.
Bianca was instantly enraged and confronted Doria.
-Why did you do something like that?
Doria said nothing and Hector looked at her with cold eyes.
-You said that you raised Albina from the time she was born until she was two years old, you also said that you were guilty for Albina’s loss and wanted to make up for it, is this your way of making amends?
Doria clenched her hands tightly, but continued without saying a word.
Then Umberto said:
-If you don’t want to say it, then we can also believe that you were ordered by someone else. I suppose Diana is the person closest to you in the family. Did she order you?
The words came out as if they had touched Doria’s limits.
-It has nothing to do with Miss Diana, it was my doing.
Diana relaxed completely and looked at her with reddened eyes.
-Doria, why did you do something like that, why did you ruin Albina’s dress?
Doria looked at her with loving eyes and whispered:
-Why? Because she took the place that was yours and stole the love of Lord Antonio and Lady Bianca from you. Why did she come back here when she had been gone for more than twenty years without a trace?