Chapter 2
By the time Ethan led the tourists out of the mine, I had already been waiting outside for quite some time.
The moment he saw me, his chest heaved with rage.
“Claire, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I put on an innocent expression.
“What? Didn’t I help you escape the sealed-off section?”
He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.
“Why did you give me the wrong route and leave us wandering around in circles?”
Ethan looked furious. He turned to the tourists behind him and loudly accused me.
“If she hadn’t hidden the closure from me and given me the wrong directions, I wouldn’t have left everyone trapped in there for so long!”
The tourists had only just escaped, but after hearing his accusations, resentment instantly filled their eyes.
One person pointed at my face and started shouting.
“If you’re too stupid to keep people safe, quit pretending to be a security officer! Go home and live off scraps!”
“Don’t let someone this malicious off the hook! Why should we pay for her mistake after suffering in that mine? We need to report her to management and the police! She should be punished until she begs for mercy!”
I let out a cold laugh and stared at Ethan, who had stirred up the crowd.
“I’ve worked at this attraction for years and have never made a mistake. How did I suddenly become a malicious criminal in your story?”
“Besides, we were practically engaged. What reason would I have to hurt you? All I ever wanted was for you to come back safely.”
The tourists finally understood the relationship between us and froze, unsure what to make of the situation.
Vanessa took a deep breath and summoned the courage to step in front of me.
“Claire, I’m your friend and coworker, but what you did this time was completely unforgivable!”
“These tourists traveled thousands of miles to visit the natural wonders of our mine attraction. Every employee here is responsible for their safety. A decent person has compassion and respects human life. But you? What do you have?”
The tourists began to understand what she was implying.
Several of them anxiously asked, “Is she the one who caused all of this?”
Vanessa nodded helplessly.
“She wants to become the attraction’s manager. If she could get rid of Ethan in an accident, who couldn’t she replace him with after getting promoted?”
“Fortunately, Ethan pulled us back from the edge of death at the last moment. Otherwise, we would have walked right into someone’s trap.”
Her meaning was obvious.
The tourists who had been unsure which side to take immediately understood everything.
They surrounded me and began screaming.
“You little bitch! Pay with your life!”
Just as everyone assumed I was about to be beaten senseless, a group of reporters carrying cameras appeared.
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Reporters! Come over here! There’s a major accident story!”
As soon as the reporters approached, the tourists surrounding me parted to let them through.
An elderly woman with silver hair took the lead.
“I want to report this attraction’s security officer! She tried to get us killed in the restricted section of the mine for her own benefit! Take pictures of her ugly face and make sure the police arrest her!”
The other tourists joined in.
“Film her! Put her on a crime show! Someone this evil belongs behind bars!”
Ethan and Vanessa were so frightened that they stood there dumbfounded. They never would have imagined that reporters would suddenly show up.
One reporter looked me up and down.
“You’re the attraction’s security officer. Are these accusations true?”
I shook my head firmly.
“I will never admit to something I didn’t do, even if it kills me. They’re all framing me!”
The old woman grew furious. She rushed to the reporter and exaggerated the entire story from beginning to end.
The reporter turned the microphone toward Ethan.
“Was there no warning sign around the sealed-off section?”
Ethan hesitated.
“Maybe… I don’t think there was. Claire is the security officer, but she never warned me in advance.”
He continued blaming me and pushed all responsibility onto my shoulders.