THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 369: Banned For Life

"She’s lying," the storekeeper shouted at the top of his voice when he saw that Peggy wanted to wash her hands off the whole thing. Maybe there was still hope for him with what these people were saying.

If she had not approached him and promised him heaven and earth, wouldn’t he be sitting at his corner minding his business like before? After implicating him, she wants to escape punishment by dumping the whole blame on him.

Now he had seen that this woman was a snake in green grass. He shouldn’t have trusted her.

"How can you say I’m lying?" Peggy shouted back, looking surprised. Did I know you before if you didn’t come to me first?"

Those were his lines for Pete’s sake. He was the one that didn’t know Peggy but she came to him first. Why was she turning everything around, making him look like the one to blame.

"You said I threatened you, right? What did I threaten you with?" The storekeeper fired back.

Since it had come to this, there was nothing to be afraid of any more. He was sure he had already lost his job, but he wasn’t going to go down alone.

This woman must pay the price for ruining his reputation. Besides, that was not the only thing she had deceived him into doing. But he didn’t have any evidence to convince the people around that she was also the one that made him steal the syrup belonging to Empress Brew the other day.

"Yes, tell us. What did a common storekeeper threaten you with," one of the judges said at this point.

Peggy was clearly unprepared and didn’t know which lie she would use to cover up. At the moment her brain was blank.

Just when she didn’t know how to come out of the mess, her assistant Dylan, spoke up.

"I was the one that threatened him, not Ms Carter. I used my boss’s influence to get him to cooperate with me."

Both Paul and Peggy were stunned speechless at Dylan’s admission.

Peggy turned to stare at him in shock. ’What are you doing?’ He eyes seemed to ask while Dylan’s responded with a ’trust me, boss.’

"In other words, you’re saying Ms Carter had nothing to do with this?" The judge asked.

"No, she had nothing to do with this," Dylan said seriously, forgetting one key point which the judge held on to.

"If truly she had nothing to do with this, why was she the one in the storeroom with the storekeeper. Did someone swap your face with hers in the footage?"

"I... em...," Dylan stammered.

"We all understand that you want to help your boss, but that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice yourself for someone who clearly does not deserve such level of loyalty," Lauren said pitifully.

"Who told you m lying, besides what I am saying is the truth," Dylan insisted foolishly.

"I doubt you’ll still insist after you see this,"

"What is he talking about?" Dylan asked, turning to Peggy.

"Shut up," she snapped. When he had spoken earlier, she though he had something better to say in her defence, but he ended up complicating things.

He told him to say anything if there was nothing he could offer.

While she was still seething in anger, a blurry image appeared on the screen of Peggy and the store keeper.

The time displayed was the evening of the second day of the competition.

She handed him a parcel and left almost immediately.

The store keeper opened it and his eyes widened as he peered into the parcel. He dipped his hands and withdrew from it, a bundle of hundred dollar bills.

It was clear that that was payment for the work for the first day where the syrup from Empress Brew was missing.

Another footage came up again where the storekeeper was seen entangling with a woman.

After they were done with their act and the storekeeper had left, Peggy walked into the room and retrieved something that looked like a hidden camera, threw a brown envelope at the woman on the bed whose eyes widened in pleasure at the content of the envelope which was clearly cash.

The eveidences provided were as clear as day.

Everyone knew who threatened who here.

"In order to get the store keeper to do his bidding’s, Ms Peggy connived with that woman, set Mr Paul up and threatened to expose Mr Paul’s adulterous affair to his wife. Mr Paul, is that true?" The judge asked.

"Yes, that’s what happened."

Most people knew that Mr Paul married up and was always afraid of his wife, but what they didn’t know was that somehow, he couldn’t control the thing between his legs and had been very careful over the years and his wife never found out. He happened to be caught this time which was clearly a set up by Ms Carter.

"I’m innocent," Peggy screamed.

"Of what?" Lauren snorted disdainfully. "Swapping our beans or bribery. Or is it plotting against others or threatening them. Which of the glaring crimes are you pleading for?" Lauren snorted.

"Of course she’s guilty of all. She did all those. What a skunk with an r wil heart? You don’t deserve to be among humans!"

"Yet she was sounding so righteous a few minutes ago?"

The judge’s voice cut through the chaos. "As you can see, the culprits behind the sabotage are clearly identified. This unethical behavior has no place in our competition."

"Your actions have not only disqualified Café Solstice from the competition, but have also brought shame upon this esteemed competition. I believe justice should be served," the judge said and stepped aside.

Peggy’s shoulders slumped, as other judges continued to speak, their words condemning her actions while praising Empress Brew for their resilience and excellence despite all that they faced.

This is unacceptable. Peggy’s face contorted with rage, as she dug her fingers into her palms, drawing blood in the process.

"I clearly heard someone say that they wouldn’t mind being banned for life if they were the one that brought shame to the prestigious coffee lovers community," Horatio, Lauren’s store manager said casually.

"Yeah, that’s what Ms Carter said earlier. I wonder if she’s ready to honor her words," someone else said.

The host took the stage once more.

"After conferring with all the judges and the organizers, we have unanimously agreed that Ms Carter’s offense is unpardonable and as a result, she is banned for life and all her previous wins and awards canceled and withdrawn."

Peggy’s eyes widened in disbelief, she could feel the walls closing in on her. ’Banned for life? All her victories canceled and withdrawn? No! This was not happening.

Without paying any attention to Peggy, the host continued dishing out the judgment without any emotions.

"Her coffee shop, Café Solstice, from today ceases to exist, and no coffee enthusiast is allowed to have any dealings with Ms Peggy Carter in the future,"

Gasps and murmurs filled the room as the host continued,

"Let this be a reminder to all that would want to use underhanded means to attain success that justice will always prevail," he concluded and stepped aside.