<b>Chapter </b><b>387 </b>
After a long, hot bath and a quick check on her post–surgery wounds, Glynnis was ready to indulge in a ss of red wine.
“Linda? Linda<b>!</b><b>” </b>Glynnis called out. The housemaid, Erica, immediately rushed in, “I’m here, Ms. Glynnis.”
Ever since Evadne had assigned her the task of spying, Erica had been trying to get close to Elspeth and Glynnis<b>, </b>trying to gain their trust. Although Elspeth was naturally suspicious and hard to win over, Glynnis was a lot more naive and easier <b>to </b>approach.
So, Erica made herself indispensable to Glynnis, offering her unending support and assistance. Otherwise, as a lower–ss maid who had previously worked for Mari, Erica would have been kicked out of the Windermere Estate in no time by Glynnis.
“Go to the wine cer and bring me a good bottle of wine.” Glynnis ordered, applying a face mask to her now surgically–enhanced face. Erica nodded and quickly left to fulfill her task.
Glynnis then realized that she had left her phone in the movie room <b>on </b><b>the </b>third floor. She couldn’t survive a minute without it, so she had no choice but <b>to </b>retrieve it herself. As she was walking, she suddenly saw a shadow pass by. She let out a gasp, almost dropping the mask from her face. A few steps away, <b>a </b>pale woman with disheveled hair emerged from the dimly lit corridor.
Upon closer inspection, Glynnis let out a sigh of relief. “Mom, is that you?”
Elspeth, hunched over and wrapped in a cashmere coat, peered at Glynnis through her messy hair. Glynnts was astounded to see her once sophisticated and elegant mother
<b>in </b>such a state.
Elspeth suddenly grabbed Glynnis‘ arm and dragged her back to the bedroom.
<b>“</b>Mom, what happened? My arm hurts, Mom!”
“Shut up! Be quiet!” Elspeth snapped, silencing Glynnis with a fierce re.
Once they were back in the room, Elspeth looked around nervously before locking the door<b>. </b>“Mom, what’s going on<b>? </b>What happened?” Glynnis asked anxiously.
Elspeth sat on the couch, still shivering despite the warm room. “Glynnis. I made a mistake tonight. I said something I shouldn’t have/
“What? What did you <b>say</b>?<b>” </b>Glynnis was full of questions.
“I went for another cosmetic treatment tonight. Dr. Victor gave me <b>an </b>injection. He said it would make me feel rxed, better than the medication I had been taking.” Elspeth exined with a trembling voice.
“I fell asleep after the injection. When I woke up, Dr. Victor asked me who Cynthia was!” Glynnis gasped, goosebumps all over her b*dy.
“Mom. What did you say? And who is this Dr. Victor? How could you say that?“”
The real <b>cause </b><b>of </b>Thaddeus‘ mother’s death was not <b>a </b>secret to Glynnis. In a way, Elspeth was the one who drove Cynthia to suicide!
Elspeth had cleverly manipted Cynthia’s maid into recing her depression medication, spread rumors about Cynthia, and eventually drove Cynthia to jump off the building.
This was Elspeth’s proudest achievement, although she could never brag about it to anyone.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how much I said. I don’t know what I told him.” Elspeth admitted, her eyes still unfocused and her voice shaky. “But Dr. Victor swore to me that he would keep everything confidential. He won’t leak it out!”
“Mom! How could you be so naive! Dr. Victor is not your son, what if he spills it <b>out</b>? What if he ckmails youter?” Glynnis eximed.
Just then, Glynnis heard a faint noise. She tiptoed towards her bedroom door and burst in, only to find it empty. She let <b>out </b><b>a </b>sigh of relief, her forehead covered in sweat.
What Elspeth had told her was too serious. If anyone had overheard, it would be the end for both of them.
“He would never betray me! He works for me!” Elspeth shook her head vehemently, but deep down she was far from confident.
But what could she do? She was now utterly dependent on Dr. Victor.
Whether emotionally or physically, she had developed a strong dependency on this man.
“Mom, I am your daughter. <b>I </b>would never hurt you. Listen to me.”
Glynnis sat back down next to Elspeth, grasping her icy hand, “You should avoid seeing Dr. Victor <b>as </b>much as possible. He is definitely up to something! As for Cynthia’s death, that secret must be buried with all who know about it! As long as he lives, he will always be a lethal <b>threat </b>to <b>you</b><b>!” </b>
“No, it’s been almost twenty years. All <b>the </b><b>evidence </b>is gone.”
Elspeth was shivering, a chill creeping up her spine as she nestled into Glynnis’s arms, “Unless that wench Cynthiaes back from the dead to point at me, no one knows what really happened to that wench Cynthia!”
“What about Acacia<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“She’s nothing! Just an abandoned pawn! If she ever wants to return to Elmsworth, she has to keep her mouth shut!”
Elspeth gradually calmed down, her rationality slowly regaining control, “By the way, that maid who I bribed, the one who was always by Cynthia’s side, have <b>you </b>been keeping an eye on her all these years<b>?</b><b>” </b>
!
<b>“</b><b>Yes</b>, she’s been in R–town, running <b>a </b>small diner. She’s indebted to us. She would naturally keep the secret.<b>” </b>
Glynnis’s gaze was gloomy. Though she held some resentment towards Elspeth, she understood the <b>concept </b>of shared <b>honor </b><b>and </b>disgrace. If Elspeth fell, her days <b>in </b><b>the </b>Abernathy family would not be pleasant. The entire Abernathy Group would fall into Thaddeus<b>‘ </b>hands and she probably wouldn’t even have soup to drink!
Elspeth calmed down for a moment, letting Glynnis help her back to her room.
No sooner had they left the room when the closet door in the bedroom trembled open a crack.
<b>Erica </b>was shivering in the closet, clutching a bottle of red wine. Her face was pale from the shock<b>, </b><b>but </b>her eyes were red as <b>if </b>she <b>had </b>been crying.
What should she do?
Who should she <b>tell </b>first<b>? </b>
<b>Mr. </b>Thaddeus or Ms. Evadne?
Glynnis returned to her room afterforting Elspeth.
Remembering the chilling needle marks on Elspeth’s arm when she helped her change clothes, Glynnis couldn’t help but shudder. Now that Frederic and Elspeth were rarely sharing a bed, especially since the incident with Myra<b>, </b>their rtionship had be even more <b>strained</b>.
Seeing Erica with a bottle of wine, Glynnis snatched the wine from her and went straight into her room, mming the door.
Erica stood there, her maid’s uniform soaked in cold sweat.
Back in her room, Glynnis had no mood for wine anymore.
Thinking about that Dr. Victor that Elspeth mentioned, she <b>felt </b>more and more fearful. She needed to investigate him in private. Glynnis removed her dry mask, washed her face, took off her robe and opened her wardrobe to change into her nightwear. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation. She was sure that someone had been in her closet. The musty smell hit her like a wave.
She immediately took out her phone and opened a surveince app.
Yes, that was right.
This foolish woman, Glynnis, had installed hidden cameras in her room!
When Glynnis saw that Erica had entered her room with the wine shortly after she left and had hidden in her room and then in her closet, she screamed and dropped her phone.
So, that wench Erica heard all of her and Elspeth’s conversation, right?
Did she know about that sinful secret?
Glynnis was drenched in cold sweat, her teeth chattering as she paced around her room.
She picked up her phone and called Elspeth, her fingers trembling.
“What is it? I was about to sleep.” Elspeth askedzily.
“Mom, we have a problem!”
3
D
Glynnis huddled at the end of the bed, stammering, “Erica overheard our conversation! She was hiding in my closet! My camera caught everything!”
She was on the verge of losing her cool on the other end of the line.
The other end of the phone was eerily quiet.
“Mom, Mom! Are you listening? What should we do now?”
“That maid cannot stay.”
3
み
3
23
After a while, Elspeth finally replied, her voice icy, “Pretend as if nothing happened for now, don’t alert her. Keep a close watch on her. When the time is right, make this little problem disappear from the face of the earth!”
Evadne was discharged from the hospital after recuperating.
On the day of her discharge, everyone from the Ashbourne family came, even the threedies made the trip from Skyrim, except for Elvis who didn’t want to meet Emeric. Seeing their beloved family member looking so frail and devoid of her usual vivacity, thedies<b>, </b>being women, were moved to tears.
“My child. You’ve suffered.”
Myra, the most emotional of them all, held Evadne tightly in her–arms, tears swelling in her eyes, “It’s our fault. We failed to protect you, I’m so sorry, my child.” “Apologies are due from my side, Myra.”
Evadne returned Myra’s hug, a bitter taste welling up within her. <b>“</b>Are you doing okay these days? Has Emeric been treating you well? Buying you bags? Clothes? Jewelry? Emeric isn’t that stingy, is he? Hasn’t he bought you anything?”
<b>“</b>Myra isn’t much for those things, but she did bring back quite a variety of gourmet ingredients and local specialities. She’s nning to cook for you for an entire month, make <b>soup </b><b>to </b>help you regain your strength,” Aviana chuckled, wrapping her arm around Suri’s waist
“What? I’m not in confinement, nor have I broken any bones. It’s unnecessary!” Evadne waved her hands in protest: She really wanted to taste Myra’s cooking, but she was also afraid of gaining weight!
How many rounds of kayaking would it take to burn those calories off!
Across the road at this moment.
Thaddeus stood alone in the chilling forest, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Evadne. He watched her radiant face, lit up with a smile, his heated stare unable to be shifted. Hearing <b>that </b>she was being discharged today, he had canceled an important meeting, rushing here <b>at </b>all costs.
But all he could do was stand silently, like a creature afraid of the light, watching the woman who once belonged to him.
Before<b>, </b>she was his bedsidepanion.
Now, she was his distant dream.
Seeing Evadne’s beautiful face break into a long–missed smile, he thought of how she had screamed at him that day, even striking him. Thaddeus clutched at his chest<b>, </b>trembling.
Pain, sharp and tearing, exploded from within his chest<b>, </b>wave after wave, as if it were literally tearing his flesh and blood apart.
What had led him <i>to </i>this point? Who was to me?
Acacia<b>? </b>Avery?
It seemed <b>that </b>he could only me himself.
“Evadne, Evadne.”
Thaddeus lost himself for a moment, his b*dy moving forward without hismand, wanting to get closer to her.
<b>At </b><b>that </b>moment<b>, </b>another luxury car slowly approached from a distance<b>, </b>stopping in front of Evadne.
It was Emeric’s vehicle, a vintage Rolls–Royce, one of <b>a </b>kind in the country, quite the showstopper.
Mr. Dn was the first to <b>step </b>out, opening the rear car door<b>. </b>
Evadne thought it would be her father getting out of the car, but she was taken aback the next second.
The man who gracefully stepped out of the car, well–dressed and refined was Avery,