<h4>Chapter 378: Verdict...</h4>


    At that moment, the voices of the two women in quiet exchange boomed through the speakers.


    Therge LCD screen flickered, then lit up with a shaky, blurry video of a youngdy whose expression was ferocious and twisted with malice.


    The camera caught her face clearly, though the other woman was out of frame. From the angle, it was obvious that the recording had been made in secret by the other party.


    "Of course. She may befortable with you returning to the Santiagos to reim what was never yours ...but I am definitely not."


    "What if we did n it?"


    "What do you think you can do if by any chance you fall into this pool?"


    "Do you think you can be found on time since all of the guests are just there in the banquet hall?"


    "Do you think you can survive it with your pregnancy?"


    "I heard pregnant women are prone to respiratory distress and dizziness in certain environmental conditions, what do you think?"


    The dialogue rolled on, every venomous word ying over the speakers.


    The hall fell into pin-drop silence. Guests stiffened in their seats, their gazes darting between the screen and one another, whispering with wide-eyed disbelief.


    Davis, noting the ripple effect of the recording, rose without a word and left the hall. His face was unreadable, his eyes cold.


    By thest sentence, the audience gasped as one, their murmurs swelling into a storm of shocked spection.


    "Is that not Bernice Santiago?"


    "Isn’t that the Santiagos’ granddaughter under threat by a cousin?"


    "Not just threatened but at the pool."


    "Then...if they were at the pool...could it be she nearly drowned?"


    "To think Lady Matilda, of all people, would be poisoned by a daughter she loves dearly..."


    "She is wicked beyond words!"


    "She deserves no mercy."


    "Lady Matilda must seek justice for her granddaughter!"


    "What a poor child! She only just returned home, only to be plotted against?"


    "At least she was clever enough to record it!"


    "Wait... did I hear that right? Pregnant?!"


    "Pregnant? Then the Santiagos are expecting a great-grandchild?"


    "Lady Matilda is blessed indeed..."


    "But who is her husband? Surely not from a powerful family, otherwise why is he not present tonight?"


    The spection spread like wildfire.


    Meanwhile, Lady Matilda’s hand trembled as she gripped the armrest of her chair. Her heart hammered violently against her ribs, her face pale with dread.


    She could not sit idle. She dared not imagine the worst...not with Jessica, not again.


    She rose abruptly and left the hall, her steps brisk despite her age.


    She hoped to get to the pool faster and find out the situation.


    She dared not let Jessica suffer anymore injustice and surely not from a second branch family.


    Donald hurried after her. "What about Davis?" she asked quickly, her voice strained.


    "I haven’t seen him for a while now," Donald replied, frowning.


    Lady Matilda’s eyes darkened. "His wife suffers a mishap in the Santiago home, and his shadow is nowhere in sight. I am sure that disy was his hand work and warning."


    She sighed. "The Santiagos must give him a reasonable exnation." Lady Matilda said her tone was cold, but beneath it was raw pain.


    Several guests noticed her sudden absence.


    Their curiosity sharpened, hungry for scandal. Some beckoned a waiter to lead them to the pool.


    Within moments, more than half the hall stirred into motion, buzzing like restless bees.


    The waiters tried in vain to control them, but the tide of intrigue was unstoppable.


    The MC stepped onto the stage, tapping the microphone softly. The echo carried across the restless hall, drawing reluctant attention.


    "The family extends their sincerest apologies for this mishap," he announced, his tone steady but carefully measured. "We ask that you remain here while the matter is rified. A full exnation will be given."


    A fraction of the guests heeded the request, deciding instead to use the interval to secure business deals while awaiting the conclusion of the scandal.


    But many others slipped away, chasing the drama at the poolside.


    "


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    "


    Meanwhile Davis arrived at the pool, his gaze cold and unreadable.


    Standing at the edge of the pool, his voice rang out "Cassandra, Bernice, how do you think we can solve this problem?" He smirked coldly.


    Exhausted from their struggles, neither could answer.


    "I recall," he continued softly, almost taunting, "that you wished to see how a pregnant woman might suffer from respiratory distress. But I... I prefer to watch how a vicious youngdy fares in such a condition."


    Bernice’s body trembled violently. His voice was calm, almost casual, but the silence of the night and the eerie quiet of the pool made each word strike like thunder.


    Her eyes stung. She tried to open them, but the irritation from the tainted water forced them shut again. Will I lose my sight tonight? Panic wed through her chest.


    She dared not imagine what he wanted to do, she med her mother for not being discreet enough.


    She med her for not being able to handle a simple task of inviting a naive countryside bumpkin out.


    Oxygen slipped from her lungs, her body almost tinged blue. Yet before she could find breath, Davis’ voice cut again.


    "Haven’t you noticed they’re thirsty?" His gaze sharpened, his tone cruel. "Wouldn’t it be merciful to let them drink?"


    Bernice shivered. Her thoughts spiraled. Deep in the irritating pool, already drowning, lungs full of poisoned water, and now forced to drink more? Isn’t this the end?


    In desperation and trepidation, she tried to swim away, but strong hands seized her arms. Her breath hitched as she struggled uselessly.


    She forced her eyes open, only to be confronted by two masked, burly men in protective gear. Cold. Unyielding. Dipping her under, again and again. The sight left her gobsmacked.


    Her screams were swallowed by water, while just beyond the pool’s edge came the anguished cries of her mother.


    She found herself drifting in and out of consciousness as her thoughts spiralled.


    A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, Lady Matilda’s voice.


    "Davis, you are here?" Davis nodded.


    He turned slightly, nodding once.


    Her eyes darted to the pool, relief loosening her chest when she saw only Cassandra and Bernice suffering. Jessica was nowhere in sight.


    "How is Jessica?" she demanded.


    "In her room," Davis replied curtly.


    A frail voice croaked from the water. "Grandma... you must seek justice for me!"


    Lady Matilda’s face twisted with rage. Her voice cracked like a whip.


    "How can a useless old hag seek justice for you?"


    "Aren’t you living out your plot at the moment?"


    Bernice’s heart copsed. Her grandmother, the woman who had always coddled and adored her, had turned cold.


    "Are we really going to lose our life here?"


    "Over that country bumpkin?"


    "Will our ancestors abandon me if I let her win?"


    As if her thoughts were read, the merciless hands pressed her deeper under. Her consciousness slipped, the world dimming.


    "Davis, stop!" Lady Matilda’s voice trembled with urgency. "They don’t need to die in the pool. Let them out. I will give you an exnation...one that satisfies you...before the night is over."


    For a moment, Davis was silent. Then, atst, he inclined his head.


    "I promise," Lady Matilda swore.


    "Take them out," he ordered. His gaze lifted to lock with hers. "I’ll be waiting."


    With that, he turned and left, his men trailing behind.


    The women were hauled from the pool like discarded refuse. Bernice’s skull struck the tiles with a crack, jolting her painfully back into consciousness.


    Lady Matilda stared at her. The girl she had cherished, pampered and defended at every turn.


    The betrayal cut deep. Jessica had saved her countless times with her antidotes had kept her alive.


    And yet this child, this blood of hers, had schemed to end both their lives.


    Her chest was constricted with grief and fury. But tonight, the scales would be bnced.


    "Guards," shemanded coldly. "Take them to the Central Hall."


    Bernice and Cassandra nched.


    In the Santiagos’ family, the Central Hall was both sacred and revered.


    Matters taken to the Central Hall were usually without remedy and derations made in this hall remain irrevocable.


    They tried to plead, mouths opening and closing, but no words emerged. Only silent tears carved down their cheeks.


    Lady Matilda did not spare them another nce as she strode ahead, her robes sweeping with finality.


    In the grand, brightly lit Central Hall, the Santiago family gathered. The matriarch entered, her face a mask of iron, devoid of tenderness and emotion.


    The disgraced women were shoved to their knees before the assembly.


    Her voice rang out, clear and unyielding.


    "It is forbidden in the Santiago family to kill or even to plot the death of one’s kin. Yet today, Cassandra and Bernice have allowed hatred to consume them, plotting not only against Jessica... but against me."


    The hall quaked with unease. The verdict was obvious.


    "From this moment forth," Lady Matilda dered, "they are stripped of their name. They cease to be members of the Santiago family. For their attempted murder, I reserve the right of prosecution to the Allen family...the very family they have offended."


    The hall fell utterly silent.


    Cassandra copsed, trembling. Bernice shook her head in disbelief, her mouth forming desperate denials, but no one moved to help her.