?Chapter 1151:


    He paused for a moment, delivering the final summary. “ording to her confession, she intended to eliminate both Kyle and Kolton, then inherit Cooper Group.”


    The words seemed to hang in the air, and the room grew taut with silence.


    Maia said nothing, though she knew instantly that it wasn’t the truth.


    Her memory pulled her back to Zoey’s hut, where Zoey had once spun a tale by blending real incidents with false ones, weaving them into something that looked like fact.


    It dawned on Maia in that moment.


    Zoey hadn’t only been probing her; she had been teaching her how such a method worked.


    The technique was real, and the one who carried it out could have been Zoey, but the mastermind behind it all was Kolton.


    By feeding lies, Kolton had pushed the infatuated Zoey to construct borate schemes, all while keeping her blind to his actual purpose.


    “Why would Zoey confess at all?” Pattie finally cut through the quiet. Her eyes stayed locked on the testimony in Maia’s hand as her voice turned cold. “The motive doesn’t hold up. If she had kept her statement and refused to admit guilt, she would have walked free because of insufficient evidence. And don’t forget — her defense attorney was Neville. He wasn’t just anywyer, but a lifetime professor at Drakmire Law School and the founder of Zenith Legal.”


    Then, she shifted her attention to Rnd and asked, “Do you have something new to prove otherwise?”


    Rnd let out a breath before answering, “I’ve uncovered a few leads, though they’re not enough to close the loop.”


    He unfolded several pages of notes. “That’s why I went to see Zoey at Wront Prison recently. But she wouldn’t say a word and practically ordered me to leave. She even sent someone after me… I just don’t understand why.”


    Maia slowly shook her head. “No. That’s not what she wanted. She never meant to hurt you.”


    Both Rnd and Pattie turned their eyes toward her at once.


    With deliberate care, Maia folded the testimony and brushed her thumb along its edge before looking up. “She was shielding you, Rnd. And she was protecting Neville, too.”


    A heavy silence nketed the room.


    Maiaid it out without hesitation. “If you try to overturn Zoey’s confession, you’re not just clearing her name. You’ll be dering war on Kolton, tearing him down, and standing against the most influential family in Wront.”


    Pattie reacted swiftly, her brows rxing only to tense again. “So you knew all along, which was why you kept urging me to find ways to make Rnd leave.”


    A dryugh escaped her lips. “I thought our trouble came only from thatst case, that we had merely angered the Cooper Group and Ward Group. I never realized we were caught in something farrger. They wouldn’t actually resort to murder… would they?” Pattie’s eyes slid toward Rnd. “No matter what, you’ll be protected. My people will watch you day and night.”


    Rnd’s expression darkened, his brows knitting together. After ncing between Maia and Pattie, he finally said, “This is what my mentor wanted. He doesn’t have much time left.”


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