Chapter 373: Settling the Account for the Death of My Grandmother
Jasper furrowed his brows, his expression darkening. It seemed inevitable that Jared and Tina were determined to resolve things today. He narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice, “Tina, Jared, your grandmother may have been provoked today, and Tina has been wronged these past days. Let’s not speak of what happened before. From now on, I will send her to a retreat to ensure she is no longer mistreated in this household.”
Juliet smirked to herself. Who was mistreating Tina? Ultimately, wasn’t it just him and that illegitimate daughter? The younger generation, including herself, got along well with Tina.
Tina lifted her gaze, her cool eyes briefly meeting Jasper’s. She spoke calmly, “Your promises are worthless. Mrs. Reed wants to settle accounts, so let’s clear them all at once, to avoid any claims that I took advantage of the Reed family!”
Jasper’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous look crossing his face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Tina smiled, “Yes.”
Jasper met her gaze, her eyes seemingly piercing through everything, which unsettled him. He was about to speak when Tina looked away, stating indifferently, “Uncle, I’m hungry.”
“Alright,” Jared said softly, “let’s clear this account and then go eat.”
Lily observed Jared and Tina behaving as if no one else mattered, which infuriated her. Yet, a foreboding feeling lingered in her heart; speaking up might just implicate herself. Especially since Jared had just mentioned that the police were still waiting outside. Although she was confident she hadn’t done anything illegal, who knew if Tina might frame her? She knew she had to be cautious.
She definitely did not want to visit the police station again.
“Mrs. Reed,” Jared’s voice suddenly turned icy as he looked at Annabelle with eyes sharp as arrows, his voice as cold as frost, “let’s now settle the account for you killing my grandmother, and for the care of her three friends and six nannies!”
Silence fell so heavily that even the sound of the wind was distinctly audible.
Annabelle’s face turned pale, her hand trembling on her cane in sheer panic.
Even Jasper was taken aback. His mother, a murderer? Impossible. He remembered the incident; it had been a national sensation, yet the murderer was never found. At the time, his mother had been at her father’s house, and police investigations confirmed she hadn’t left the premises.
“What?” A thunderous roar echoed from within Whispering Pines.
Everyone turned to see Muff, using a cane, running down in shock. He approached Jared with difficulty, his voice trembling, “What did you just say? Say it again.”
Lily’s banquet had been a fiasco the day before, and it was to continue today, but he had no intention of appearing. However, having heard from a servant about the confrontation between Jared, Tina, and Annabelle over some account, he stood on the balcony, curious to see the outcome.
After all, Annabelle had masqueraded for so many years; in her youth, everyone thought she was a gentle and noble lady, and as she aged, she was considered kind and gentle.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
She maintained good relationships with everyone and had never had any conflicts with any family. Suddenly, Jared and Tina came to settle scores with her, which piqued his interest. He was curious to see how Jared would unmask her, but he did not expect to uncover such a shocking secret.
Jared glanced at Muff, his eyes cold and sharp. “Mrs. Reed killed my grandmother. Did you not know?” he said.
Muff felt as if his brain had been struck by lightning, buzzing loudly. “I didn’t know,” he replied excitedly. “If I had known, how could I have let her get away with it for so many years?”
If he had known, he would have been the first to kill her. He would make sure she could not even descend to hell after death. He would doom her to wander the earth like a lonely ghost, forever atoning for Sydney’s death.
Seeing Muff’s agitated state, Jared’s eyes darkened. “It seems Mrs. Reed is quite cunning, managing to keep even her bedfellow in the dark about her deeds!”
Upon hearing this, Muff turned and slapped Annabelle across the face, staring at her fiercely. “It was you, you killed her! You witch!”
Annabelle, still stunned from the slap, was jerked into awareness. She covered her face, incredulous. “You hit me again? We’ve been married for years, and this is only the second time you’ve hit me. That’s too much!”
“You dare kill Sydney, and I didn’t kill you-I’ve failed her!” Muff roared. “Annabelle, I’ve turned a blind eye to your petty dark deeds before, but I never imagined you would kill Sydney.”
As he spoke, Muff’s emotions surged, and he grabbed Annabelle by the throat, his face twisted with ferocity. “Didn’t I tell you, you can do what you want, but if you touch Sydney, I’ll kill you?”
Annabelle, struggling to breathe as he choked her, was about to fight back when she realized the gravity of the situation and stopped. She turned pale and said, “After all these years living together, you don’t trust me, preferring to believe a stranger?”
“I detest her, but how could I dare kill her?” Annabelle defended herself. “Murder is a capital offense. I wouldn’t be ignorant of that. Besides, if I really did it, why haven’t the police arrested me all these years? Why is it Jared accusing me? He just can’t stand to see the Reed family prosper!”
Muff paused. Her words did make sense. If she really did it, why hadn’t the police uncovered the truth after all these years?
Jared suddenly laughed, though his smile did not reach his eyes. “That’s a good question,” he said.
He stood up and slowly walked over to Annabelle, his voice icy. “Since we’re settling accounts, let’s make everything crystal clear, so you don’t end up a wronged spirit.”
Annabelle met his icy gaze, her panic growing. Suddenly agitated, she exclaimed, “Shut up! What accounts? My Reed family has no scores to settle with you! You are not welcome here, get out!”
“I’d like to see who dares to make him leave,” Muff snapped, pushing Annabelle away. “This account must be settled! I need it clear-I need to know who really killed Sydney.”
With that, Muff added, “We need to call Logan over to sort this out.”
He immediately took out his phone and called Logan.