Share

Chapter 4

Penulis: Corn 88
At 8 p.m., the Lynch estate was glowing with lights.

The ballroom downstairs was packed, with drinks flowing and conversation buzzing through the room. Nearly every major business figure in the city had shown up.

I stood quietly off to the side in the bright red gown.

Cassidy, meanwhile, wore an elegant white designer dress. Surrounded by wealthy young socialites complimenting her from every direction, she looked polished, graceful, and perfectly innocent.

Red against white. Flashy against refined. Howard planned the contrast perfectly.

By 9 p.m., the party was in full swing.

Wesley stepped onto the stage with a microphone, and the ballroom lights dimmed.

"Thank you all for coming tonight."

Wesley smiled broadly as his voice carried through the room.

"We're here to celebrate the return of my biological daughter, Evelyn, but I also have an important announcement to make."

He paused and looked straight at me.

"To make up for everything Evelyn has been through, I've decided to establish a charitable medical fund in her name.

"Because Evelyn is grateful to Cassidy for spending the past ten years with us and looking after the family in her absence, she has voluntarily agreed to transfer half of her shares to Cassidy."

A murmur of surprise rippled through the room, followed by a burst of applause.

"Mr. Lynch is incredibly generous."

"And Miss Evelyn is remarkably gracious. She actually appreciates everything Miss Cassidy has done for the family."

"The Lynches really did raise their daughters well. What an admirable family."

Praise came from every direction.

Wesley gave a subtle signal to the crowd. Albert immediately walked over with a document in hand.

At the same time, Rachel approached, carrying two glasses of champagne. Her eyes were red as she handed one to me.

"Evelyn, I want to make a toast to you. You're a wonderful daughter. I'm so proud of you."

Somehow, Howard had moved in behind me. His hands came down on my shoulders, gripping hard enough to keep me from stepping away.

"Go ahead and sign it, Evelyn. Then have a drink with Mom." Howard leaned close, his voice low and barely able to hide his excitement. "Do that, and you'll always be the daughter this family is proud of."

I didn't move. I just looked from one of them to the next.

The line above Wesley's head read, [Purpose: Force Evelyn to sign, then have her taken into surgery tomorrow.]

Above Rachel's head, it showed, [Purpose: Make sure Evelyn drinks the champagne spiked with a powerful sedative and anticoagulants so she can't fight back tonight.]

And the one above Howard's was, [Purpose: Keep Evelyn under control. If she resists, knock her out in front of everyone.]

I took the champagne from Rachel with one hand and the pen Albert held out with the other.

"Sure. I'll sign it right now."

Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi

Bab terbaru

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 10

    After the Lynches went to prison, I still wasn't finished with them.Over the next six months, I used my shares to take control of what was left of the Lynch family's business empire and launched my own film and media company.After that, I sold the rights to their story. A family trying to harvest their biological daughter's organs. A father raising another man's child as his own. A household that eventually tore itself apart. The true-crime documentary became a massive hit, followed by a serialized drama that was sold around the world.Together, they made billions.They once treated me like a spare set of organs. Now, their downfall was making me rich.That afternoon, I carried a stack of documents into the psychiatric wing of a maximum-security prison.In the visitation room, I looked through the glass at the four people who had destroyed my childhood.Minutes earlier, they were screaming at one another, fighting over money and blaming everyone but themselves for how they e

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 9

    Three days later, I was in the executive conference room on the top floor of Lynch Corporation.Despite the scandal tearing through the family, Wesley spent a fortune getting himself out on bail. Now, he sat at the head of the table with a bandage wrapped around the side of his head.He had called an emergency board meeting. He was prepared to liquidate the entire company if that was what it took to save Cassidy from facing the death penalty.In his mind, she was still the daughter he had with his first love, the only piece of that relationship he had left.Across the table, Albert slid an asset transfer agreement toward him.He adjusted his glasses and spoke carefully. "Mr. Lynch, once you sign this, the funds can be moved into offshore accounts. Ms. Cassidy will have enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life. If we can get her out, you can always rebuild later."Wesley's eyes turned red as he reached for the pen.Through the glass, I saw the most shocking label yet

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 8

    At 3 p.m., I sat across from Howard in the detention center's visitation room. He was charged with attempted murder, but he still didn't seem to think he had done anything wrong.The second he saw me through the glass, he snatched up the phone and started to shout. "Evelyn! Are you happy now?! You destroyed this family! So what if Cassidy lied? So what if that so-called psychic was a fraud? She gave me blood after my car accident. She saved my life!"He jabbed a finger at his right leg, the one that still made him walk with a slight limp."I owe Cassidy my life. If saving hers means sacrificing yours, then so be it!"He was so desperate to justify what he did that he completely stopped making sense.As long as he could keep telling himself that Cassidy once saved him, he wouldn't have to face the truth that he tried to kill his own sister.Just then, the door to the visitation room opened.Albert, now representing Cassidy, walked in. He was carrying a watch in a small velvet

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 7

    At 6 a.m., we were at the city police station. I stood outside the interrogation room.Rachel had completely fallen apart. Her hair was disheveled as she sat across from the detectives, but she was still desperately trying to protect Cassidy."Officer, Cassidy is innocent! She can't go to prison!"She slammed both hands on the table, nearly hysterical."Cassidy is the reason this family has everything it does! We were told years ago that she was destined to bring this family success. And look at us now. Evelyn has brought us nothing but misery. She deserves to die! If Cassidy needs a heart, then Evelyn should be the one to give it to her!"I stood behind the one-way glass.The woman on the other side sounded completely unhinged.She was willing to take the fall for attempted murder just to protect the girl she had somehow convinced herself was the source of the family's success.Wesley had been taken into the interrogation room next door. As chairman of Lynch Corporation, he wa

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 6

    At 2 a.m., we were in a private room at the Lynch family's hospital.Police officers were stationed at both ends of the hallway.Wesley had pulled some strings and gotten hospital security posted outside the room, giving the family a few minutes alone.Cassidy lay in bed with an oxygen mask over her face, pretending to drift in and out of consciousness.A 600 million-dollar tax scandal could bankrupt the Lynches. If Cassidy was arrested, it was only a matter of time before the investigation led back to Wesley and Howard. They were running out of options.Wesley glanced at Rachel, his expression turning cold.Rachel understood immediately. With her back to me, she walked over to the water dispenser and filled a cup with warm water.Her hands trembled as she brought it over. Her eyes filled with tears, and they began spilling down her cheeks."Evelyn, Cassidy doesn't have much time left. The doctors said she may not make it through the night."She held the glass out to me."D

  • I Could See Their Hidden Motives   Chapter 5

    The entire ballroom went silent, every eye on me.I looked at Wesley, then Rachel, then Howard, and finally Cassidy, who stood among the guests, barely able to hide her anticipation.I gave them a cold smile. Then, with a quick flick of my wrist, I poured the champagne all over the agreement."Evelyn! What the hell are you doing?" Howard shouted. He grabbed my arm and squeezed hard.At that exact moment, the ballroom doors burst open."Police! Nobody move!"A team of detectives and financial crimes investigators stormed inside.The music stopped. Guests screamed and scrambled out of the way, pressing themselves against the walls.Wesley froze. He noticed they were financial crimes investigators, and for a split second, his face lit up. He thought Albert had taken care of everything, and that the police were here for me.His expression instantly crumpled into one of outrage and heartbreak. He pointed at me and began to shout."Officers, thank God you're here! She's the one beh

Bab Lainnya
Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status