Semua Bab Ripples And Hills: Bab 81 - Bab 86

Alexa (Prudence) Friday, August 8th. Two weeks later… ‘From all the evidence before me, I hereby declare that, pending further investigations, the suspect shall not be granted bail. Considering the gravity of the crime and subsequent framing of her sister, further inquiry is therefore to be conducted into Miss Ashley Hills. I also hereby declare the late Miss Alexa Hills acquitted. It’s only unfortunate she isn’t alive to hear this for herself. Next case, please…’ The judge’s words from three days ago still ring in my head, echoing through me as I sit in the presence Helia and Pier in Pier’s New York apartment. In my hands are copies of official documents. Papers Helia just handed me, proving Alexa Hills is innocent. My name, cleared. I’m free. But my sister, she framed me. I remember her haunted eyes that day in court. Gone was the polished elegance. She looked ruined. Older than her age. Defeated. I had been there, buried in a scarf and shades, tucked away in the back row. Wa

Elviira Blackwood. My eyes stay fixed on the girl sitting across from me. Alexa Hills, granddaughter of Elviira Laine. The same woman who broke my father decades ago. Yes, I’ve found out everything. Her background. Her name. Her bloodline. After that night when Pier announced who she was, I ordered a full investigation. The name, Alexa Hills, was sent to my investigator. And when the report came back, it was all there. Granddaughter to Elviira Hills. I was stunned. To share a name with the primary sponsor of our school? I’d had no idea. But then again, the moment Pier proved himself capable, I relinquished control of Blackwood College. Doctor’s orders, my blood pressure too unstable. He and others took the reins. I looked away. Until now. The deeper I dug into the report, the more I found. That Elviira and her husband moved to the States from Scotland shortly after their marriage in Finland. That they had been married at her parents’ grand estate in Wisteria Vine. I found a pho

Alexa (Prudence)I stare absently out the window. My mind is slowly crawling back to normal after the storm of emotion I endured in Pier’s apartment.I’m in my old room at the Hills mansion. The décor hasn’t changed. I’m dressed in my old clothes. But nothing feels like home. Not with the name Prudence still hanging around my neck like a fucking guillotine.I recall Pier’s mother’s venomous words. How they sliced through me just before I stormed out. I recall the way Pier reacted when she gave that ultimatum. He didn’t even blink. He chose his family. Of course he did. Maybe I would’ve done the same.The tea Adelaide brought me is warm now, settling in my stomach, thawing the cold I’d soaked up from walking through the rain before the Uber arrived. It rained hard, and I hadn’t cared.Pier’s mother had done her homework. She knew everything even about the murder charges. I wonder what would have happened if Pier hadn't told her I’d been cleared. That someone else confessed. Stella. Bu