Chapter 8
Damien suddenly turned and fixed his gaze on Veronica.}
Without a word, Veronica flung the pendant to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel. The delicate, beautiful jade pendant shattered with a sharp crack. Then, she slapped the mentor hard across the face.
“You’re already at death’s door and still spouting nonsense?“}
She turned swiftly to Damien, saying, “Damien, you know what kind of person I am. You can’t believe her!”
As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears. “Why is everyone accusing me? Just because I’m quiet, does that mean I’m easy to bully?“}
But unlike before, Damien no longer rushed to comfort her.
His tone was edged with coldness. “If you were wrongly accused, why destroy the jade pendant? Wouldn’t it make more sense to let the recording prove your innocence?”
Veronica burst into tears. “I always treated Elise like my own daughter. Hearing those recordings… it was like being stabbed in the heart. I couldn’t stand it. I was overwhelmed and smashed it without thinking.”
Ignoring her explanation, Damien walked to the computer and typed in a URL. “The recordings were set to automatically upload to the cloud.”
Veronica’s face turned ghostly white.
Then, once again, my daughter’s voice echoed from the speakers.}
Her voice was low, soft and full of despair.
“Mom said Dad would come save us. But… I know he won’t.”
“Maybe if I die, they won’t use me to threaten my mom anymore.“}]
“Maybe if I die, she’ll be free and escape.”
“Today I folded a lot of paper planes and wrote messages on them asking for help. I threw them as hard as I could. Some flew over the fence. Will someone see them? Will someone come to save us?”
Tears fell from many of the guests‘ eyes as her small, hopeless voice filled the room.
Suddenly, Veronica’s voice emerged from the recording.
“Ms. Sterling, you’re here? Did you come to pick us up? Did you see the paper plane I threw over the wall?”
“Someone else picked it up. I just happened to find out.”
“As for picking you up… Well, you’ll never leave this place. You and your mother better prepare to die here.“@
My daughter’s voice trembled. “Ms. Sterling… what’s wrong with you?“!
Meanwhile, Veronica’s tone turned chilling. “Little brat, what’s the problem with my son taking
“Vivian dared to slap me? I’ll make sure she pays dearly for that slap.“}
a few pictures of you?”
My daughter started crying. “What are you doing? Ms. Sterling, I don’t want to take the medicine. Mom! Save me, Mom…”
Veronica sneered. “Your mother’s too busy crawling into bed with some random man. You think she has time for you?“>
“Landon, come here. Hold her down and force her mouth open.“}
The recording caught the gut–wrenching sound of my daughter retching. Then, silence.
Veronica’s voice cut through again, sharp and cruel. “You wanted to escape? You wanted to save your mother? Those paper planes you sent out nearly ruined everything.“>
“Since you refuse to behave in life, then die.”
“Once you’re gone, there’ll be no one to inherit Damien’s assets.“}
“In time, everything that belongs to Damien will belong to my son.“}
Then, came the voice of her son. He sounded eerily calm. “Mom, what should we do with the body?”
Veronica replied coldly, “Hide it in Vivian’s room. Let them stay together every day but never see one another.”
“Didn’t the mentor say it? Vivian’s already half–crazy. That’s even better. Once they find the body, everyone will assume it was her doing.”
And then… the final, faintest sound. My daughter’s whisper, barely audible, dying breath.
“I think…. I’m going to die soon. I’m a little scared. But if I die… my mom won’t have to suffer anymore. That’s okay… isn’t it?”
