Chapter 358
Chapter 358
The atmosphere in the hospital room was thick with tension.
Elspeth used to be Frederic’s darling, his world. The man might not always stay to look after Hamilton, but whenever Elspeth felt even the slightest discomfort, Frederic would make it a point to visit her daily, no matter how busy he was.
Three days without a visit was, until now, unthinkable.
“Frederic.”
Elspeth leaned weakly against the bed, her lips trembling as she dabbed away a smear of pale lipstick, her eyes misty as she looked at Frederic, “You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you? With the company affairs and all, I understand. There’s nothing serious of me, just a perforated eardrum. I’ve already had the surgery.”
Before she could finish, Frederic cut her off, his tone somber, “Elspeth, I’ve come here to ask you something. Is what Evadne said that day true?”
Elspeth froze, her pupils quivering, “Frederic, do you still doubt me? I am your wife! You know how I am with you! I bore you two daughters, and nearly died giving birth to Marilla. I’ve given so much for you. How could I possibly have a hidden agenda, have something to do with a murder suspect! Frederic! Could it be that you don’t love me anymore? When you stop loving someone, everything they do seems suspicious; everything they do seems wrong!”
She spoke with anger, but her heart was pounding with fear.
Her indignant questions were nothing but a cover for her inner panic.
“I’m not talking about that man, Alex. Whatever is going on between you two, I’ll find out for myself.”
Frederic’s gaze was steady, “I’m talking about Myra. Was the attack on Myra orchestrated by you?”
“No! No! It wasn’t me!”
Elspeth’s voice was hoarse as she frantically denied it, “Why would I hurt her? What would I gain from it? Why would I take such a risk!”
Frederic just looked at her, his hand clenching the phone that had long since warmed from his touch.
Over the past three days, he had secretly looked into the relationship between Elspeth and Alex, and although it wasn’t as Evadne had said, where Elspeth had given her necklace
to Alex as a token of their love, there was some truth to it. Elspeth did know Alex, and they had contacted more than once.
And one more thing, although there were no call records between Elspeth and Alex on her phone, he had also checked Glynnis’s call history.
In it, there was a number that didn’t match up with her daughter’s social circle.
After some digging, the number wasn’t registered under a real name, but the location of the number matched the area where Alex was staying. Frederic’s heart sank.
His daughter, a golden child, had been socializing with elites since born and never known anyone from the slums, let alone going there.
Hence, there was only one possibility for using Glynnis to contact Alex.
“Elspeth, do you know what I loved most about you when we met?” Frederic took a deep breath and asked abruptly.
Elspeth was taken aback once again and had to think for a moment.
She thought that Frederic had been attracted to her because of her beauty and youthfulness. Most men were like that, prioritizing physical attraction over anything else.
But she had forgotten one thing.
As the heir to the Abernathy group, born with a golden spoon in his mouth, Frederic had had his pick of debutantes and starlets. Yet none of them had managed to win his heart.
Back then, Elspeth had been an unknown actress. Her beauty couldn’t compare to Myra’s, and her family background was nothing special.
Why had Frederic chosen her out of all the women in the world?
“Because you had a clear and innocent look in your eyes. I loved your lack of cunning. You made me want to protect you, to cherish you. With you, I could find the sense of pride and satisfaction that every man craves.”
Elspeth was stunned.
Innocent? Clear?
Could those words really be used to describe her? It sounded more like he was describing Cynthia Winter, Thaddeus’s mother.
The more she heard, the more it grated on her nerves.
“But it seems now that you don’t need my protection. Even without me, you’ll find ways to get what you want, using every trick in the book to get back at those you dislike.“.
Frederic’s eyes were dark, “But this is the last time. I hope you’ll behave yourself from now on. Don’t hurt innocent people anymore. Don’t cause any more trouble for me, or the Abernathy family. Or else, I’ll have to send you abroad, far away from the disputes and grudges of Elmsworth, to live in peace.”
At the mention of Frederic sending her away, Elspeth was a mix of shock and anger, her whole body going rigid!
“Frederic, what do you mean? You don’t want me anymore? You want to make me a cast–off wife? Just because of a few words from Evadne?! Or do you have some secret intentions for Emeric Ashbourne’s daughter? So, you’re taking your anger out on me, finding ways to get rid of me, to bring in someone new?!”
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Frederic was furious, his voice hoarse.
“I hit a nerve, didn’t I? You’re feeling guilty, aren’t you?”
Elspeth stiffened, her eyes turning red as she glared at Frederic, “When Myra was still on the runway, there were rumors about you two getting very close! They even said you gave her a lot of resources behind the scenes, that you wanted to keep her!”
Frederic’s eyes contracted, his silence heavy as he clenched his fist.
“She, Myra, is your dream woman, isn’t she? I was just your second choice, right?”
Elspeth had held her silence for far too long, like a thorn lodged deep in her heart. Now, it was being forcibly removed. She was both angry and relieved, “If it wasn’t for Myra’s downfall due to drug abuse, she could have been the lady of the Abernathy family, not me!”
“Have you said enough?” the man’s voice was icy, a vein bulging on his forehead.
“Hmph, you liked Myra so much, and defended her so fervently. When she humiliated herself on stage during the grand celebration, you sat idly by. Why didn’t you rush to her defense like Emeric? Why didn’t you marry her?! Because you were afraid, afraid that such a disgraceful woman would tarnish your reputation as the CEO of Abernathy Corporation! Since you didn’t bother then, what’s your sympathy now? To make up for past regrets?”
Frederic roared, “Elspeth! Shut up!”
Elspeth smirked, her eyes filled with disdain, “Your son pines for her daughter, while for Myra, the Ashbourne family really knows how to love.
Frederic, enraged and humiliated, lost control and slapped her!
Elspeth felt as if her eardrums were about to rupture, tears streaming down her face in both pain and anger!
Frederic recoiled, his trembling hand clenched in shock.
This was the first time he’d ever hit a woman. He’d been taught better, but Elspeth had pushed him too far!
“You hit me?”
Elspeth, sobbing, jumped out of bed and ran towards the balcony in bare feet, “What’s the point of living? I might as well die!”
Frederic’s eyes widened, “Someone help!”
The secretary and bodyguard rushed in from outside the door. Startled, they grabbed Elspeth before she could leap, and held her up like a criminal. Elspeth cried bitterly, her face streaked with tears, devoid of any grace.
“Have two maids take turns watching her, and you two stand guard outside. If anything happens to her, it’s on you,” Frederic ordered grimly.
“Yes, Mr. Abernathy!”
After issuing his orders, Frederic shook his head in frustration and plodded out of the room somberly without even another glance at Elspeth.
Elspeth collapsed to the floor, her legs trembling, her mouth open in shock.
Crying didn’t work, tantrums didn’t work, and now, even threatening to die in front of him didn’t make him stay. He didn’t even spare her a second glance. Frederic, did he not love her anymore? Or maybe, she was just a substitution for someone else. He never really loved her.
“Hahaha, hahaha!”
Elspeth’s laughter echoed through the room, frightening the bodyguards, “Mrs. Abernathy, are you okay?”
“Good, we’re finally on the same page.”
He never loved her.
She never loved him either!
But Frederic, no matter what, she won. Because the woman he loved most in this world, was the one she, Elspeth, ended!
“Ugh, it hurts so much.”
When Glynnis woke up, she found herself in a damp and dirty place.
Looking around, she realized she was in an abandoned warehouse, the smell of mold stinging her nose, and two rats scurrying past.
“Ah!” She scrambled backwards in fear, picking up a dirty brick and hurling it at the rats.
The rats scurried away, their squeaks echoing through the warehouse as if mocking her.
“H–hello? Is anyone here? Help! Someone help me!”
Just as Glynnis started screaming, the warehouse door slowly opened.
In the glare of light, a curvaceous female silhouette walked in, dressed in a tight black suit, was enough to make any man’s heart race.
“It’s you. You’re the woman who was with Mr. Fairhaven!” Glynnis recognized her immediately;
“Good evening, Ms Abernathy, you were out for quite a while. I was waiting,” Lily squinted her charming eyes, smirking as she adjusted her black leather gloves.
“Did you bring me here? How dare you to kidnap the heiress of the Abernathy Corporation?! Are you tired of living?!”
1
Glynnis was seething with rage but also fear, “What is this place? Let me go now! Or I’ll make you pay! Even Jareth won’t be able to save you if you cross the Abernathy family!”
Lily’s smile broadened as she tilted her head, watching Glynnis lose her composure.
Seeing that words were getting her nowhere, Glynnis tried to make a run for it, shouting for help as she ran.
“Someone help! Ah.”
Suddenly, she felt a flash of pain in her stomach.
Lily had kicked her, sending her away few meters before she landed heavily on the ground. The pain was so intense that she screamed, feeling like every bone in her body was throbbing!