“What, feeling sorry for him?
Who the hell asked this bastard to meddle? Besides, apart from this, he stole my woman. I only spared his life be- cause of you…”
“Ralph!”
Shirley snapped sharply, “Don’t discuss this in front of the child.”
But Ralph just grinned, glancing at the wide–eyed little girl staring at him timidly. “What’s the big deal? Little Mochi’s my daughter, she’ll always side with me—”
“Shut up!”
Shirley suddenly slapped him across the face, her voice shrill. “Didn’t I forbid you to ever bring this up again?
If you want to ruin our lives, go ahead and shout it from the rooftops!”
Seeing her genuine fury, Ralph hastily slapped his own cheek, placating her. “Alright, alright! I won’t mention it. Don’t be angry.”
He moved to put his arm around her shoulders, but she shoved him away violently.
Bang!
The door of the abandoned factory was kicked open with brutal force.
Blinding light flooded in, accompanied by a police officer’s barked command: “Nobody move!”
Panic erupted instantly. The group instinctively scrambled to flee but found every escape route blocked.
“Damn it!”
Ralph spat, pulling out a gun hidden at his waist and aiming it at the lead officer.
The next second, he was violently flipped over someone’s shoulder and slammed onto the concrete floor.
Crack!
His wrist snapped instantly. The gun clattered to the ground.
Shirley stared in horror at Alexander, who had suddenly surged upright. She had no idea when he’d woken up, or how much he’d heard.
Her face deathly pale, Shirley collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face. “Alexander… thank goodness you’re alright. I was terrified… If anything had happened to you, I could never forgive myself.”
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Alexander gazed at her for a long moment, then suddenly smiled. “Don’t be afraid. It’s over.”
His smile was gentle, yet for some reason, it sent an unnerving chill down Shirley’s spine.
Within less than a month, Ralph went from defiantly appealing his sentence, to confessing to all charges, to implicat- ing the Nguyen family.
Though Ralph was the legal representative of the psychiatric facility, the Nguyen family were the true investors and beneficiaries behind it.
The facility operated legitimately on the surface, but its real purpose was facilitating shady dealings for wealthy clients, generating illicit profits.
Initially, manipulated by the Nguyen family, Ralph intended to take the fall alone. But Alexander followed the trail, uncovering substantial evidence of his work for the Nguyens. He also seized Ralph’s entire family. Ralph couldn’t sacrifice his family’s future for his own selfishness.
Moreover, Alexander promised: if Ralph surrendered and told the truth, his family would be protected and provided for, and he’d receive the best legal defense to seek leniency.
Faced with two evils, he chose the lesser.
Despite overwhelming evidence, the Nguyen family still maneuvered behind the scenes.
Alexander remained utterly unfazed. He coldly instructed his assistant beside him: “Leak the Psychiatric Facility’s documents to the media. I believe they’ll be very interested.”
“Yes, Mr. Williams.”
The study door burst open.
Rita stumbled in, collapsing at his feet. “Alexander, must you destroy the Nguyen family completely?”
“Didn’t you show Rita any mercy either?”
“Alexander, let me explain, it’s not what you think…”
She took half a step closer, trying to grab his sleeve like countless times before, but Alexander sidestepped without a word.
“I knew nothing about this. They… they probably mistook Marleigh for a patient and treated her. It’s all a misunder- standing.”
“And when you sent me away that night, then told Rita to push her down the stairs–was that a misunderstanding
too?”
“I didn’t!
You can distrust me, but how can you doubt your own daughter?”
Rita bit her lip, tears finally spilling down her pale cheeks onto Alexander’s hand. In the past, he’d have pulled her
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into his arms instantly.
Now, he just watched her with a cold gaze, playing the surveillance footage on his laptop.
The provocations, the slanders–all laid bare.
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Color drained from Rita’s face. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, to squeeze out more tears, but her throat seemed blocked.
The video ended, automatically playing the next recording.
It showed Marleigh during her therapy session.
The little girl pressed her lips together, clutching a faded rabbit doll, silent.
“Do you love Mommy?”
Shirley tilted her head as if thinking, then nodded firmly. “I love Mommy very much. But Mommy doesn’t like me. She always hits me… Sometimes I get scared. But when Daddy’s around, Mommy becomes the mommy from my dreams.”
“She sings me to sleep, tells me stories. I want Mommy and Daddy together… But Mommy said Rita is having a baby. Only if they disappear can Mommy and Daddy stay together forever.”
“I asked Mommy what ‘disappear‘ means. She told me people disappear when they die…”
“So I want Ritato die…”
