Chapter 90 The Truth Comes to Light
Sloane's POV
The old lady's words were like the sharpest knife, precisely cutting through Keira's affectionate disguise and exposing the selfish, cold-hearted core beneath.
Keira's crying stopped abruptly, all color draining from her face. She waved her hands frantically, pushing all responsibility away: "No! Grandma, it was Mom... Mom forced me to leave! She said I couldn't help by staying there, that I'd only make myself sadder. I... I never wanted to leave Jared!"
"Heh." After hearing this weak and feeble excuse, the old lady let out a scornful laugh from her throat.
That laugh was like a loud slap across Keira's face, leaving her utterly humiliated.
Jared watched her still struggling desperately, his eyes cold as ice. He suddenly spoke up, asking a shocking question. His voice was calm and flat, yet carried a chilling menace.
"So, bribing someone to create an accident, deliberately trying to harm my wife," he looked at Keira's instantly pale face and asked word by word, "was that also Isabelle's idea?"
Jared's words were like a depth charge, exploding thunderously in the deathly silence of the dining room.
I clearly saw all color instantly drain from Keira's tear-stained face, even her lips trembling uncontrollably.
She seemed like someone had grabbed her by the throat. After a long moment, she managed only a broken gasp: "Jared... what... what are you talking about? How could I possibly... I don't understand..."
She was still playing dumb, her wide eyes full of terror and innocence, as if she'd been terribly wronged.
Jared turned his head slightly and calmly instructed the butler standing nearby: "Bring him in."
The old lady and I exchanged glances, both seeing deep confusion in each other's eyes.
But Jared just squeezed my hand reassuringly, his thin lips curving into a cold smile as he said in a voice only we could hear: "Don't worry, just watch the show."
Moments later, a middle-aged man in a gray jacket, slightly overweight, was escorted in by two bodyguards.
As soon as he entered and saw the scene before him, his legs started shaking with fear, and he dropped to his knees with a thud.
My heart jumped. This man...
Wasn't he the drunk driver who crashed into Jared that day?
When Keira saw him, her pupils contracted sharply. All strength seemed to drain from her body as she slumped in her chair, her face ashen.
"Speak," Jared's voice carried no warmth but an invisible pressure, "who told you to do this."
The driver was already scared out of his wits. He kowtowed repeatedly, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube: "It was... it was Keira! She gave me a large sum of money and told me to pretend to be drunk and drive into you, Mr. Montclair! She said... she said if I did what she told me, not only would I get the money, but she'd make sure I wouldn't get in any trouble..."
The man's words plunged the entire dining room into an even deeper silence.
I felt a chill run up my spine. This woman's scheming and viciousness far exceeded my imagination.
"You're lying!" Keira finally snapped out of her extreme terror. She jumped up from her chair, pointing at the man, her voice shrill: "Who are you! I don't even know you! You've been paid to slander me!"
She was still making excuses, trying one last desperate struggle.
But Jared just laughed coldly, his deep eyes full of penetrating sharpness as he caught the flaw in her words: "Oh? You don't know him, so how do you know he was 'paid' to slander you?"
Keira's face instantly turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.
Seeing her crimes exposed, she suddenly turned all blame toward Isabelle, who wasn't even present. Tears poured out again as if they cost nothing, and she collapsed at Aeneas's feet, clutching his pant leg desperately.
"Aeneas! It wasn't me! Really, it wasn't me!" She cried breathlessly, completely absolving herself, "It was Mom... it was all my mother who forced me to do this! She said... she said this was the only way to make Jared see my good side, to make him accept me again... I didn't want to, I really didn't want to hurt anyone! Uncle, please believe me!"
Aeneas's iron-blue face had now turned all shades of color.
He probably never dreamed that the "future daughter-in-law" he'd been treasuring in his palm would turn out to be such a scheming, venomous woman. Even more, he never imagined he'd been played like a fool by this mother-daughter pair, repeatedly falling out with his own mother and son because of them.
Realizing he'd been used as a pawn, Aeneas's fury finally erupted completely.
He kicked away Keira, who was clutching his leg. The disgust and anger in his eyes surpassed even what he'd shown me before.
"Get out!" He pointed at the door, his voice squeezed through clenched teeth, "Get out of this house! Never let me see you again!"
Keira was kicked and rolled on the floor. She looked at him in disbelief, her crying stuck in her throat.
Finally, under the old lady's cold gaze and Jared's undisguised mockery, Keira was dragged out of Montclair Estate by the bodyguards in utter disgrace.
Aeneas, having lost all face, couldn't stay any longer. He let out a heavy cold snort and wordlessly turned to hide in the upstairs study.
Once those two eyesores left, the oppressive atmosphere in the dining room instantly cleared.
"Satisfying! Truly satisfying!" The old lady was so happy she slapped her thigh. Looking at Jared, her eyes were full of undisguised admiration and pride. "Well done! My grandson should have this kind of boldness! When dealing with such ill-intentioned creatures, you can't be soft-handed!"
She immediately instructed the butler: "Go get that pair of jade cufflinks from my collection and put them on Jared and Sloane to ward off the bad luck!"
Hannah, watching from the side with wide eyes, immediately sidled up to the old lady and wheedled: "Grandma, you're being so biased! My brother and sister-in-law get gifts, what about me? I was traumatized today too. You need to give me some compensation for emotional distress!"
Her playful antics made the old lady laugh heartily, and the entire dining room echoed with the old woman's cheerful laughter.
I couldn't help but smile too, the gloom that Keira had caused in my heart completely dispelled by this warm family affection.
After dinner, Hannah dragged Jared to the garden for a walk while I stayed in the living room talking with the old lady.
The elderly woman held my hand, chattering about Jared's childhood stories, her eyes full of affection.
In this warm atmosphere, Jared's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, excused himself to us, and walked to the secluded balcony with his phone.