Chapter 192 Blood, Threats, and Calm Defiance

Chapter 192 Blood, Threats, and Calm Defiance

"William… I never did any of those things. I really didn't."

Thalia's voice was faint, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at William.

"I've been part of the Spencer family for so many years. Even if I haven't done anything remarkable, I've at least given everything I had. I've always treated you like my own son, caring for you wholeheartedly. If I were truly the kind of woman people make me out to be…"

She carefully sidestepped the harsher words, her expression a portrait of wounded dignity—the image of a devoted woman who had held firm to her principles and kept the household running.

The performance was deliberate, almost painfully so. Too polished to feel real.

"People say I used this family to climb higher, but think about it—your father and I never had children of our own all these years. I gave you everything, never once showing favoritism."

I stood to the side and watched with cold detachment, nothing left in me but contempt.

The reason she never had children and instead poured everything into raising William was simple: Madison had blocked it at every turn.

Without Madison holding the balance of power all those years, the Spencer family's foundation would have long since been hollowed out by their selfishness. None of what existed today would have survived.

And now she was using all of that history as material to rehabilitate her own image.

William's brow furrowed. "You tried to kill yourself—because of these rumors?" he asked, his voice low and tight.

"I would give my life for you." Thalia's crying grew ragged and breathless, her tone soaked in desperate sincerity. "I spent years bedridden, barely clinging to life, and never complained once. Then I finally wake up, only to be branded with all this shame—my reputation destroyed, and a wedge driven between us. I felt hopeless. I thought there was no point in living. I wanted to use my death to prove my innocence. I was already hanging by a thread. Maybe Heaven kept me alive because I still have sins left to atone for…"

The speech was layered and airtight, constructed to disarm.

Anyone who didn't know the truth could easily be moved by this kind of performance.

And William—William was exactly the type to fall for it.

He had grown up starved of maternal love. On the surface he was cold and unapproachable, but underneath, he was desperate for warmth and belonging.

That vulnerability was precisely why he had always let Jane's behavior slide for so long.

I had already seen where this was going. I'd lived through scenes like this before.

I said a quick goodbye and walked out of the hospital.

I drove to the supermarket, picked up fresh vegetables and meat, and headed home to prep everything. I was planning to invite Emily over for dinner.

Once everything was ready, I picked up my phone to call her—and then I heard something outside the door.

My chest tightened. My first thought was that Jane had tracked me down. I leaned toward the peephole to check, only to find it completely blocked. I couldn't see anything.

I carefully pulled the door open.

What greeted me made my skin crawl.

The floor outside was smeared with dark red. The smell of blood hit me immediately.

My stomach lurched. Every muscle in my body went rigid. I forced down the nausea, already reaching for my phone to call the police.

"Seriously? That's how little nerve you have? A bit of animal blood and you're already falling apart?"

Jade's voice cut through the air.

She was dressed entirely in black, heels included, standing right in the middle of the bloodstained floor like she owned it. Her presence was sharp and deliberately intimidating.

"I'll keep this short."

She tossed the empty blood bag onto the ground, crossed her arms, and looked down at me with the casual authority of someone used to giving orders.

"Eleanor, file for divorce from William. Stop dragging this out. You've already gotten more than enough. Don't get greedy."

I was genuinely surprised—she'd tracked down my address that fast.

"Instead of coming after me, you'd be better off paying Jane a visit," I said, too tired to hold back. "You two are well-matched. You could go get psychiatric evaluations together. Keep each other company."

"Don't bother pretending to be calm. I've seen plenty of people like you—acting above it all."

Jade glanced around the inside of my apartment, her expression dismissive.

"I've looked into your background. You have no family, no connections, parents both gone. You could work yourself to the bone for several lifetimes and still never afford a place like this."

"And you?" I said, patience gone, a cold smile forming. "You just got lucky enough to be adopted by the Marie family. What gives you the right to be this arrogant—and to stick your nose into someone else's marriage?"

She brought up my parents. I had no reason to hold back anymore.

"Eleanor!"

That single word struck harder than she expected. The arrogance in her eyes curdled into fury. She stepped forward and swung her hand at my face.

I couldn't help but notice—these privileged daughters always defaulted to slapping people. Every single time.

I moved fast, shoved her back, then pointed at her blood-soaked shoes. "Stay away from me. Do not step foot in my house and soil my property."

Jade pointed at me, her tone dripping with menace. "How dare you treat me this way? You refuse the olive branch I offered. Very well, I will no longer go easy on you."

"That was never an olive branch, nor an act of kindness." I looked at the mess she'd made and let out a short, humorless laugh. "Ms. Marie, recklessness isn't something to be proud of when you're young."

Jade wouldn't let it go. "So you're just going to stay married to William and refuse to leave?"

"Think about it clearly—I'm not in any position to hold on," I said plainly. "William has the power and resources to end this marriage whenever he wants. If he decided to divorce me, there's nothing I could do to stop him."

I had never been able to make sense of their logic.

None of them could move William or control him. So they all turned around and took it out on me instead.

If any of them could actually take my place, I'd be more than happy to step aside.

"You really mean that?"

Jade paused, then slowly smiled.

"Alright. That's all I needed to hear. The Spencer Group is in serious trouble right now. A marriage alliance with the Marie family is the cleanest way out—it would resolve the crisis and put the Spencer family in an even stronger position."

"I'm putting you on notice: when William comes to you for a divorce, you don't get to fight it or drag it out. If you do, you'll regret it."

"Don't worry. I hope you get everything you're looking for." I smiled back easily. "I'll wish you both happiness now—may it last."

I moved to close the door.

"Wait!"

She stopped me.

I genuinely didn't understand. I had already stepped back, handed over the win, and offered my blessing. And she still wasn't done.

"What else?"

"Don't think for a second I can't touch you."

Her gaze was hard, her threat completely undisguised.

"Silverlight City isn't as familiar to me as Regal City, but if I want to make your life difficult, I can. You'd better understand who you're dealing with."

I was exhausted by her at this point. I had no idea what I'd done to set her off now.

I studied her for a moment, then asked, almost conversationally, "Have you been sleeping poorly lately? Feeling emotionally off?"

I had already conceded everything. She was still going.

That's when I understood what was really happening.

Growing up the way she did, she needed to win every exchange, dominate every situation. Our last back-and-forth had not gone in her favor, and it was eating at her. So she was manufacturing a reason to keep pushing.

She was the same type as Jane and Daniel—people who would never admit their own faults. The moment someone made them feel bad, it became that person's problem.

Jade caught the dig. Her expression darkened.

"Don't get smart with me. You have no idea what the Marie family is capable of. If I actually decide to come after you, not even William showing up personally will be enough to protect you."