Chapter 89 Plot Exposed
Chapter 89 Plot Exposed
Sophia slipped on a coat and moved quietly to the top of the staircase.
From there, she caught sight of Megan emerging from the kitchen.
Megan was in a dark nightgown, her hair uncombed and clinging messily to her face. In her hands was a white porcelain bowl, the rim dotted with brown residue.
"Lila, take this to Susan," Megan said, her voice low and trembling just enough to notice. "Tell her it is a special tonic for her pregnancy."
Lila took the bowl, frowning. "It smells strange. What did you put in it?"
"Nothing," Megan replied quickly, turning her face away. "Just some supplements. The doctor said they are good for expectant mothers."
Still doubtful, Lila walked off.
But Megan did not return to her room. Instead, she crossed into the corner of the living room where the phone sat. Her fingers shook as she dialed a number.
Sophia, too far to hear clearly, caught only fragments: "Is the medicine ready?" and "Send it over quickly."
After hanging up, Megan pulled out her cell phone and began typing, her lips pressed into a tight line.
Sophia leaned against the railing, her fingers unconsciously clutching her coat.
She had known something was off with Megan for days—private calls behind closed doors, secret meetings with a private doctor, and, according to Lila, locking herself in the storage room for two hours yesterday, emerging with red-rimmed eyes.
This was not just about Susan.
Megan suddenly headed upstairs. At her own bedroom door, she paused, glanced toward the staircase, then unlocked the door and slipped inside, locking it behind her. The click of the lock was sharp in the silence, making Sophia's nerves tighten.
After ten minutes, when Megan had not reappeared, Sophia crept to her door. Pressing her ear to the heavy mahogany, she heard the faint scrape of drawers and the clink of glass bottles.
Her heartbeat quickened.
She knew where the spare key was—under the base of the hallway vase. Lila had let that slip once during cleaning.
Sophia hesitated, then bent down and retrieved the key.
The lock turned with a soft scrape. She eased the door open a crack.
The curtains were drawn. The air was thick with a sharp medicinal odor, laced with faint perfume.
Megan stood at the vanity, back to the door, holding a small glass vial filled with clear liquid. The needle at its tip caught the dim light.
"Relax," Megan whispered into her phone. "The powder is already in. Not enough to kill her right away. Just enough to make her feel worse and worse..."
"Have another syringe ready, in case the powder doesn't work... Yes, the kind that will make her break out in hives. Itching all over."
A chill raced down Sophia's spine.
She stepped back, closed the door quietly, and leaned against the cold wall. Megan had poison—and a plan.
Combined with that so-called pregnancy tonic, the truth was almost certain.
A sudden scream shattered the stillness from downstairs.
"Ah! My stomach! It hurts!" Susan's voice was sharp with pain.
Lila's panicked cry followed. "Miss Simmons! What is happening? Somebody call an ambulance!"
Sophia bolted down the stairs.
In the living room, Susan was curled on the sofa, her face white as chalk, sweat pouring down her forehead. She clutched her stomach, trembling, gasping between cries.
"My baby! Oh God, my baby!"
Megan came rushing down, freezing at the sight. Her face drained of color, and for a split second, panic flickered in her eyes before she masked it.
"What happened? She was fine just now!"
"I don't know!" Lila sobbed, dialing emergency services. "She drank the soup you gave her, and then—this!"
"Soup?" Susan's eyes locked on Megan, her voice shaking with fury. "You… you put something in it!"
"That's a lie!" Megan's voice shot up, but there was a tremor in it. "It was a pregnancy tonic! I would never hurt you!"
"Who else would it be?" Susan's tears mixed with sweat. "You've always hated me! Hated my child!"
The wail of sirens grew louder until an ambulance stopped outside. Paramedics rushed in, lifting Susan onto a stretcher. Thomas appeared, confused, and followed them out.
The house fell silent, leaving only Megan and Sophia.
Megan's shoulders trembled as she watched the ambulance disappear. Then she collapsed onto the sofa, covering her face with both hands, muffling a sob.
Sophia stepped forward, her voice cold as ice. "What was in that soup?"
Megan froze. She did not look up.
"Abortion drugs, right?" Sophia pressed on. "And the syringe in your room—meant to cause her skin to rot. Am I wrong?"
Megan's head snapped up, her eyes bloodshot, like an animal cornered. "So what if you're right?"
Her voice rose into a shrill burst. "Susan pushed me! She had recordings—blackmail! She made me wait on her like a servant, humiliated me! Why should I let her give birth to the Caldwell Family's heir?"
"Because the child is innocent," Sophia said evenly. "Because killing is not the answer."
"Killing?" Megan laughed, tears streaking her face. "If I don't kill her, she'll kill me! Terry's been extorting me for months, threatening to ruin me. Susan's the same—one wrong move and she'll send those recordings to everyone! I've never been treated like this in my life."
She suddenly grabbed Sophia's wrist, her grip iron-tight. "You're clever, Sophia. Help me get rid of them, and I'll give you everything—every cent I own."
Sophia looked at her, feeling no pity.
She had been waiting for this moment since the day she moved into the Caldwell Mansion.