Chapter 198 Your Son Is Already Crazy
Anthony frowned, gazing at her with deep emotion. "Arabella, we were so happy together. It's only been four years—are you really going to pretend none of that ever existed? I love you! I know you must still have feelings for me. If you didn't, you would've had Alexander destroy me by now. But I'm still standing. That's because of you, isn't it?"
Arabella never imagined Anthony could be this delusional.
"I loved you once. I hated you too. Now? I feel nothing. Standing in front of me, you're no different from a stranger." She looked at him steadily. "Anthony, I won't let Alexander destroy you because you helped me when things were hardest. No matter what else happened, that help was real. I'm willing to show you that much consideration. But that's it. Nothing more. Don't read into it."
She was just being honest about her feelings, but Anthony's expression shifted at her words. He recovered quickly, his eyes filling with apparent pain. "Arabella, we had so much together. I don't believe you really stopped loving me. Just get rid of the baby and come back to me. I promise I'll love you like I used to. I swear I'll never hurt you again. Just give me one more chance."
Arabella took a step back, looking at him warily. "Are you insane? My pregnancy is none of your business. I'm carrying Alexander's child. I love him and I want to have his baby. Why the hell would I abort it to be with you?"
She had no idea how Anthony knew about the pregnancy, but her guard was up. Something about him felt completely wrong now.
When they'd first met, he'd been a gentleman. She'd thought the word was invented for him. After they married and the feelings faded, he'd been cold at worst—never this relentlessly clingy.
And the way he looked at her now... it gave her the unsettling sense he wanted to drag her into some dark hell.
Anthony looked wounded by her retreat. "Why won't you just accept me? I love you! Is my love really that repulsive? Why are you willing to have Alexander's baby but you won't be with me? I don't even care that you're—"
"Stop right there." Arabella's face went cold. She rarely got truly angry, but her voice was icy now. "Don't project your disgusting values onto me. When I left you, I was leaving a toxic relationship. I was saving myself. I'm not dirty. Alexander and I love each other, and we're having a baby together. You have no right to judge me."
She turned and walked away without another word.
Anthony grabbed her hand. "Arabella, don't be mad. I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that. You're not dirty—you're pure to me, always. Arabella, I'm sorry. Please don't go."
She yanked her hand free, frowning. "Anthony, you've seriously lost it!"
Did he even hear himself?
Anthony looked at her stubbornly. "No matter what, I'll never let you go. Keep the baby if you want—I'll raise them like they're my own. Just be with me. I don't care about anything else."
"Who said I want to be with you?" Even gentle Arabella was getting pissed off at his persistence. "Anthony, I'm not getting back together with you. I've moved on from that relationship. Can you please do the same? You're the one who wanted the divorce, not me. What's the point of this act now?"
"It's not an act!" Anthony gripped her tightly, refusing to let go. "I love you, Arabella!"
"Well I don't love you!" Arabella snapped, losing patience. "Looking at you just reminds me of all the pain you caused. I could never take you back. Please—stay away from me!"
Anthony stared at her like he couldn't believe such hurtful words had come from her mouth.
Arabella didn't spare him another glance. She turned and headed into the building.
The moment she stepped into the elevator, the lovesick expression vanished from Anthony's face. He stood there with a dark expression, staring at where she'd disappeared, then slowly pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
She was that devoted to Alexander?
What did their three years together mean to her, then?
If she could forget their past so easily, what was he doing holding onto it?
He finished his cigarette, walked to his car, and drove away.
---
At the Watson Villa, Jennifer and Rachel sat in the living room like ghosts.
After bringing them home, Anthony had torn into them both before throwing out one final line: "If you don't want peace in this house, get the hell out!"
Then he'd left.
Ever since taking over the Watson Group, Anthony had been steady and composed. Rachel had never seen her brother like this, had never heard him speak so harshly to her.
It scared her.
Jennifer, meanwhile, was reminded of that night three and a half years ago. He'd had that same look—wildness mixed with violence. She'd thought he would explode, but in the end he'd resignedly cleaned up her mess.
Today's Anthony gave Jennifer that same feeling from three years ago. For some reason, it filled her with dread. So she said nothing.
Long after Anthony left, neither mother nor daughter spoke.
Finally Rachel stood up, her face wooden. "I'm going out for a bit."
This house was becoming unbearable.
Jennifer shot her an irritated look but said nothing.
Just then, Jennifer's phone chimed with an email notification—a video file. She glanced at the sender. Anonymous again.
Her mind immediately went to the last anonymous email she'd received. Anthony had said that one was fake, but she'd never fully believed him.
Seeing this new message, her hand trembled slightly as she opened it.
The video was dark and grainy. One glance and she screamed, throwing the phone away.
The bloody scene and the human shape made her shake uncontrollably. Who would send her something like this? Some kind of sick joke?
Damn it. What lowlife would deliberately try to scare her like this?
After the initial shock and anger faded, unease crept in. Almost against her will, she picked up the phone again.
The screen still showed that gruesome loop—a man's silhouette with his back to the camera, holding a knife. Like he was facing the world's most perfect work of art. One cut. Another cut...
Jennifer's pupils suddenly contracted. Because she recognized something—the person lying in that pool of blood wore a watch on their wrist. A watch she knew very well.
That watch. She'd given it to Bruce as a birthday present just ten days ago. Bruce loved green, so she'd had a custom green silk band made specially. The only one of its kind in all of Majestic City.
This was Bruce?
Jennifer's breathing became uncontrollable. She stared at the phone screen, watching that figure raise and lower the knife. Again and again...
Was she imagining things? Or did that silhouette look like... Anthony?
Had Anthony killed Bruce? Why? He'd promised her he wouldn't!
Why would he kill Bruce when he knew how much she cared about him?
Insane hatred filled Jennifer's eyes. She couldn't watch anymore and angrily closed the video.
She stormed toward the door—she needed to confront Anthony and get answers!
But before she could leave, her phone rang. Unknown number. She answered irritably. "Who is this?"
She was desperate to find Anthony and demand an explanation. She wanted to believe this was all some sick prank. The previous video could be fake, but not this one—because of that watch band. Only she knew about it. And she hadn't seen Bruce in days.
But the voice on the phone made her freeze in her tracks.
It was cold and distorted, clearly using a voice changer. "Mrs. Watson, did you receive the video?"
Jennifer's face went white. She gripped the phone hard. "You sent it? What kind of sick game is this? What do you want?"
The male voice laughed. "I don't want anything. I just couldn't stand by and watch anymore. Your son is a murderer. You know that, don't you?"
The blood drained from Jennifer's face. "I... I don't know what you're talking about! Stop making things up!"
"Ha. Whether I'm making things up or not, you know the truth. I don't need to remind you about three years ago, do I? That's when he became a serial killer. Technically, you're the one who awakened the beast inside him. So Bruce's death? That's karma catching up with you."
Jennifer stared straight ahead, panicked and confused. She had no idea who this stranger was or how they knew so much about... everything.
"Are you... trying to blackmail me?" After a long silence, she asked hoarsely.
The man's voice carried an eerie amusement. "No. Like I said, this isn't blackmail. I just can't stand watching your son play you for a fool anymore. Mrs. Watson, you're a pitiful woman. Widowed for so many years, finally found someone you liked, and Anthony brutally murdered him. You saw the video, didn't you? He suffered terribly. Had his limbs cut off piece by piece. The screaming was so shrill..."
Jennifer's body shook violently with terror. She couldn't get those images out of her head. "Stop! Stop talking!"
"Don't try to drive a wedge between me and my son! I won't fall for it! The video's fake, right? It has to be fake!"
"Mrs. Watson, whether the video is real or not, I believe you can judge for yourself. I just don't want you kept in the dark. And your son has lost his mind. He dared to kill your beloved Bruce despite your warnings. Who knows who he'll kill next?"
Jennifer couldn't suppress a shiver.
She was about to ask more, but the caller had already hung up. She frantically tried calling back, but the number wouldn't connect.
Jennifer screamed and hurled the phone across the room. She stood there trembling for a long time before finally calming down.
She'd been ready to go confront Anthony, but now she couldn't muster the courage.
That anonymous caller was right. If Anthony could kill Bruce, who knew what he might do if she pushed him too far? What if he turned on her too?
These past few years, she'd known something was off about Anthony. Known his hands weren't clean. But because of what happened three years ago, she'd never had the courage to address it directly.
She'd been living in denial, just going through the motions.
Only now did she realize how naive she’d been. In those years of self‑deception, her son had turned into a terrifying monster.
What should she do? What could she do?
And Bruce... was he really just dead like that, without justice?
A crazed look flashed through Jennifer's eyes. No. She loved Bruce. She had to get him justice.
But Anthony was her son. Could she really send her own son to prison? Setting everything else aside, if Anthony went down for that one incident... she wouldn't be able to escape either.
She couldn't destroy her own son... but she couldn't just ignore Bruce's death either...
A wild idea gradually took shape in Jennifer's mind.
---
Meanwhile, Rachel left the villa and headed to Majestic City's largest shopping mall, buying tons of stuff in a vengeful spending spree.
After her falling out with Gloria, she rarely went shopping anymore. She had no friends left in Majestic City.
Walking out of the mall, weighed down with shopping bags, Rachel finally felt a bit better. That's when she saw them—several fashionably dressed young women walking toward her.
The one in front was Gloria.
Rachel’s steps faltered, but she said nothing. After how badly they'd fought, running into each other now was pretty awkward.
Gloria also spotted Rachel. Her expression turned hostile, and without a word, she marched straight past Rachel, deliberately slamming her shoulder into her.
"Ah!" Rachel's grip on her bags loosened, and everything scattered across the floor.
"Gloria!" she yelled. "We were friends once! How can you treat me like this?"
Gloria raised an eyebrow, sneering coldly. "Friends? Did you ever actually treat me like a friend? If it weren't for you, would my reputation be destroyed? You're disgusting. Stay away from me."
"You—!" Rachel was already feeling terrible today, and now Gloria was attacking her. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
She was about to fire back when a righteous male voice spoke up behind her. "What's going on here? A bunch of you ganging up on one girl? What are you trying to do, bully her?"
Rachel froze and turned around to see a plainly dressed man standing behind her, glaring at Gloria and her friends.
Not far away, a girl with a ponytail looked flustered. "Karl, come here! This is their business—why are you getting involved?"
The man turned to her disapprovingly. "Faye, we need to stand up for what's right. Especially when several people are ganging up on one girl. How can I just stand by?"
Faye didn't know what to say. She just stood there anxiously. She was worried about Karl. Everyone shopping here was either rich or powerful. If this ordinary guy offended the wrong people, what would happen to him?