Chapter 62 She Deserves to Die
Quinley couldn't dodge in time and got caught in Mary's grip. Despite her age, the woman had surprising strength—Quinley felt like her skull might be ripped right off.
"Let go of her." Zachary's voice cut through the air like ice.
Mary's eyes were bloodshot as she choked out her defense of Sylvia. "Young master, she's the one who hurt Ms. Parker. She deserves to die."
"I didn't hurt anyone," Quinley protested.
Mary raised her hand to slap Quinley, but Zachary was faster, catching her wrist mid-swing. "I told you to let go. Didn't you hear me?"
Mary was Sylvia's devoted servant, loyal to the core. Others showed her respect out of deference to Sylvia, and Zachary, as Sylvia's only son, had never spoken harshly to her before—acknowledging her years of faithful service to his mother.
But today, for the sake of one insignificant Quinley, he'd not only shouted at her but physically restrained her.
Mary's eyes grew redder, her lips trembling. "If anything happens to Ms. Parker, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."
She released Quinley but kept her cloudy eyes fixed on her with murderous intent.
Throughout this entire confrontation, Zachary hadn't explained what had happened to Sylvia. Quinley had followed him here completely in the dark.
She wasn't the type to panic under pressure. Quickly scanning her surroundings, she noticed an ICU room around the corner.
"What happened to Ms. Parker?"
Zachary stared toward the ICU, his voice heavy as lead. "She received your message and went to Omega Mall. A falling planter hit her in the head."
What perfect timing—Quinley's phone stolen at dawn, and Sylvia nearly killed by a text message that same day. Since Sylvia was Zachary's biological mother, Quinley had walked straight into the crosshairs. She was as good as dead.
"Let me see that message again."
Zachary handed over the phone.
[Ms. Parker, meet me at Omega Mall at 1 PM. Urgent matter to discuss.]
The timestamp showed 8:43 AM. Her phone had been stolen around 7 AM, meaning someone had used it to send this message. But who? And why?
A fog of confusion clouded Quinley's mind. The child who'd taken her phone was just a random seven or eight-year-old—they had no grudge against each other. Besides, Sylvia's contact information in her phone was coded so discretely that even Zachary hadn't noticed it, let alone a stranger.
So whoever sent that message must have known Sylvia's number and understood their relationship.
"I swear it wasn't me," Quinley declared firmly.
"If not you, then who?" Mary roared. "Ms. Parker is still unconscious—you're the murderer!"
Zachary's brows knitted together, his lips pressed into a cold, hard line. One sharp look silenced Mary.
Just as Quinley was about to voice her theory, the elevator doors opened and Alicia emerged, tears streaming down her face.
"Zach, how is Ms. Parker? What did the doctors say? Why would she go to a place like Omega Mall?"
Zachary didn't answer, but Mary did. "Miss Alicia, thank goodness you're here! Ms. Parker was wronged—she only went because of that bitch's message. The moment she arrived, someone dropped a planter from above and it hit her head perfectly."
"Miss Alicia, someone wants Ms. Parker dead!"
Mary had found her ally and was determined to destroy Quinley's reputation.
Alicia glanced at Quinley. "Mary, could there be some misunderstanding? Ms. Elikin isn't that kind of person. How could she possibly hurt Ms. Parker?"
"Miss Alicia, you can know someone's face but not their heart. Ms. Parker has been pushing for your marriage to Mr. Jennings—some people aren't happy about that, so they resorted to this vicious scheme. But God knows exactly who hurt Ms. Parker!"
Mary's words dripped with venom, each sentence aimed directly at Quinley.
"Ms. Elikin, what really happened?" Alicia asked, comforting Mary with an arm around her shoulders while turning to face Quinley.
Quinley had no obligation to explain herself to Alicia, but she chose to repeat her earlier statement anyway. "My phone was stolen early this morning. I didn't send that message."
"You're lying—" Mary screeched, but Alicia quickly restrained her.
"Ms. Elikin, could you give me your phone number? Since you didn't send the message, it must have been whoever found your phone."
Quinley recited her number, and Alicia immediately dialed it. The phone rang for a long time. Just when everyone thought no one would answer, a familiar voice came through.
"Quinley, you left your phone with me. When are you coming to get it?"
It was Dennis's voice.
Quinley froze. Zachary's eyes darkened. Mary's emotions exploded again as she reached out to slap Quinley.
"You still won't admit it! You're the one who hurt Ms. Parker, you murderer! You deserve to rot in hell!"
Mary was about to call the police when Zachary stepped forward and struck a pressure point on the back of her neck. She collapsed unconsciously to the floor.
"My phone really was stolen this morning. If you don't believe me, check the lobby security footage," Quinley insisted.
Zachary called Lucas. "Check the lobby surveillance and bring up Quinley's phone."
Lucas followed orders immediately. Within twenty minutes, he returned with what Zachary had requested.
"Ms. Elikin's brother says Ms. Elikin's phone has been charging at his place since this morning," Lucas reported, giving Quinley a meaningful look.
"The surveillance?"
Zachary extended his hand, and Lucas handed over the footage. Zachary watched the video from 7 to 9 AM four or five times. The images clearly showed Quinley and a little girl talking, after which the child ran away.
The girl's face was never visible, and when she left, there was no sign she was carrying anything.
"Since you claim this child stole your phone, Ms. Elikin, we just need to find her and everything will be clear. But can you explain why your phone ended up with your brother?"
Alicia posed another pointed question.
Quinley was genuinely confused. The child had grabbed her phone and run to a van before disappearing. How it ended up with Dennis was a complete mystery.
"I don't know."
"Does your phone have magical powers of duplication?" Alicia's voice carried a cold laugh.
Quinley remained silent. Everything was stacked against her—saying more would only make things worse.
"How about this? I happen to have two friends at the police station. Why don't we have them investigate? I believe Ms. Elikin is innocent, but since Ms. Parker's safety is at stake, we should be thorough. What do you think, Zach?"
Alicia turned to Zachary as if seeking his opinion.
Zachary gave Quinley a cold glance and replied, "I think you're absolutely right."
His response caught everyone off guard. A barely detectable smile of satisfaction crossed Alicia's face.
"Zach, then I'll make the call."
She boldly moved closer to Zachary and pulled out her phone to contact the police.
But just then, Zachary stopped her.