Chapter 183

Chapter 183

Seeing Kenna's face turn pale with fear, Eugenie said, "So, this is the deal I want to make with you."

Kenna suddenly looked up, a hint of wavering showing deep in her eyes. "What deal?"

"You cooperate with the police investigation and tell them what you know to fight for leniency. If you agree, I can give up the shares in your hands and leave them to you as compensation." Seeing the groundwork was sufficient, Eugenie stopped beating around the bush and laid her cards on the table.

Kenna fell silent for a long while before speaking tentatively. "What if I don't agree?"

An expected response. Eugenie showed no panic, her attitude remaining composed. "If you don't agree to cooperate and aren't willing to sign, pinning your hopes on people outside helping you, then you can try and see if your final fate won't be to become an abandoned pawn."

Seeing her still unable to make up her mind, Eugenie had no interest in continuing to waste time here. Good advice can't save someone determined to die. If Kenna insisted on being stubborn, she didn't care—it's just that the justice Eugenie wanted would definitely be served.

"The police will definitely investigate the source of the drug clearly. It's only a matter of time. The time to proactively confess and fight for leniency is limited. I'm also giving you a chance to choose—persist stubbornly or turn back from the brink. You decide." Having said her piece, she stood up with the document envelope to leave. Walking to the door about to open it, Kenna's deathly voice suddenly sounded behind her. "Eugenie, you really are a demon. With just a few words you shook my resolve, inciting me to break with my family. You're truly vicious to the bone."

Her tone mixed with hatred, more with helplessness at recognizing reality. Eugenie listened with her back turned, remaining silent.

The room quieted. Suddenly, a soft laugh rang out, the smile filled with Eugenie's own self-pity.

Eugenie turned around, looking at Kenna with a cold laugh. "You call me vicious, but don't think about who forced me to become this way. You're sitting here—stop playing dumb. You had a hand in making me like this."

Kenna didn't understand and retorted, "What do you mean I had a hand in it?"

"In this kind of family, how could I survive without being vicious? Someone covets the property my mother left behind, someone wants to sell me for a high price, someone can't stand seeing me do well, and constantly trips me up. If I really accommodated everywhere, I'd probably have been squeezed dry by you all long ago."

Eugenie thought of her past life. In that life, she'd been exactly like that, always thinking if she endured a bit, things would get better later.

What was the result? The Medici family forced her to marry into the Grayson family. On the eve of the wedding, they seized her company. At the wedding she was abducted and ultimately died in the sea.

If not for a twist of fate giving her a chance to start over, probably no one would have even discovered her death in the end.

Precisely because she hadn't been vicious enough then, she could only drift with the tide, unable to protect herself. If protecting herself meant being vicious, she didn't mind being the villain.

Since this was her image in Kenna's eyes, she didn't need to consider Kenna's feelings when speaking. "You think I'm vicious? I think you're foolish. You courageously took on this blame yourself—what did you get in return? If you don't believe me, let's make a bet. Three days—let's see if your parents save you or pin everything on you."

Thinking of her mother's earlier promise, Kenna gritted her teeth and accepted the wager. "Fine, let's bet. I have parents, and you don't."

Accepting the wager, she didn't forget to poke at Eugenie's sore spot. Seeing her still stubbornly confused, Eugenie stopped trying to persuade her. "So what? That's why I can go all out. Do you dare?"

Kenna said nothing. Eugenie looked at her coldly in silence, casually tossing out a line. "The deal I'm offering you is valid for three days. Time waits for no one."

Having said what needed saying, Eugenie didn't continue staying. She turned, pulled open the door and walked out. Nicholas also emerged from the adjacent room.

Eugenie knew this room wasn't independent as the black on the wall wasn't decoration but a one-way mirror. Thinking that her fleeting vulnerability had also been seen by him, she felt somewhat embarrassed, hesitating and not daring to step forward.

Nicholas, however, strode forward after exiting and pulled her into his embrace. "Eugenie, in front of me, stop trying to maintain your vicious persona. If you want to cry, just cry."

Originally, Eugenie's eyes had been somewhat hot. Hearing this, she held it back. She reached out to clutch his clothes, her voice softening. "The police station has people coming and going. You want me to cry here—deliberately trying to embarrass me, aren't you?"

"That's not what I meant. I just feel bad for you." He looked around—it really was somewhat inappropriate. Then he suggested, "Want me to find a quiet place for you?"

Eugenie didn't indulge. After a hug, she let go and looked up at him. "Am I that fragile? Things are mostly resolved. Let's go."

Seeing she didn't want to say more, Nicholas didn't press. He proactively changed the subject. "Where to next?"

Eugenie thought for a few seconds. "To the company."

Nicholas pulled his lips into a smile, deliberately using an exaggerated tone to tease her. "Such a workaholic. Shouldn't you find somewhere to relax at a time like this?"

Eugenie's mind didn't quite turn the corner—he wasn't that kind of person, so there was only one possibility. "Nice try. You, the ultimate workaholic, shouldn't talk about me. I think you're just looking for an excuse to spend time with me."

Seeing her mood visibly brighten considerably, and this plan having worked, he didn't deny it. "You saw right through me."

"Who would have thought Mr. Whitaker has love-brain characteristics." Eugenie thought of newly learned vocabulary and immediately applied it to him.

Nicholas laughed with meaning. "Even if I have that thing, it only activates for a specific person."

He was drawing inferences too. Under his guidance, Eugenie's mood had improved considerably. Walking out the police station door, she enjoyed the feeling of sunlight on her body.

"Though I know you don't really want to talk about it, I still want to ask—what do you plan to do next?" Back in the car, Nicholas fastened his seatbelt first but didn't rush to start the car.

Eugenie had thought about this on the way out and calmly stated her thoughts. "As you saw, Kenna didn't relent. These three days I'll find a place outside to transition, and once I confirm her attitude, I'll take the next step."

Hearing she temporarily didn't plan to return to the Medici Villa, Nicholas's little schemes began stirring.

He probed seemingly casually. "So where do you plan to stay these few days?"

Eugenie had no suspicions, thinking he was just concerned, and proactively explained. "Anywhere. Either stay with Yvaine for a few days or stay at a hotel."

Nicholas worked covertly. "What hotel? Your injury hasn't healed yet. Having someone to take care of you is always better."

What he said made sense. Eugenie nodded. "Then I'll go stay with Yvaine for a few days."

Seeing she hadn't grasped his meaning, Nicholas had to be more direct. "Why don't you consider me?"

At these words, Eugenie's motion of drinking paused . She nearly choked. After processing for a while, she finally understood what he'd been hinting at all along.

"So everything you said was to get me to stay at your place?"