Chapter 210 Relish the Moment
Alexander straightened up, his gaze cold and sharp. "Now, do you still believe in your lover?"
"No!"
Edith let out a piercing scream, covering her ears tightly with both hands.
"You're lying! Linus loves me! When he brought me back, he was ready to die! He said even if we failed, he would die with me! He wouldn't leave me! Never!"
Alexander chuckled softly and nodded thoughtfully.
"Maybe so. Fighting me is indeed a life-or-death gamble, and he was prepared to die. But Edith, more than dying, he wants to live. Do you know why he was so sure he could survive?"
Alexander suddenly changed the subject.
"Do you know that Armando has an illegitimate son who's been lost for years?"
Edith's head snapped up.
Of course she knew Armando was a womanizer—having an illegitimate son was not surprising.
But Alexander bringing this up now clearly had another purpose.
An ominous feeling rose in her heart.
"That illegitimate son is named Carl. A few years ago, he was discovered by chance and brought to Armando. Getting a son in his old age, even though he was an illegitimate child who could not be presented in public, Armando was still overjoyed. He immediately took him in, showered him with affection, and even considered grooming him to replace me."
Alexander watched Edith's face grow increasingly pale as he spoke slowly.
"And the person who found Carl and carefully arranged to bring him before Armando was Linus."
Horror flashed in Edith's eyes. She vaguely sensed what Alexander was about to say and quickly covered her ears.
Alexander raised his hand and pried Edith's fingers away one by one.
Completely ignoring Edith's pain, he broke two of her fingers with crisp cracking sounds.
Accompanied by Edith's hoarse screams, Celeste curled up even tighter, not daring to look.
Alexander's voice was like an icy blade, pouring directly into Edith's ears. "Linus has been planning for years just to return to Grandhaven and crush me in one blow. Carl's existence—he never told you about it, did he?"
Whether Linus was sincere was now crystal clear.
Edith had once used Caroline to strike at Alexander. Now the same tactic had fallen on her.
Alexander slowly straightened up.
"Tie her up."
Mark immediately waved his hand, and two subordinates stepped forward quickly.
Edith seemed to wake from a nightmare, screaming as she scrambled backward on hands and feet.
But she was already weak and could not break free at all.
The two subordinates moved swiftly, securing Edith to the radiator pipe protruding from the wall and sealing her mouth with strong tape.
Edith could no longer make any sound. She could only look at Alexander with trembling, terrified eyes.
Alexander avoided her gaze and turned to Mark. "Bring the stuff in."
Mark nodded and turned to leave.
Soon, he walked back in carrying a ceramic basin.
The moment he entered, a nauseating smell mixed with a pungent animal odor spread throughout the basement.
This smell was too familiar—so familiar that Celeste, huddled in the corner on the other side, suddenly shuddered.
She struggled to lift her head and looked at the basin, then all color drained from her face.
"No... don't... don't! Alexander! Please! Don't!"
Celeste screamed in terror, dragging her injured body to dodge desperately.
"I was wrong! I swear I'll never do this again! Kill me! Just kill me! Please don't use that! Don't!"
Alexander finally turned his gaze to her.
"The methods you used on Caroline back then, I will return to you, one by one."
He raised his hand slightly in a signal.
Mark carried the basin to Celeste and crouched down.
His tone was gentle, yet bone-chilling.
"Celeste, these spices were specially prepared by Mr. Hamilton's order. Compared to what you used on Mrs. Hamilton back then, the amount of aggressive dog fluid in this is only more, not less. Please enjoy it."
With that, he picked up a small brush, dipped it in the spice mixture containing the dog fluid, and under Celeste's horrified gaze, carefully applied it to her body.
"Ahhh—!"
Celeste screamed and twisted desperately, trying to escape, but was held down firmly by the guards.
After finishing the application, Mark stepped back a few paces and nodded to Alexander.
Alexander waved his hand expressionlessly.
The heavy iron door of the basement was opened again, and three Dobermans rushed in with low growls, heading straight for Celeste following the scent of the spice.
"No! Get away! Get lost! Help! Alexander! Save me! Please! I was wrong! I swear I'll never do this again!"
Amid Celeste's terrified roars, the aggressive dogs' sharp teeth bit viciously into her calves.
Edith watched helplessly as Celeste was savagely torn at by the three vicious dogs, blood and flesh spraying. Her stomach churned, her vision darkened, and then her head tilted to the side as she completely passed out.
Alexander glanced at her coldly and waved his hand again.
Mark picked up a basin of cold water prepared nearby and splashed it over Edith's head and face.
"Ugh—"
The bone-chilling ice water made Edith's eyes snap open.
Before she could fully regain consciousness, a sharp pain shot through her scalp.
Alexander was somehow standing in front of her, gripping her hair and forcing her to lift her head and look at Celeste.
"Watch carefully." Alexander's voice sounded in her ear.
"This is one ten-thousandth of what Caroline has endured all these years because of your jealousy, your schemes, your cruelty."
Edith looked at the scene before her in horror.
Celeste was no longer moving. Her legs had almost no intact flesh left, blood flowing continuously.
The three Dobermans were still sniffing and growling over her body, as if they might bite down again at any moment, gnawing at her body until her bones shattered.
Edith's stomach churned violently again.
She wanted to vomit, but because her mouth was sealed, she could only make painful retching sounds.
At this moment, she finally realized clearly that what was more terrifying than death was a fate worse than death.
After experiencing her lover's betrayal, Edith finally felt fear.
She suddenly turned her head, shaking her head desperately at Alexander, her eyes pleading, tears streaming down.
Alexander coldly released his grip, turned and walked toward the door, instructing Mark as he went. "Call the doctor over to bandage Celeste. Use the best medicine to keep her alive."
"Continue tomorrow."
As the iron door closed, Celeste's shrill wails were shut inside.