Chapter 422 Neglect

Chapter 422 Neglect

As a fellow woman, Juniper could guess what was on Lydia's mind. She sighed, took Lydia's hand, and gently comforted her as they walked. 

"Every couple has their disagreements. There's an old saying that couples who argue don't hold grudges, and things will get better with time. Right now, the most important thing is to take care of yourself and the baby. If you do that, you won't have to worry about keeping your husband's heart."

Lydia forced a bitter smile and nodded. It seemed like the only thing she could do now was to stay the course.

Juniper thought Lydia had really come to terms with it and smiled with relief. "Come on, I made some chicken soup for you today. Let's go inside and see if my cooking skills have held up."

Lydia quickly responded, "Mom, your cooking is always amazing. There's no way it could get worse."

Juniper laughed, gently tapping Lydia's forehead. "You always know how to flatter me. Aren't you worried people will laugh at you?"

Lydia playfully pouted like a little girl. "It's only right to praise you, Mom. Who would dare laugh at that?"

"By the way, Mom, is Ethan not home?" Lydia couldn't help but ask.

Juniper's eyes flickered, but she answered softly, "No, he's at the office handling some work."

"Is he really that busy?" Lydia didn't believe it, but she had no choice but to accept the harsh reality that Ethan wasn't as attentive to her as he used to be.

Now, it seemed the only thing she could rely on was the baby she was carrying.

A few days later, in the bustling heart of Aurora City, a woman walked into the Deep Alley Bar, carrying the latest designer handbag.

She sat in a booth, her eyes scanning the room as if looking for someone.

A handsome man approached her and politely said, "Miss, please follow me."

Without much thought, the woman got up and followed him to the second floor.

In the dimly lit private room at the far end of the second floor, she could barely make out how many people were inside.

She walked in nervously, and the door closed behind her.

Suddenly, the brightest light in the room turned on, revealing a person sitting on the sofa.

"It's you?" the woman exclaimed in surprise. 

She recognized this woman as the manager of the Rocky Island Resort, where the police had investigated a murder.

Wendy smiled faintly. "Tessa, I've finally found you."

There had been a murder at the Rocky Island Resort, and the victim was Maeve. Tessa was the one who had discovered the body in Maeve's room.

"Why is it you? How could it be you?" Tessa's eyes widened in disbelief.

Realizing the situation, she rushed to the door, trying to escape, but found it locked tight.

Tessa stared at Wendy with fear in her eyes, her voice trembling. "What do you want? Let me out! You already killed Maeve, do you want to come after me too?"

She was filled with confusion. She had been told Sophie wanted to meet her, so why was Wendy here instead?

Wendy shook her head and tossed a file onto the table with a loud thud, startling Tessa.

"What's this?" Tessa asked, her voice tinged with confusion as she glanced at Wendy.

"See for yourself," Wendy replied coldly.

Tessa shakily opened the file and pulled out the papers inside.

The first page was her bank statement.

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably as she flipped through the pages, revealing hospital bills.

The records clearly showed that the money meant for Maeve's mother's treatment had been withdrawn bit by bit.

Maeve would never have imagined that the person she trusted most, Tessa, had taken the money she had worked so hard to save for her mother's treatment out of greed.

Tessa's hands shook so violently that she could no longer hold the papers, which scattered to the floor like they weighed a ton.

Her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed, clinging to the sofa for support.

"How did you get these? How could you have them?" Tessa asked in terror.

"Was it really that hard to find? A little effort was all it took. You were just too reckless, Tessa," Wendy said, standing up and slowly walking toward her. 

"Why did you take the money meant for Maeve's mother's treatment? You knew she had liver cancer, and even a million dollars might not have been enough."

Tessa couldn't meet Wendy's gaze, her eyes darting around as she stubbornly said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't know?" Wendy snatched the handbag from Tessa's hand. "If you really didn't know, where did you get the money for this bag?" 

"Let me see, it's the latest model, worth tens of thousands of dollars, right? If I remember correctly, you withdrew money from the hospital yesterday and then bought this bag, didn't you?"

Tessa watched in horror as Wendy picked up another piece of paper, showing her shopping records.

"It's not like that! I only know that Rocky Island Resort killed Maeve. It was because of the steak she ate there that she died!" Tessa screamed, trying to defend herself.

On the phone screen, Tessa shook her head frantically, surrounded by scattered papers, with the new handbag standing out starkly.

Sophie gripped her phone tightly, nearly crushing the screen.

No wonder the Rocky Island Resort shut down while the Knight family remained silent. They were waiting for this moment.

She angrily picked up another phone and yelled into it, "Find out where they are right now!"

In the live stream, Wendy continued to press Tessa. "You lied to the police. Who really wanted her dead?" 

"Tessa, what did you flush down the toilet that day? You watched Maeve eat the poisoned steak and die in front of you. Can you really live with that?"

Tessa sat paralyzed on the sofa, too terrified to move or speak.

Wendy glanced at the corner of the room before leaving the private room, saying, "Fine, if you can stay indifferent, aren't you afraid she'll come for you at night?"

With that, she closed the door.

Once the door was shut, Tessa struggled to stand.

Alexander sat in his office, watching the live stream on his tablet.

The screen froze on Tessa sitting on the sofa, and the stream abruptly ended.

Just then, Francis knocked and entered, placing a contract in front of Alexander. "Alexander, this is the contract with the Summit Group."

He hesitated before asking, "Alexander, are we really going to terminate the contract with the Summit Group?"

Alexander nodded firmly. "It's a necessary step."

A necessary step?

Francis was puzzled. Why agree to the three-party contract in the first place?

Had Alexander been planning this all along?

Francis didn't ask further. He knew to follow Alexander's decisions.

Besides, he had his own grudge against the Russell family and had been looking for a chance to take them down.

Alexander noticed the hint of disappointment in Francis's eyes and knew the reason.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked.

Francis shook his head, resigned. "The trail went cold again."

"Try a different approach. Maybe we've been stuck in a fixed mindset," Alexander said seriously.

"Alexander, do you think I'll ever get my revenge?" Francis's eyes showed a hint of doubt.

Alexander put down his work and looked at Francis intently. "Remember how you encouraged me when I was lost?"

"So what if the trail went cold? It just means this path was wrong. If it's wrong, we can go back and find a new direction. We should be grateful for eliminating the wrong options. As long as you don't forget your determination, you'll never lose your chance."

Francis recalled the moment he had said those words to Alexander, as if it were just yesterday.

He hadn't expected Alexander to bring it up, and he smiled wryly, realizing he had forgotten his own advice.

"Alexander, I understand now."

At that moment, the private room went dark, as if the power had gone out.

With the last bit of light gone, Tessa was terrified. She grabbed her bag and rushed to the door, trying to escape.

But when she reached for the door, she found it locked tight.

She began pounding on the door, screaming for help, hoping someone outside would hear her.

"Is anyone there? Please, someone!" Her voice grew hoarse, but there was no response.

Then, a chilling voice whispered in her ear, "Tessa, why did you do this to me?"

A cold shiver ran down Tessa's spine, and she felt frozen in place.

She squeezed her eyes shut, too scared to turn around.

She kept telling herself, 'This is all fake! It's Wendy's trick, it has to be!'

When she finally mustered the courage to open her eyes, she saw a shadowy figure sitting nearby, eating steak.

"You! Who are you? It can't be, Maeve is dead. Who's pretending to be her?" 

She pounded on the door again. "Let me out! I know this is all fake!"

But no matter how much she screamed and pounded, there was no answer.

The eerie figure continued to eat the steak slowly.

Wendy's parting words echoed in Tessa's mind, and fear overwhelmed her.

"Maeve, if you want revenge, it shouldn't be on me. I helped you, remember? You can't be ungrateful!" she muttered incoherently.