Agnes sneered coldly, "My two most beloved people were murdered by you, Laura. You want to walk out of it, pretend it never happened? Well then, why don't you throw yourself off the top of this building? Maybe then, I could consider letting you off the hook."
Agnes appeared calm on the surface, but her inner fury was impossible to conceal. She had long suspected that Laura was the architect of her tragedy, but knowing the details and the truth, she could hardly contain herself. How could Laura dismiss the deaths of two people so casually?
Laura chuckled, "Are you declaring war on me?"
Agnes stood up, "Yes, I'm declaring war on you. From today on, as long as I'm alive, you'll never have a moment of peace."
"But you know, the case involving your mother has passed its appeal period. You have no evidence to overturn it. Even if you got that five million dollar money order from my safe, it doesn't prove anything. Even if you brought it to court, the judge wouldn't accept it."
Laura was right. In fact, Agnes had a video that could prove Laura and Berlin tampered with her father's car years ago. However, she had obtained that footage by secretly installing a camera in the Thomas's house. The court wouldn't accept evidence obtained illegally.
On the contrary, Laura could counter accuse her of invasion of privacy.
"Don't worry about it, Laura. You and Berlin will pay for what you've done," Agnes vowed.
Laura laughed, "I'll look forward to that day."
When Agnes left Laura's office, her legs felt weak. Ryder wasn't in the conference room but was waiting outside the door. As Agnes emerged, Ryder quickly approached her, "Agnes, are you okay? Did she do anything to you?"
Agnes shook her head. Ryder glanced back at Laura, who was leisurely making herself a cup of tea, then quickly led Agnes away. Once in the car, Agnes couldn't stop trembling. Her entire body felt drained of energy.
Facing Laura was like being drained of all her strength. Even after committing such vile acts, Laura still saw herself as innocent. The questions and suspicions that had plagued her for years were finally answered today. But instead of feeling relieved, Agnes cried out loud in the car.
She cried so hard that Ryder pulled over in shock, "Agnes, what's wrong? What did Laura say to you?"
Agnes just shook her head. Eventually, Ryder stopped asking and simply sat there, quietly accompanying her. After a while, Agnes finally spoke, "It was Laura who killed my mom and then misled me into believing it was your mom. I was so foolish to destroy my own marriage over this and your mother committed suicide because of it. And Jared was heartbroken. It's all my fault."
Ryder was stunned. Agnes had been investigating the past for years. He believed in his mother's straightforward character, she wouldn't have schemed behind someone's back. Now that Agnes had finally figured it out, she was burdened with guilt towards his mother and Jared. But what he hadn't expected was...
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Heartstrings on Fire