Chapter 16
Maximo Myers’s eyes were filled with turmoil as he stared at the documents, each word delivering a blow that made his facial muscles involuntarily twitch. He clutched the thick stack of papers tightly, crumpling them in his grip.
“Mr. Myers, I’ve double-checked everything,” Timothy Clark said softly. “It’s all true.”
He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Someone went to great lengths to bring this to light. Perhaps… they just couldn’t stand by any longer.”
“Mr. Myers, you were too harsh on your wife,” he added gently. “She didn’t deserve to die.”
Maximo collapsed onto the floor, surrounded by the scattered pages. Garrett Patterson, kneeling beside him, examined them with trembling hands that resembled gnarled branches. Tears filled his old eyes as the truth dawned on him.
“I always thought it was the madam who ordered someone to harm the girl,” he cried, “but it turns out it was the girl who was… so mistaken!”
Filled with regret and sorrow, the old steward’s back hunched even more. “It’s my fault for not stopping the girl in time, for harming both her and the madam!” he lamented, feeling he could never atone for his mistakes.
He looked up at the ceiling, his cries echoing in the room. “I’ve wronged you, sir!” he shouted to his late master.
Years ago, Maximo’s grandfather was injured on the battlefield, and it was Winnie’s grandfather who carried him from the heap of corpses. After losing both of her parents, Winnie’s grandfather couldn’t bear the heartbreak and entrusted her to Maximo’s family before he passed. But a few years later, Maximo’s grandfather also passed away.
Garrett had pledged to care for Winnie out of loyalty to the family, favoring her over Arlette. But he couldn’t accept her harming the family’s bloodline. The old man’s face was wet with tears as he recalled Winnie’s ruthless plans from years ago, his heart trembling with cold fear.
“The poor madam’s child wasn’t even fully formed, and yet…” he whispered, the tragic enormity of it all weighing heavily on his heart.
Maximo’s last shreds of sanity snapped as he thought of his innocent, cruelly slain wife and child. A hoarse, strained voice emerged from his chest. “Bring her to me!”
During this time, Winnie had been kept under observation in the hospital. To avoid alerting anyone and disturbing the investigation, Maximo had suppressed his emotions about her involvement in the incident that led to his wife’s death. Now, all he felt was deep-seated loathing and anger toward her.
He was filled with utter contempt!
Maximo never harbored deep affection for Winnie. His kindness towards her was driven by a sense of duty and habit—out of respect for his deceased grandfather and parents. The reason he had lost his composure before was his inability to accept that the person he cared about could be capable of such cruelty.
He had been afraid to face the truth, too easily believing in the façade, unwilling to investigate further.
Maximo was full of regret.
Winnie returned quickly, unaware of the storm awaiting her. As she entered, her tone was filled with irritation. “Brother, I’ve been in the hospital for so long, and you never even came to see me. You didn’t pick me up when I was discharged either.”
Silence.
The only response was Maximo’s dark, intense gaze.
Winnie looked around, confused by the sight of the butler, who seemed to have aged ten years, and Maximo, with his disheveled appearance.
“What happened to you both?” she asked, frowning.
Maximo stood up, taking slow, deliberate steps toward her. With blood still on his clothes, he looked like a vengeful spirit emerging from hell, his eyes blazing with terrifying fury.
Winnie had never seen him so menacing, not even on the day of Arlette’s death. Even then, he had spoken to her with restraint.
Why was he like this now?
Panic set in.
What frightened Winnie wasn’t the prospect of being hurt, but the realization that her meticulous efforts to eliminate a rival were unraveling.
She had intended to seize the opportunity to be with her brother forever.
But now, she saw hatred on his face.
He wanted her gone.
“Brother, how can you hate me?” Her voice broke, her expression frantic. “I love you so much!”
Maximo finally reached her, his hand closing around her throat. “Those three thugs—you hired them,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “You ordered them to hurt Arlette!”
Winnie’s face, already flushed from being choked, turned ghostly pale. Maximo’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“You brought this upon yourself! And you even dared accuse Arlette of sending them after you!”
Slowly, inexorably, he tightened his grip, watching as her face turned from red to purple, her eyes bulging.
His words were ice-cold daggers. “Even your suicide attempt—it was deliberate! You wanted to get rid of the child!”
The game was up. Her brother knew everything. Winnie’s hope crumbled as she decided to embrace her fate. She let her arms fall and smiled a contented smile.
To die by his hand—perhaps that wasn’t so bad.
“Brother, I love you…” she whispered.
With a resounding crash, Winnie was thrown to the ground.
Maximo loomed over her, his gaze so icy she couldn’t bear it.
“Winnie Hughes, you disgust me.”