Chapter 417 The Winner Takes It All
A woman as vicious as Luna would never let anyone who owed her off the hook.
Hence, she was determined to stay and watch Nicolette suffer.
“Mom, I’m not leaving. I can’t leave you behind.” Yareli was reluctant.
“Stop wasting time and leave now!” Vanessa gritted her teeth. “Remember this, don’t try to save me or come back for me. Also, be more obedient to your biological father. All he has is a son and a daughter, who are younger than you, but no wife. As long as you use your head the right way, you won’t have to worry about your livelihood.”
“Mom.” Tears welled up in Yareli’s eyes.
“Listen to me. Leave now.” Vanessa caressed her daughter’s face and said, “Go.”
“All right.” Yareli nodded in response.
“Ask Kathleen and the rest to come here,” Vanessa said.
“Okay.” Then, Yareli turned around and left.
Moments later, Kathleen and Samuel entered the room with Charles in tow.
Vanessa stared at them coldly while she stated, “Kathleen, I want you to send Yareli to Turlen. She’ll never return to this country from now onward. What do you say?”
Kathleen replied flatly, “Okay. I agree.”
“Do you promise?” An icy expression shrouded Vanessa’s face.
“If you don’t trust me, we can call off our deal now.” Kathleen remained indifferent.
To that, Vanessa sneered, “You’ve probably figured out what happened by now, haven’t you, Kathleen?”
“I’d still like to hear about it from your perspective,” Kathleen replied.
Vanessa took a deep breath before she began. “It’s simple. Luna is a jealous and narrow-minded person. After she found out about Trevor and your granny, she immediately set off to look for my father, Hector. Then, she told my father she’d collaborate with him on one condition. And that was to kill your mother.”
Kathleen frowned upon hearing that. “Kill?”
“Yes!” Vanessa nodded before continuing, “However, my father was soft-hearted and left your mother at the entrance of the orphanage owned by the Johnson family.”
“Soft-hearted?” Kathleen scoffed, “That’s a load of crap. Would you still consider me soft-hearted if I provide medical treatment to you after I break all of your limbs?”
Vanessa was at a loss for words.
At that moment, Kathleen’s expression darkened. “Surely he received some benefits from Luna. Why are you trying to clear his name?”
“Right. My father should have just killed your mother!” Vanessa narrowed her eyes.
If he had done so, there wouldn’t be so much trouble now.
“That’s right. That way, your sins would be concealed.” Kathleen sniggered. “Karma has got you back for it now, but you would end up far worse if your father had actually killed my mother.”
Vanessa gritted her teeth.
“Keep talking,” Kathleen said. “How did you and Luna start to work together?”
Vanessa stared blankly at Kathleen. “Although my father sent your mother to the orphanage, he kept tabs on her all these years. He didn’t expect Luna to catch on to that. At the time, your mother married your father and had given birth to Charles.”
Just then, Charles’ gaze turned sharp. “So, you’re saying Luna was behind the incident when I got separated from my parents in the past?”
“Yes.” Vanessa nodded lightly.
Charles clenched his fists tightly at that.
That Luna is too wicked!
“What about you two?” Kathleen stared directly into Vanessa’s eyes. “What did you and Zachary do?”
Then, Vanessa took another deep breath and continued, “We covered up her trails. You were Luna’s target after your parents passed away. However, no one expected that you would get taken in by the Macari family.”
Kathleen looked at Samuel silently.
It suddenly dawned on Kathleen that she could have died if the Macari family had not taken her in.
Naturally, Kathleen was grateful to the Macari family for raising her.
“Old Mrs. Macari did a meticulous job protecting you,” Vanessa said. “That’s why we couldn’t get our hands on you. Fortunately, you didn’t have too much interest in your mother’s identity. Thus, we didn’t have to kill you at once. We only made a move after you and Charles came back and started investigating.”
Kathleen coldly uttered, “What about Granny? Does her death have anything to do with you?”
“No. I never laid hands on your granny. It was her who wanted to end her own life,” Vanessa replied, shaking her head.
At that, Kathleen descended into a moment of deep thought as silence ensued.
“All I know is that she called Trevor over the phone before she passed away,” Vanessa answered. “Luna told me this herself.”
Kathleen pursed her lips.
She had nothing to ask anymore.
“Do you have proof?” Samuel stared at Vanessa without a hint of warmth. “Words alone are not enough. Do you have any evidence to back up your claims?”
“All the evidence is locked up in my overseas safety deposit box,” Vanessa answered.
“What’s the password? I’ll send someone to retrieve it,” Samuel said while wearing a glacial expression.
To that, Vanessa told them the bank where the safety deposit box was and her password.
Samuel had many powerful connections overseas.
He sent someone to the bank to retrieve the evidence with just a phone call.
“I’m curious, Vanessa. Didn’t my granny treat you guys well?” Kathleen croaked. “From what I know, she often doted on you and Zachary.”
Vanessa clenched her fists. “That’s why I didn’t want her to die back then! I just wanted her to remain unconscious for a while. I wanted to get all of the Yoeger family’s inheritance before taking care of her until her death. But you came back.”
Kathleen sneered coldly, “My mom never knew about her identity. She was only curious about why she got left behind at an orphanage. As for Granny, she suffered a deep longing for my mom over these forty years. They were both in the same city, but because of you guys, they never reunited!”
Vanessa muttered, “As the saying goes, every man for himself, and the devil takes the hindmost.”
“Hmph!” Kathleen scoffed. “So you’re saying I shouldn’t blame you for this?”
Vanessa fell silent.
“Why did you say I’m vicious then?” Kathleen chuckled coldly and continued, “I’m just letting others have a taste of their own medicine. You’re such a hypocrite, Vanessa. As the saying goes, the winner takes it all. So, you should admit you’re incompetent and not blame others.”
Vanessa lowered her gaze. “You’re right.”
It was indeed a total defeat for her.
“Nicolette has already killed Zachary,” Kathleen said unhurriedly. “So you guys are next in line.”
“What?” Vanessa’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “That’s impossible. How could she kill her biological father?”
She did not believe Kathleen’s words at all.
“Believe whatever you want. I have no reason to lie to you.” Kathleen lazily glanced at her while speaking without haste. “All in all, I’ll throw you and your daughter out onto the streets if you don’t cooperate with me. I bet Nicolette will be ecstatic if that happens.”
Vanessa’s face fell.
Is Nicolette really so ruthless?
Then, Kathleen walked out of the room to allow Vanessa think her options through.
Samuel and Charles also left with her.
Meanwhile, at the living room, Clarissa was sizing up Yareli.
The latter furrowed her brows and said, “I’ve seen you before.”
“Did you just remember that?” Clarissa questioned indifferently.
It was then that Kathleen approached them.
“Kathleen, what’s with the female lovebug in my body?” Yareli roared.
