It was two in the afternoon, and there were still two more hours to go. Not wanting to waste any more time, Gina gave Sonya a call. The latter answered immediately. “Gina, what is it?”
From Sonya’s calm voice, it was obvious that she had no clue about what had happened. Despite forcing herself to calm down, Gina couldn’t stop her voice from quivering. “Are you free? Aubree would like to speak to you.”
Gina’s tone puzzled Sonya. “Did something happen? Is it about the engagement? Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Lucian about it.” The mention of Lucian’s name caused the three Pearsons to feel self-conscious.
Finally, Gina steeled herself to reply, “You’ll know when you arrive.” With that, she ended the call, confident that Sonya would come over. Just as expected, Sonya arrived at the Pearson residence half an hour later.
When she saw the three gloomy Pearsons in the living room, Sonya’s heart sank. “What happened? Why do you all look as if you’re at a funeral?”
No sooner had Sonya spoken than Aubree came over and hugged Sonya’s leg. Stunned by the latter’s abrupt action, Sonya was about to speak when Aubree preempted her with a voice brimming with despair.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Farwell! You have to help me. I’ll never do it again!” Aubree’s words elicited Sonya’s sympathy. “Tell me what happened, and I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.”
In a choking voice, Aubree explained, “Remember when I told you about Essie getting an infection from the camping trip Roxanne took her on? I was the one behind it!”
Sonya’s face darkened instantly. “What in the world happened?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose! I just wanted to teach Roxanne and her two boys a lesson, but the bacteria somehow got into Essie’s cup and infected her.”
Aubree shamelessly tried to defend herself, “I really didn’t expect it to turn out that way. That’s why I didn’t dare tell you about-” Before she finished, Sonya slapped her across the face.
This slap was even harder than the one Samuel had given her earlier. Sonya was outraged to learn that the daughter- in-law she favored had actually harmed her granddaughter.
Aubree’s confession had also reminded Sonya of the time when she whacked Estella on the backside. I must have been blind to believe Aubree when she claimed that she did it for Essie’s own good!
“Mrs. Farwell…” Dazed by the strike, Aubree took a few seconds to regain her senses before giving Sonya a hopeless look.
Showing no mercy, Sonya shoved Aubree’s hand away. “Shut up! How could you have lied to me all these years and even harmed my granddaughter? Why did it take me so long to realize how vicious you are? Aubree, I’m really disappointed in you!”
The Pearsons’ faces fell in response to Sonya’s reaction. Nonetheless, Gina still held some hope. “Sonya, we have been friends for so many-” “Don’t you dare say my name!”
The aura Sonya exuded was so intimidating that it seemed to suffocate the Pearsons. Right then, Sonya had a sudden realization as she looked down at Aubree. “What about the car accident?”
Now that she thought about it, there were plenty of reasons for her to be suspicious. Aubree lowered her head and didn’t dare reply.
Sensing how rapidly the situation was deteriorating, Gina and Samuel dropped to their knees in desperation. “Mrs. Farwell, please forgive us this one time. I guarantee we’ll never show our faces in front of the Farwells-”
“Leave your pleas to Lucian and Essie,” Sonya cut her off ruthlessly.
