“You’re half correct. I did do all this to show you Cynthia’s true colors because it was the only way to make you realize your mistake. However, the thought of making you feel bad for Charlotte so you’d accept her has never crossed my mind. Honestly, it no longer matters if you accept her. She’s not the Charlotte you used to know, and she doesn’t need anyone to accept her. In fact, it’s me who’s begging her to accept me.”
Henry was left speechless after hearing that.
“Since when did you notice something was off about Cynthia, sir?” Spencer asked in confusion.
“After Ellie was poisoned, I confronted Danrique thinking it was him who did it, and he lashed out angrily at me for wrongly accusing him. He even showed me how he would poison someone. Danrique is a very prideful man, and he would never deny it if he was the one who did it.
“Having made sure that he didn’t do it, I had people investigate the incident and found Cynthia suspicious shortly after. Since I didn’t have any solid evidence at the time, I could only keep my suspicions to myself and not trust her fully.
“I could’ve had hypnotized her or have Bruce interrogate her to get a confession out of her, but I knew Grandpa trusted the Blackwoods and would surely intervene.
“That’s why I decided to show him their true colors this way. I had people install hidden cameras in the house before bringing Cynthia home, and that woman got way ahead of herself the moment she set foot in the house.
“She began abusing her power, and Taylor’s behavior grew increasingly radical too. I was already disgusted by them at that point, but I held on just so I could prove it to Grandpa once and for all.
“In the end, Bruce found the cup with the poison, and they showed their true colors…”
Having realized what was going on, Spencer said, “I see… So that’s why you were acting a little strange last night… You deliberately told Cynthia that Ms. Lindberg would leave today morning and provoked her into poisoning Ms. Lindberg so you could catch her in the act!”
Zachary nodded. “That’s right. I was actually planning on waiting a couple more days for Dr. Felch first, but then I found out that she was going to harm Charlotte, so… I had to move things forward.”
Spencer was deeply impressed. “You really have excellent foresight!”
“Must’ve been a lot of work putting up an act for so long!” Henry said sarcastically.
Zachary stared at him as he replied, “This is my least preferred method, but it was the only way to put on a good show for you.”
“Why not just tell me that there’s something wrong with Cynthia? Your actions have put Ellie’s life at risk!” Henry questioned him angrily.
Zachary felt a little guilty about that. “Well… As perfect as my plan was, there were some errors in its execution. I know I nearly cost Ellie her life, but would you have listened if I told you? I bet you’d still be forcing me to marry Cynthia now if you didn’t see it for yourself!”
“You…” Henry was furious but had nothing to say in return.
“You know how much the Blackwoods have profited from our family throughout the years. Taking advantage of your trust, Taylor persuaded you to force his daughters on me, and you listened to him each time. You chose to trust an outsider fully, but doubt your own grandson’s words. How else am I supposed to convince you without resorting to such methods?” Zachary said helplessly, and Henry found himself at a loss for words.
Zachary is right… I’ve never listened to him whenever he tried to reason with me, and yet I stubbornly gave Taylor all of my trust! I guess my stubbornness really is the cause of all these problems…
