Chapter 187 Terror
Susanne fixed a steady gaze on Arielle. “Focus on living the best life now that you’re back. Stop meddling with the dark shadows of the past! Sometimes ignorance is bliss. So what if you manage to find out the truth? You can’t bring your mother back to life.”
Arielle, however, looked defiant. “I’ll be able to deliver some justice to Mom, at least!”
Susanne softened her tone. “If she were watching you from heaven right now, she’d want you to live a good life too.”
Arielle shook her head vehemently. “The only reason I came back here was to seek revenge for my mother. If I can’t even do that for her, what’s the point in coming back?”
To Arielle’s surprise, the expression that flitted across Susanne’s face was one of approval.
However, it quickly faded and was replaced with a look of helplessness. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help. I couldn’t uncover anything ten years ago, and it’s definitely more difficult now. If there was any proof then, it would most probably have been destroyed by now.”
Arielle had not expected to get anything out of Susanne. It was sufficient that her suspicions regarding Maureen’s suicide were confirmed.
“The second question,” Arielle prompted, taking out two pieces of paper from her pocket. She held them out towards Susanne.
Susanne took them with considerably less impatience than before and peered at them closely.
When she finally read the last line, Susanne froze. She then raised her head and looked at Arielle in bewilderment.
The shock on Susanne’s face was even more obvious than it had been compared to the revelation of Arielle’s identity.
In a quivering voice, Susanne stammered, “You…You’re not Henrick’s daughter?”
“That’s right,” Arielle said soberly, lifting her head to meet Susanne’s gaze levelly. “Henrick’s not my father at all. I looked at my mother’s diary but could get no answers out of it. I know that you were her good friend. You must know something!”
The blood had drained from Susanne’s face entirely. She looked at Arielle with a gaze of mute horror.
Susanne nodded instinctively, then shook her head violently when she recollected herself. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything. Your mom kept most things to herself. She didn’t tell me about anything like that.”
Arielle wrinkled her brow, then insisted, “Ms. Stone, I think you know more than you’re choosing to say. What do you know? Why are you so afraid?”
Susanne’s eyes darted nervously from side to side. She then hastily leaned forward and whispered, “Shh! Stop talking! If you want to stay alive, don’t ever mention that ever again!”
Susanne picked up the two pieces of paper that contained proof of Arielle’s kinship and ripped them into a million tiny pieces.
Arielle was too taken aback to stop Susanne in time. When she had regained her composure, she immediately raged at Susanne, “Ms. Stone! What on earth are you doing?”
Susanne grabbed Arielle’s slender arm tightly. With a grave look on her face, she said emphatically, “I’m doing this for your own good. Listen to me! Stop pursuing this matter any further!”
Arielle looked cynical. Seeing that she was about to launch into another tirade, Susanne swiftly clamped her hand over Arielle’s mouth.
Susanne shook her head vigorously with unmistakable terror in her eyes.
Arielle realized then that she would get nothing out of Susanne on this front.
She made eye contact with Susanne and nodded in agreement. Susanne then relaxed her hold on Arielle and lowered her hand.
The entire affair, however, had left Susanne immensely wary. Evidently in a hurry, she picked up her bag and said briskly, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head home now.”
“Wait, Ms. Stone! I haven’t asked my third question yet!” Arielle said, tugging at Susanne’s sleeve relentlessly.
Susanne, however, cupped her hands over her ears and cried, “I don’t know! I don’t know anything!”
Bemused at Susanne’s childish response, Arielle said, “Don’t worry. This question has nothing to do with the previous two.”
That was sufficient to cause Susanne to lower her hands tentatively.
