He seerned to be much shorter than before.
Twenty years’ imprisonment.
Seth was already in his 30s, and so he’d be over fifty years old by the time he got out.
His life would be almost over by then.
On the day of the final sentencing, Tasha went to see Seth.
When Seth was about to be taken away, Tasha walked up to him and said calmly, “I’m here to say goodbye.Don’t worry about the baby.I’ll raise him well.”
Seth’s eyes were devoid of life.
For the first time, he said, “Thank you.”
Tasha smiled knowingly.How stupid he was! She leaned closer to him and whispered, “Haven’t you figured out how Brandon got his hands on all that evidence?”
Since she would never see Seth again, Tasha decided to tell him the truth. At first, Seth didn’t understand why Tasha would ask him such a question, but it soon dawned on him.His eyes went as wide as saucers and his heart was filled with anger and indignation.He opened his mouth and stared at Tasha in disbelief.
“It was you! You were the one who used my computer and stole all my files! That was why you went to my study!”
Tasha raised her chin and smiled triumphantly.
“Yes, it was all me.I copied the files from your laptop and gave it all to Sebastian.My first attempt was a failure.Julia caught me before I was able to copy all the files.So I went to your office to finish the job.”
Seth’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Who was this woman?! Was she really the Tasha he knew? lt was said that the more timid a person looked, the more ruthless they would be when cornered.It was true for Tasha.
All of a sudden, a cold smile appeared on Seth’s face and his eyes took on a dangerous light.
“I never thought that you’d be the one to deliver the fatal blow.I should’ve taken you more seriously.”.
It never occurred to him that Tasha would have the guts—and the intelligence—to pull off such a stunt.
Seth had always thought that she was a simple, stupid woman who let others walk all over her.
In his eyes, Tasha had always bent over backwards for others.
“Yes, you’ve always looked down upon me, and it ended up being your downfall.Seth, thanks again for the loads of money.I’ll live life comfortably after our divorce.”
Tasha sneered in disdain.She knew that she and her child would never be able to use up the money Seth left them.
Seth smiled coldly, staring at Tasha, who now seemed to have changed into a completely different person.It was the first time that he realized how much he had underestimated this woman.He was such an idiot! Seeing that Seth had fallen silent, Tasha didn’t want to waste her breath on him any longer.
She turned around and was about to leave when Seth suddenly shouted at her.
“Stop!”
Tasha looked back over her shoulder coldly and asked, “What?”
After recovering from his shock just now, Seth growled angrily, “Tasha! You are my wife and a member of the Klein family.How could you betray me?”
Tasha looked at him as though he had just cracked a joke.She sneered, turned around, and carefully looked into Seth’s fury-filled eyes.She wanted to remember the way he looked when he discovered that she was the one who brought him down, imprinting the shame and embarrassment on his face in her mind forever.
“Wife’? When did you ever treat me as your wife? Or as your family even? Seth, you are such a selfish and indifferent bastard.Yet you dare to ask why I betrayed you? You betrayed me first!”
“You set me up! Tasha, I’ve given you the money you wanted.Why would you go behind me back?” Seth demanded.
Tasha smiled calmly, but her eyes were devoid of warmth.
“Because I hate you,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I hate you for trying to take away my child.I hate you for marrying me just to use me.And when I was no longer of any use to you, you tossed me aside for another woman, whom you brought into our home to humiliate me.Even after finding out I was pregnant with your child, you didn’t change your mind.You even wanted to take my baby away! Seth, what do you take me for?
Some lifeless doll that’ll roll over at your beck and call? No! I am a human being! I betrayed you because you betrayed me first.I have to protect my child, and in order to do that, you have to be behind bars.”
Seth glared at Tasha murderously, but he found he couldn’t say anything to refute.
The woman standing in front of him with a calm and indifferent expression was completely different from the Tasha he knew.
Tasha took a deep breath and shrugged.
“Well, it’s all in the past anyway.It’s meaningless to say anything more.You were good at what you did, you know? You shouldn’t have been brought down by me, a lowly housewife.But that’s precisely how you lost.The biggest obstacle to survival is not weakness nor ignorance, but arrogance.”
Seth felt as though he was struck by lightning and all the color drained from his face.
Arrogance? Seth had never considered himself arrogant.He had always been praised and envied by all, which led him to believe that he was better than everyone.
At a young age, he had been sent abroad.He had always been surrounded by strangers.
Even at home, the housekeepers and servants were routinely replaced, and Patrick never allowed him to get close to any of them.
In addition, Patrick always told him that strong men didn’t need feelings.
Having feelings was a fatal weakness.
As a Klein, he had to be undefeatable.
Thus, Seth had grown to be indifferent to everything.
Nothing in this world attracted him other than money and power.
But in the end, his own arrogance was the death of him.
Tasha watched as Seth was taken away by the marshals.She watched him walk out of the court room with his shoulders slumped over in defeat.
Suddenly, she remembered the first time she met Seth.Seth was standing by the door of her house, looking at her gently.It was love at first sight for her.
Fortunately, she saw things clearly now.
Expressionless, Tasha picked up her bag and left the courthouse.It was a sunny day.She breathed in the fresh air and smiled with relief, as if she had been reborn.
When she returned home, Tasha filed for a divorce.
As Sebastian had promised her, he hired the best lawyer to assist her with the divorce.It didn’t take long before Tasha successfully divorced Seth.
Because she held an overwhelming advantage over him, she ended up getting more property than Seth had originally promised her.
Additionally, since she hadn’t given birth to their baby yet, the court gave her sole custody of the child.
When everything was finally settled, Tasha invited Sebastian and Natalie to a fancy restaurant for a celebratory dinner….
“Cheers!” The three clinked glasses merrily.
Because she was pregnant, Tasha didn’t have wine and instead was nursing a glass of orange juice.
With a smile, she sighed in relief and said, “Finally, it is over! I won’t have to worry about him finding me out anymore.These days, I had been worried sick! I could’ve died from anxiety!”
Natalie was also happy for her.She raised her glass and clinked it with hers.
“Cheers to your freedom, Tasha!” Tasha grinned from ear to ear.
Then she turned to Sebastian and said sincerely, “Thank you so much for helping me.Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to take Seth down on my own.”
Sebastian nodded and humbly added, “If it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t have been able to pin Seth down for his crimes.”
Natalie smiled and reached for Sebastian’s hand, squeezing it gently.
“We should be the ones thanking you.Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat Seth so easily.” Tasha chuckled.
“This serves him right.If he hadn’t been so ruthless, I wouldn’t have done this to him.”
“Now you’re the biggest winner, aren’t you? The property he left you is more than enough for you and your child to live a happy life, you lucky lady!” Natalie teased Tasha playfully.
“Well, actually most of his assets are under investigation now, so there might not be much left afterwards.I can’t count on the money he left me.Moreover, I feel like a career is calling me.Truth be told, I wanted to treat you two to dinner today because I have one more thing I wanted to ask from you…”
Tasha looked at Natalie expectantly, waiting for her answer.Natalie couldn’t figure out what she was building up to.
“What is it?”
“I want to go back to the design industry after I give birth to the baby, but I’ve been a housewife for years now, isolated from society.” Tasha bit her lip anxiously.
“I haven’t designed a single thing in years.I don’t know if I’ll be able to pick up everything I learnt from college.”
It turned out that her request was no big deal.Without hesitation, Natalie said, “Don’t worry.I’ll help you.I remember your works back then—they were all excellent.I’m sure it won’t be that hard to get you started again.”
Encouraged, Tasha breathed a sigh of relief and said sincerely, “Thank you, Natalie.”
Life was so magical.
Tasha had never thought that Natalie and she would meet again years after graduation and even become friends.
After the meal, Sebastian drove Natalie to the airport.She had been going back and forth between Barnes and Seacisco recently.
Recalling what Tasha had said to her, Natalie couldn’t help but sigh.
“Tiffany was right.Men are indeed the stumbling block to a woman’s career.”
Sebastian, who had pulled to a stop at a red light, looked at her sharply.He brought Natalie’s hand to his mouth and nibbled on a finger.
“Me included?”
With a smile, Natalie raised her hand and patted Sebastian’s cheek softly.
“No, my husband is the only exception.”
During this tumultuous period of time, the Klein family experienced setback after setback.
As soon as Seth’s illegal acts had been exposed, many other people were put behind bars as the investigation unfolded.
As for the Klein family’s business, most of Seth’s companies in Sugden were shut down, which greatly affected the Klein family’s power. Now, they were no match for the Larson Group.
Even before the trial, Patrick had been running all over the country trying to keep the Klein Group afloat. The stress had aged him ten years overnight, adding wrinkles to his haggard tired face.
When he heard about Seth’s verdict, he completely broke down. He didn’t even have the strength to try and pull himself together anymore.
Before returning to his home, Patrick went to the private hospital where Nora was admitted.
