Steven said, "The elderly couple was furious. The old lady couldn't hold back and called Annie crazy, telling her to get lost. Annie pointed her finger at the old lady's face and yelled, 'Who do you think you are? My son bought this house for me!' Then she spat on the old lady's face. Just thinking about it makes me sick. They started fighting, and a neighbor called the police. The old man shielded his granddaughter while the old lady got slapped twice by Annie. The police came, and Max had to handle it. He wanted to settle it with money, but the old couple insisted on pressing charges. Max had no choice but to make a public apology in the newspaper, saying it was his fault and that his mom was a radical thinking sexist from living in the countryside. He claimed he couldn't control her but would clean up her mess."I could imagine Max pleading, just like when he used to tell me his mother would never change. Stuck with a mom like Annie, he must have felt trapped, unable to escape her
On the day we went to Cintail Mountain, I sent a message to Stephen, asking him to be prepared to handle my case—or maybe even multiple cases. However, Stephen must have been too busy because he didn't reply to my message. Stephen is very reserved and doesn't talk much. We communicate even less than I do with Taylor. But I understand, since Stephen is a top lawyer at a prestigious law firm and doesn't personally handle trivial matters. Taylor, his assistant lawyer, communicates with me on his behalf.Cintail Mountain is over 90 miles away from Johnsonville.Max drove us in the luxury car I had given him. He was in a good mood, playing Koji Tamaki's "Don't Leave Me" the entire way.As we approached the entrance to Cintail Mountain, Max asked, "Jen, do you remember this song?"I smiled lightly and replied, "Of course. It was our first Christmas together. You learned to sing it just for me."Max smiled nostalgically and said, "Jen, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go back to the
I thought to myself, this guy seems to have a clear understanding of himself, some self-awareness. However, I couldn't be so direct. I had to maintain appearances. So I responded, "You shouldn't underestimate yourself."Max smirked and scoffed.I continued, "You still haven't told me what happened between you and Luke."Max sneered, "There's not much to tell. I simply dislike him. It's like they say: two tigers can't live on the same mountain. What I want, no one else can have. It's just... anything he likes, I can like too, and I can have it."Considering Max's words, I suddenly realized that he was determined to confront me. He didn't even care about revealing his true nature anymore.At that time, I thought Max was referring to the fact that Luke had become my father's Ph.D. student.I said, "So you still haven't gotten over my dad not choosing you as his Ph.D. student. But wasn't Professor Xander good? After my dad passed away, she immediately became the dean. And didn't you
Max responded, "The deepest part is about two meters, so normally, it shouldn't be dangerous. There are both deep and shallow areas. But..."I asked, "But what?"Max's voice turned eerie, "But accidents can happen."As I looked at the pool earlier, I couldn't help but imagine. If tonight I can't get him to confess about our daughter's death and his financial transfers, maybe I should drug him, drag him to the pool at night, and drown him.After all, Max is a tall man, over six feet and about 150 pounds. If I tried to fight him while he's awake, I'd stand no chance. I'd have to knock him out first. Using a knife or an axe would be too bloody, and I couldn't handle dismembering a body. Disposing of it would be too complicated. I could stuff him into a duffel bag or a suitcase and dump him in the nearby mountains.I wondered if he'd prefer a duffel bag or a suitcase.But I've always been a law-abiding citizen, too scared to even kill a fish, let alone a person. This was just a fleet
Poor facilities don't matter? Ha! His goal must be to let me waste away in misery.Honestly, I bet he doesn't want to spend a single penny. He'd probably rather dump me in the countryside. Haven't you seen those news stories where people are locked in pigsties or cellars for years until they lose their minds? But Max's family home is demolished which he doesn't have the means to keep me hidden. It's too complicated to cover it up.If I escaped, his good days would be over.Steven said, "Ms. Middleton, you need to be very careful. Since Max didn't pay the room deposit, he must have other plans. Stay alert. I've arranged the bodyguards and everything you asked for with Wendy's ex-boyfriend."I nodded, "Thank you."Steven sighed, "No need to thank me. I'm worried about you. If things go south, call the police immediately. Ms. Middleton, please remember that as long as you're alive, there's hope. Your safety is the most important thing."I felt reassured, "I will."After hanging up,
After taking a sip of wine, Max set his glass down and looked at me with a smile. "Jen, I want to thank you for choosing a poor, rural guy like me back then. Everyone expected you, a high-society lady, to be with someone like Luke. But you chose me, not him. For that, I’m truly grateful."Max had mentioned Luke several times today, which made me feel like he was constantly comparing himself to Luke, as if his entire life was a competition with him.I asked, "Why do you keep saying that? What does Luke have to do with this? I hardly know him. You've mentioned him so much today that I'm starting to wonder if you have special feelings for him."Admittedly, when I got together with Max, it was a case of falling for his charm at first sight. But Luke? He was barely a blip on my radar. Why this comparison?I hated how he made it sound like if I wasn't with him, I'd be with Luke.Max chuckled softly, not answering my question. Instead, he said, "You let me win over Luke in this aspect."
I didn't respond directly. Instead, I asked, "Darling, I have a question for you."Max glanced at me sideways, chuckling as he poured more wine. "Go ahead.""I never found out what drug you put in my milk that caused our baby to be deformed and die at birth," I said, resting my chin on my hand and looking him straight in the eyes with a faint smile. "When it comes to cruelty, Max, I can't compare to you. As the baby's father, you were heartless enough to do that. They say even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs."Max's expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly raised an eyebrow and smiled.I stopped smiling. My expression turned cold and emotionless as I stared at Max.He stood with his hands on his hips, looking at me in surprise for a few seconds before bursting into a sinister, terrifying laugh. Covering his nose with one hand, he abruptly stopped laughing, his face turning cold, his eyes filled with viciousness. "Jen, I'm realizing today that you're actually quite clever."I
Max applauded me, saying, "Actually, that night when you scrubbed your face red, I only had my suspicions. Plus your acting was quite good, so I began to think I was overthinking. After all, you've always appeared very simple, pure, kind, and innocent in front of me."I nodded and asked, "So, how did you realize I was pretending?"Max replied, "When you went to the hospital to check the causes of fetal deformity and death, it was easy to suspect the doctor who did the ultrasound. It wasn't hard to figure that one.”I watched quietly as Max pulled out the chair and sat down again. It seemed he wanted to have a proper talk, which was good since there were too many unresolved doubts between us. I welcomed the chance to have a conversation and hear his story.Max cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, then asked, "Aren't you going to eat? It's your favorite Wagyu sirloin, cooked medium-well. I specifically instructed the kitchen.""No rush. Listening to your story is more inter