Chapter 239 Confession

Chapter 239: Chapter 239 Confession

For several moments, Laurel said nothing. She remained seated on the bench, staring at Vera as she tried to understand the full meaning of what she had just heard. The bread in her hand had long been forgotten, and the warmth she had felt during her conversation with Chris slowly disappeared.

"You agreed?" Laurel repeated, her voice unusually calm. "Vera, do you understand what you’re telling me?"

She couldn’t tell how stupid they were. Because they died early in her past life, she couldn’t tell what their character would be.

’Could be any different from her ungrateful brother?’ Ling Xuan remarked inside her head.

Vera’s tears streamed down her cheeks. She had imagined Laurel becoming furious, perhaps even ordering someone to arrest her immediately, but the quiet disappointment in her eyes was far more difficult to bear.

Her pride stung; this was the woman who had always been beneath them. And confessing to her was a huge blow to her guts.

She lowered her gaze, as her fist clenched into a ball. Her red hair fell, covering half of her face, as if to hide her from the scrutiny in Laurel’s gaze.

"I didn’t know Aunt Margaret would poison him," Vera insisted, clasping her trembling hands together. "She said Grandpa was getting old and that we only needed him to stay out of the way for a while. I thought she would give him something to make him sleep. I never imagined he would nearly die."

Chris, who had remained silent until then, slowly straightened. His expression hardened as he looked at Vera.

He had a lot to say about the Wayne family, but saying it would only make things harder for Laurel. His own men who died in the battle... they all died because of a schemer? The house of the Lennox had never tolerated such nonsense. His fist clenched tight, as if trying to hold himself back.

"Something to make an elderly man unconscious without his consent?" he asked. "And you thought that was harmless?" His tone was biting, like a frost, stripping whatever warmth that remained in Vera.

Vera flinched. She wanted to defend herself, but the words sounded terrible even in her own mind. Before the apocalypse, she had lived comfortably enough that consequences rarely seemed permanent. Someone older had always intervened, paid for her mistakes, or made unpleasant problems disappear.

But no one will clean this up for me, not even my brother. He will be so disappointed in me. The thought sent shivers up her spine. Grandpa was the one who always protected us, and we helped hurt him.

"I know it was wrong," she whispered.

Laurel placed the unfinished bread aside and rose carefully.

’Was I really too kind to these ingrates? Is that why they thought they could do whatever they like and roam around my fortress like a headless chicken? Just how many days has it been since we left, and all that is left of what I painstakingly built is in shambles and problems?’ Laurel felt her shoulders tremble in anger.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Laurel inhaled to calm herself. "Start with the conversation. Don’t leave anything out because you’re frightened of how I’ll react."

Vera wiped her face and began recounting the meeting with Margaret and Felicia. She explained how they had complained about losing their privileges, how Grandpa had refused to overturn Laurel’s arrangements, and how Margaret had suggested removing him from authority by making him sleep for a long time.

As Vera spoke, Laurel remembered the medical records she had examined earlier. Margaret’s restrictions on Grandpa’s treatment had seemed suspicious enough on their own. Now they suggested something far more deliberate and sinister.

"Did Margaret tell you what she intended to use?" Laurel asked.

Vera shook her head. "No. She told us to leave everything to her. I didn’t see her prepare anything, and I wasn’t there when Grandpa drank the tea."

Laurel frowned slightly. "What about Felicia?"

"She was there when we agreed," Vera replied. "She wanted us to take control too. But I don’t know whether Aunt Margaret told her anything else afterwards."

The distinction mattered. Vera had admitted participating in a conspiracy, but she hadn’t claimed to witness the poisoning itself. Laurel couldn’t afford to confuse one with the other, particularly when the fortress had already suffered from Margaret’s willingness to declare people guilty without proof.

’Really? You already have proof, Laurel. Stop acting like a chicken.’ Ling Xuan’s words split through her head.

’I never said I would let her off. Just let me do it my way. Don’t interfere.’ Laurel replied with a tone that said, I know what I’m doing.

"Why didn’t you tell anyone when Grandpa collapsed?" Laurel asked out loud, her eyes observing every micro detail of Vera’s expression.

Vera lowered her head. "I was afraid. Aunt Margaret accused Enzo so quickly, and everyone started believing her. I kept thinking that if I said anything, she’d blame everything on Felicia and me instead."

"And you let Enzo take the blame?" Laurel spat unable to coat the hardness in her voice.

Vera nodded miserably.

Laurel felt anger rising inside her. Enzo had nearly been executed, Stefan had been imprisoned while the children remained in danger, and Ida had almost died without proper treatment. All the while, the people who knew Margaret’s intentions had remained silent.

How many lives would they have sacrificed to keep their comfortable positions?

She inhaled slowly before speaking again. "Vera, I won’t pretend your confession makes everything right. Grandpa could have died, and innocent people were endangered because you chose to remain silent. But telling the truth now is still better than continuing to protect Margaret."

Vera looked up with swollen eyes. "Are you going to imprison me?"

"That will depend on the investigation," Laurel answered. "For now, you’re going to give a formal statement, and you won’t discuss what you’ve told me with Margaret or Felicia."

Vera’s face grew paler. "Aunt Margaret will know I betrayed her."

Chris folded his arms, his gaze cold. "She asked you to betray your grandfather first. You might want to remember that."

Vera swallowed her words. The shame of being a betrayer was far worse than anything she had experienced before. And to make the matter worse... it had to be Laurel... the person she despised the most. But it was the only way to help Grandpa Wayne, the man who took care of her brother and her when their parents died.