Chapter 305: The True Culprit

The middle-aged woman exuded an air of elegance and nobility.

She wore a smile and seemed harmless enough, but Vivian Lowell could still detect something amiss in her gaze.

It was a deeply threatening look.

Vivian instantly became vigilant. She backed up against the wall, her hand gripping the edge of the sink to steady herself. “Who are you?” she asked.

Hearing Vivian’s question, the middle-aged woman stopped about two steps away from her and replied in an affectionate tone, “Given our relationship, you should call me Aunt Penelope.

“My name is Penelope Drake. My father and your grandfather are brothers. Speaking of which… Vivian, you really look so much like your mother.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with the Drakes. They clearly have you, yet they took in that imposter, Shelly Drake. Don’t be afraid, Vivian. I’ll take you to see your grandfather right now. How does that sound?”

Penelope spoke with utmost gentleness.

She took a step forward, and Vivian took a step to the side, maintaining a safe distance between them.

Seeing Vivian’s guarded stance, Penelope looked slightly displeased. She frowned and asked, “Vivian, why are you being so difficult?

“Do you still doubt my identity? Look, our eyes are so similar. I even have a photo of myself with your mother and father from back in the day.

“Do you want to see it?”

A photo of her parents.

Vivian fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Vance Wyatt and President Ward’s secretary were still standing guard outside. The restroom was spacious, giving her plenty of room to maneuver. She didn’t believe this woman standing before her could pull off anything outrageous.

Seeing Vivian agree, Penelope finally smiled happily. She pulled a faded, old photograph from her bag and handed it over.

Taking the photo, Vivian saw her mother.

Mr. Drake was also in the picture. The photo featured their family of three, alongside Penelope and her husband. Penelope had looked quite young back then.

Her mother wore a gentle smile. As Vivian gazed at the people in the photograph, a wave of warmth surged through her heart. She also noticed that her mother was pregnant with her at the time.

Judging by the size of her belly, she was about as far along as Vivian was now.

That meant this photo was taken just a few months before the tragic accident.

As Vivian examined the photo, Penelope, standing nearby, continued speaking. “It’s such a pity. Now that I think about it, I was the one who saw her off when she went abroad.

“We had a great relationship; we were practically sisters. She was a bit younger and incredibly lively from a young age, so we all took good care of her.

“But why did she have to be so headstrong? She insisted on returning to the country back then. My father and I actually didn’t support it; we didn’t think Veridia was developing well at all.

“Yet she insisted. She said Veridia had great potential and that she had already conducted research in several cities. She firmly believed she could promote traditional medicine and cosmeceuticals upon her return.

“I didn’t believe her. I urged her to stay abroad, but she refused, and there was nothing more I could do. At the time, I thought she was foolish. What was so good about Veridia? Wouldn’t she just suffer if she went back?

“But facts proved that her foresight was always impeccable. It was true for her career, and it was true when it came to choosing a husband. I was truly envious of her.

“So envious that, just thinking about how you are his daughter makes me reluctant to lay a hand on you. Don’t you agree, Vivian?”

The photograph in Vivian’s hand slowly slipped from her grasp.

Penelope’s words made many things instantly clear to Vivian.

Mr. Drake had once told her the truth.

Years ago, when her mother wanted to return to the country to build her career, she intended to take the Drake family’s assets and patents with her. This threatened the interests of many among the Drakes. Unwilling to take the risk, they adamantly opposed her actions.

They threw numerous obstacles in her path, and some extremists even orchestrated that fatal car crash.

Vivian’s parents both died in that accident. When the crash happened, whether due to sheer luck or her mother’s desperate decision to sacrifice herself to protect her unborn child, Vivian had survived.

Mr. Drake had taken Shelly back as a decoy, hoping to use her to smoke out the people who had murdered her parents.

He hadn’t expected Penelope to see right through the ruse.

She, Vivian Lowell, was the real Miss Drake!

Vivian raised her eyes to look at Penelope, her gaze slowly turning icy. A woman’s intuition told her that Penelope’s motives for saying all this were far from benevolent.

“What are you planning to do? Do you think you already have me trapped? Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Mr. Drake about this? And… if I’m not mistaken…

“Back then, you might have seemed like you had a great relationship with my mother, but you actually stabbed her in the back. Maybe you were the one who orchestrated the car crash, weren’t you?”

After finishing her analysis, Vivian closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The faint fragrance lingering in the restroom was making her feel slightly drowsy.

However, for the sake of her plan, she was determined to ask the questions that needed to be asked.

She couldn’t let an elderly man like Mr. Drake shoulder the burden of avenging her parents’ blood feud alone. She had to do everything within her power to help!

“How smart.”

Penelope gave a soft smile and said lightly, “Back then at the coffee shop, I was clearly the one who met your father first, but in the end, your mother was the one who got together with him.

“I couldn’t accept it, and I remain unmarried to this day. You see, I loved him that much. Actually, I was previously wondering if I should take you in as my goddaughter when I saw you after returning to the country.

“After all, you are his child. I still wanted to extend my love for him to you.

“Unfortunately, the moment I saw you today, I lost that desire. You look far too much like your mother! I can hardly see even the slightest trace of him in you!

“Don’t blame me, child. If you must blame someone, blame your mother and your grandfather. The Drake family is so large, with over a hundred people relying on it to eat. How could they dare to touch such a massive piece of the pie?

“Doing so offended the interests of the vast majority. Even if those people might have seemed insignificant to them, sometimes…

“It’s exactly those inconspicuous people who pull off the biggest feats. Back then, I merely leaked a tiny bit of information, and someone else planned that car crash.

“As for today… Child, have you noticed? There is a faint fragrance in this restroom. It smells lovely, doesn’t it? Except, breathing it in might make you sleepy.

“Go to sleep, child. Those two outside won’t come in. Because… perhaps you can’t even speak right now, can you?”

Vivian felt a jolt of alarm.

She had only felt a wave of intense drowsiness; she truly hadn’t noticed whether she could still speak.

It was only when Penelope brought it up that Vivian realized it.

Earlier, while talking to Penelope, she had already felt a dry, burning sensation in her throat that made her deeply uncomfortable, prompting her to subconsciously swallow her saliva.

Now, as Vivian opened her mouth, the only sound that came out was a faint, hoarse whisper.

In this state, calling Vance Wyatt in from the outside was completely out of the question.

“You…”

Vivian desperately wanted to ask Penelope why she was so certain she would succeed.

And Penelope, truly like a massive tiger hidden deep within the shadows, had a profound, calculating mind and immediately saw through Vivian’s thoughts.

With a faint smile, Penelope said, “It’s because there are other entrances and exits to this restroom, of course. Child, you really are so much like your mother.

“You’re so naive when faced with danger. If it were me, and I noticed a strange, unrecognizable woman approaching—especially a dangerous one…

“I would immediately seek help and secure my own safety before even uttering a word to her. But you didn’t.

“Perhaps that was the exact reason your mother met such a tragic end. As her daughter, you’ve been just as negligent, walking the exact same path as her.

“Is it pathetic? Probably not. There’s nothing strange about a mother and daughter sharing similarities. Your mother has been alone down there for so many years; she must be terribly lonely.

“Now, take your child and go down to keep her company. This time, I won’t leave any loose ends behind. Ken, do it.”

Penelope called out toward a small room inside the restroom.

Soon, the sound of a door opening echoed from the other side, and a tall man dressed in black slowly emerged, stepping up to Penelope’s side.

Penelope continued to stare down at Vivian. Her eyes were devoid of warmth, exuding the absolute aura of a victor.