Chapter 94
Hearing Jace clearly lay out the entire truth, the last shred of resistance in the ranch owner wholly crumbled. He dropped to his knees, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shepard! It was all my fault. I’m worse than an animal. Please, please spare me!”
“Spare you?” A chilling smile crept across Jace’s face. “You abused my wife and tortured my precious daughter to death and now you want mercy?”
The cattle ranch owner was so terrified he was on the verge of fainting. Driven to desperation, he could only point at Zara and blurt out, “Mr. Shepard, it wasn’t like that! This woman made me do it!“}
Zara had never seen Jace look so terrifying. Her face paled instantly and she couldn’t help but scream, “Don’t talk nonsense and try to shift the blame! I’ve never even met you, let alone asked you to harm Willow and her daughter!“>
The ranch owner shouted back, “It was Ms. Zara Yale who gave me a million and she insisted that I thoroughly ‘train‘ your wife into a lowly whore. I told her your wife looked down on a hunchback like me. Still, Zara told me that as long as I was cruel enough to Mr. Shepard’s daughter, your wife would do anything I said for the sake of the child, even kneel down and lick my feet!“}
“Mr. Shepard, please believe me! I have no grudge against your wife and daughter. I had no reason to hurt them like this. It was all Zara who bribed me and gave me ideas behind your back. She said that as long as your wife lost all hope in you and I added a little more cruelty, I could easily manipulate her. From then on, she would wholeheartedly stay here and live with me.“>
“You said you’d come to get Madam and your daughter after a month, but Zara called me and said you weren’t coming back. When you really didn’t show up that day, I believed her. Later, Zara offered me more money to find a way to get rid of your daughter. As long as the child died, your wife would never be able to go back and live a good life with you again!“}]
With every word the ranch owner spoke, Jace’s face grew darker and colder. Zara was scared out of her wits, crying and shaking her head repeatedly. “Jace, I didn’t! We’ve known each other for so many years! Don’t you know what kind of person I am? Are you really going to believe this man’s lies?“}
Jace lowered his gaze, eyes deep and unreadable. No one could tell what he was thinking. “So, you pretended not to have breast milk and sent the baby to Willow. You even poisoned your own child just to frame her.“>
Jace’s words were sharp as knives, each syllable distinct. “I told you not to make a big deal out of it because I didn’t want to send Willow to the police station. When I asked you how you wanted to punish her, you said the fresh air of the pasture could purify the soul, especially since cows are said to be empathetic and could use their motherly affection to influence Willow.“>
“You had planned all of this from the beginning, just waiting for me to fall into your trap and send Willow here. And I was foolish enough to actually fall for it, giving you both the opportunity.” Jace’s tone was soft, but his composure was gradually breaking down.“”
The cattle ranch owner immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, Mr. Shepard! You’re absolutely right. Zara contacted me even before you brought Madam here. You can check the phone number, the bank account she used, everything. It’s all tied to her.”
Faced with such irrefutable evidence, Zara could no longer deny anything. She broke down, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Then, with a loud thud, she dropped to her knees and clung to Jace’s pant leg. “I’m sorry, Jace! I was too greedy. You were always so good to me and I just… I wanted you to only be good to me, forever.”}
“You treated my child like your own and I wanted you to be his father. So, I let jealousy get the better of me. I wanted to destroy Willow and your daughter so you’d have no one but me.“”
mhys Coming Sweetheart
