Olivia nodded in acknowledgment and went. over. “Please take a seat, Mr. and Mrs. West.” Chester and Emerald both agreed, but they waited until Olivia sat down before sitting. However, no one started the conversation, and an awkward silence took over.
At last, Chester spoke up. “Eugene, it’s our fault for failing to do a good job in raising Nicole. Our failure resulted in her making such a terrible mistake. Since you and Nicole have been friends since you were children, can you please be merciful just this once? Her mother and I will both be eternally grateful to you!”
“Mr. and Mrs. West, do you k u know what your daughter did?” Eugene asked. Chester and Emerald glanced at each other. “We do. She gave Lara Roberts the map to your mother’s villa, which allowed the killers to get in, and your mother nearly lost her life. Even so, she’s still not the mastermind behind the plot, and I don’t think she meant to do it, either. Eugene, we’re begging you. Her life would bel ruined if she goes to prison.”
Despite his plea, Eugene continued evenly. “She nearly caused my mother’s death. Alex had at concussion after fighting off those men and is. still recuperating now. On the other hand, Jewel is still unable to move after getting stabbed when she was shielding my mother from the attack. Go on. Tell me what you think I should do to your daughter.”
“Eugene, I’ll make sure Nicole apologizes to you in person. And, of course, to your mother, Alex, and Miss Fenton as well. Would that be enough? I’ll give you as much money as you want in compensation too.” Chester ventured hesitantly.
Eugene snorted. “Do you think I need money? Or do you think Alex needs money?” “I know neither one of you need money, of course,” Chester replied frantically. “It’s just a gesture from us to make it up to you.”
“You can forget about giving us money. I have more than enough! And not everything can be settled with money,” Eugene retorted. Emerald rushed to add, “Eugene, Nicole likes you, you know. Why would she do such a thing?”
However, as soon as she said those words, she saw Eugene’s expression darkening and she quickly realized her mistake. She turned to Olivia and immediately started explaining, “Please don’t take it the wrong way, Miss Maxwell. I know Nicole has no chance of ending up with Eugene, no matter how much she likes him. What I meant is that Nicole has always been an innocent girl who isn’t scheming. Perhaps Lara promised her something to trick her into doing this, or else, why would she have given the map to Lara for no reason?”
His expression was stormy as he refuted, “She didn’t do it for no reason, of course. She and Lara had an agreement. Getting rid of my mother was the first step, and her next step would be to get rid of my girlfriend. Lara wasn’t the one who promised her anything. Your daughter’s the one who suggested it. Is this what you mean by her so-called affection for me? Does she like me so much that she won’t be satisfied until she gets rid of my girlfriend too?!”
Both Chester and Emerald stared at each other in shock when they heard Eugene’s outburst. Much, much later, Chester finally mustered up the strength to speak. ‘T-That can’t be.”
“Your daughter, who seems so artless and innocent to you, has already done a lot of things. I kept giving her chances for your sakes, Mr. and Mrs. West, but what do you know? Give her an inch and she will take a mile. Do you know who Andy Yard is?” Eugene asked. Chester looked at Emerald. “Who’s that?”
“I think that’s Nicole’s friend. I’ve heard her mentioning that name on the phone before,” Emerald muttered back.
Eugene filled them in. “Eight years ago, Andy Yard was just a beggar who lived in that area under the city’s two major bridges. Somehow, he ended up getting involved with Nicole, and ever since then, he had been obeying her command without protest.
“Just recently, right after the new year, Nicole ordered Andy to make a move against Olivia. Not only did they trick Olivia into drinking a spiked drink that sedated her, they also event. prepared over a dozen feral dogs. By the time I got there, the dogs were howling like mad, and Andy had already beaten Olivia to within an inch of her life. Can you imagine how I felt at the time? Nothing could settle the rage that I felt, not even if I killed them with my bare hands.
“Yet, your daughter was cunning enough to push all of the blame onto Penny instead. Although I gave Nicole a warning and taught her a lesson, in the end, I still let her off easier than she deserved. This time, she leveled up her game. She started working with Lara and even hired a bunch of hitmen. Do you still think she’s an innocent girl who doesn’t scheme? She’s plotted two murders now. She targeted my girlfriend once and now my mother. How can you expect me to let you settle this out of court?”
