Chapter 17
Her dignified and elegant demeanor made it impossible to associate her with someone from an underworld family. “You’re back. Where’s Ivana?” she asked.
He asked back, “Mom, what did you do to Sydney?”
“I didn’t do anything. I just came to take a look since you’re so obsessed with her lately. As my son, I must say, your taste in women is… quite poor.” Mrs. Gilmore elegantly sipped her coffee, scrutinizing her arrogant but brainless son. “No need to stretch your neck looking around. She’s fine, sleeping inside.”
Ernest said, “Mom, Sydney didn’t do anything wrong.”
Mrs. Gilmore raised an eyebrow. Her son’s taste in women was appallingly bad, she said, “Didn’t do anything wrong? Years ago, you were ready to die for her and now that
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she’s back, your brain has gone soft again.”
“I kept quiet for your sake before, but there are things you need to know now.” She gestured for one of her men to open a laptop. It was a video.
In the video, from five years ago, Mrs. Gilmore and Sydney could be seen. Mrs. Gilmore was clearly pushing a card toward her, “Here’s three million. Leave my son.”
“Mrs. Gilmore, is your son only worth three million?” In the video, Sydney showed no trace of the innocent, demure woman she pretended to be, her face and eyes were filled with greed.
Mrs. Gilmore withdrew the card and
replaced it with another, “Five million. Miss Hamilton, it’s best to know your limits. Otherwise, making someone disappear isn’t all that difficult.”
Sydney appeared reluctant but ultimately accepted the card.
Ernest could barely speak. When Sydney
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had broken up with him back then, she made it sound like she’d suffered
unbearable humiliation at his mother’s hands, claiming she didn’t deserve him and that was why she left the country. He never expected that she had taken the money to leave him.
“Why?” Ernest’s eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted in rage.
“Why? If she took the money, she couldn’t continue playing the role of the pure ‘favorite woman‘ in your heart, the innocent act had to be convincing.” This time, Mrs. Gilmore didn’t care if Ernest’s heart broke. She played video after video.
Another video showed Mrs. Gilmore giving Ivana the same five million, but Ivana resolutely pushed the card back, “I love Ernest as a person. I love his boyish sincerity, his full–hearted passion for everything he does and his unwavering commitment.”
Mrs. Gilmore had tried to intimidate Ivana.
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She had sent some female thugs to harass her, sabotaged Ivana’s part–time jobs, poured coffee on her and slapped her. Through it all, Ivana had only one response, “I only want Ernest.”
Mrs. Gilmore said, “Ivana may be stubborn, but she’s the kind of woman I can trust to stand by you. As for that one in there…. huh.”
Ernest’s breathing grew labored, as though a ball of cotton was stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking.
“There’s more. Don’t rush,” she continued.
Ernest turned his head, refusing to watch, but his men forcibly held him in place, pried open his eyelids and made him look.
In the video, Sydney and her friend were in the backstage area of the Nolen Bar, systematically disabling the fire safety systems. For systems they didn’t know how to shut down, they simply cut wires or damaged them outright.
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On the day of the fire, it was Sydney’s friend who pushed Ivana into the flames. It was also Sydney who had deliberately knocked over a wine bottle, causing it to shatter and spread the fire further. And after escaping the bar, Sydney told the firefighters that there was no one left inside.
At the time, Ernest had thought Ivana had made it out. It wasn’t until later that Winston carried her unconscious body out of the inferno.
He remembered that day vividly. Sydney had grabbed his arm, crying, “Ernest, it hurts so much. Don’t go, I’m scared. Ivana already made it out, I saw her. She ran out already. She’s probably waiting at home. Just stay with me, okay?”
So back then, Ivana had been in the hospital too. Why didn’t she tell him? Why?
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