14
Tm leaving. Work’s been crazy lately, but I’ll make sure to stay home with you in a couple of days.”
Reuben kissed Addison goodbye and headed to the office.
In the living room, Wes and Nolan picked cautiously at their breakfast.
The moment Reuben’s car vanished from the driveway, Addison’s expression turned icy.
She stalked over to Wes and Nolan with a cold smile.
“Didn’t I warn you yesterday? Don’t talk nonsense to Reuben. Are you deaf?”
She grabbed Wes by the arm.
Wes was just a small child, helpless against her grip, his eyes wide with terror.
You’re a monster!”
Nolan hurled his spoon at Addison, desperate to make her let go of Wes.
But his defiance only enraged her further.
She thought, “Reuben is gone, after all. And these brats are Evelyn’s, aren’t they? Once I had my own children with Reuben, wouldn’t these two bastards fight over the family’s wealth?”
The thought sharpened Addison’s gaze.
She marched to the kitchen, grabbed a spoonful of hot water, then pinned Nolan down, forcing him to drink it.
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the villa.
Nolan’s tongue and throat swelled instantly, blistering and bleeding.
Chelsea darted out, shrieking,”Ms. O’Neal! He’s a child!”
“Get out of my way!”
Addison shoved Chelsea roughly to the floor, then scooped up another spoonful of hot water.
She seized Wes by the hair.
Wes clamped his mouth shut, trembling, so she tried to pour the hot water over his body.
It hurt.
Wes shrieked in agony, rolling on the ground.
Addison stared at them coldly, dropping the spoon.
Killing them outright would only arouse Reuben’s suspicion.
She had time.
Soon enough, she’d be in charge of the Gregson family.
She could take her time.
A twisted smile curled Addison’s lips.
You little brats. Try snitching to Reuben again, and it’ll be worse than this.”
Wes nodded through his sobs.
Nolan, his mouth seared raw, couldn’t speak.
He just wept silently.
Addison’s patience snapped at the sound.
“Keep crying, and I’ll make you drink more hot water! Weren’t you begging for food earlier?”
Her glare silenced them.
Tears spilled down their cheeks, silent and unheard.
It was hard to believe these were the noble members of the Gregson family.
Chelsea approached, voice trembling.
‘Ms. O’Neal what about school?”
“Call in sick. Say they got hurt fooling around. Tell Reuben the same. They did this to themselves. Got it?”
Addison’s gaze cut to her.
Chelsea nodded, scurrying to call the school.
Satisfied, Addison finally turned away.
On the other side, at the company, the “important matter” Reuben had mentioned wasn’t business at all.
It was news from Simeon.
They’d finally tracked down a lead on Evelyn.
As soon as he arrived, he summoned Simeon immediately.
“Any updates? Say it.”
He loosened his tie, a strange restlessness gnawing at him all morning.
Mr. Gregson, we found out… Mrs. Gregson’s younger brother, Eddie, has passed away.”
“What?”
Reuben shot to his feet, disbelief written all over his face.
“Eddie’s dead? That’s impossible. He was traveling abroad, wasn’t he? When did this happen?”
His brows knotted fiercely.
Everyone knew Eddie was Evelyn’s only brother.
If his death was the reason…
No wonder she’d stayed away so long.
Reuben’s thoughts raced, agitated, as Simeon continued cautiously, “Mr. Gregson, Mrs. Gregson’s brother passed away a month ago.”
A loud thud echoed in his mind.
Reuben froze.
A month ago?
How could that be?
If it had happened so long ago, why hadn’t he known?
He opened his mouth to speak, but a memory from a month ago crashed into him.
He and the boys had hatched a cruel prank, making a dummy of Eddie and tossing it into an oil pot to scare Evelyn. If…
His face turned pale.
Simeon, unaware of his internal turmoil, went on.
‘Earlier, Mrs. Gregson rushed her brother to the hospital. The cause of death was full-body tissue necrosis from extreme heat. At the time, Mrs. Gregson claimed … someone had thrown her brother into a pot of boiling oil.”
Reuben’s face blanched instantly.
Back then, Evelyn’s pleas, her sobs, her breakdown… he’d dismissed them all as a farce, a trick to get his attention.
But it turned out the figure in that oil pot had been really her brother.
And he’d killed Eddie with his own hands.
He thought, “No… no, what Wes, Nolan, and I made was clearly a dummy.”
Reuben clutched the table, his body trembling.
He recalled how Evelyn had insisted on calling the police afterward to arrest Addison.
Suddenly, a chilling realization hit him.
His voice was shaking as he said, “It was Addison… She switched the dummy. She’s the one who said Eddie went traveling…”
Simeon nodded.
Yes, sir. Our investigation confirms Ms. O’Neal was involved.”
