Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption by Lilyheart

Chapter 378: Verdict...

At that moment, the voices of the two women in quiet exchange boomed through the speakers.

The large LCD screen flickered, then lit up with a shaky, blurry video of a young lady whose expression was

ferocious and twisted with malice.

The camera caught her face clearly, though the other woman was out of frame. From the angle, it was obvious

that the recording had been made in secret by the other party.

"Of course. She may be comfortable with you returning to the Santiagos to reclaim what was never yours ...but |

am definitely not."

"What if we did plan it?"

"What do you think you can do if by any chance you fall into this pool?"

"Do you think you can be found on tsince all of the guests are just there in the banquet hall?"

"Do you think you can survive it with your pregnancy?"

"| heard pregnant women are prone to respiratory distress and dizziness in certain environmental conditions,

what do you think?"

The dialogue rolled on, every venomous word playing over the speakers.

The hall fell into pin-drop silence. Guests stiffened in their seats, their gazes darting between the screen and one

another, whispering with wide-eyed disbelief.

Davis, noting the ripple effect of the recording, rose without a word and left the hall. His face was unreadable, his

eyes cold.

By the last sentence, the audience gasped as one, their murmurs swelling into a storm of shocked speculation.

"Is that not Bernice Santiago?"

"Isnt that the Santiagos’ granddaughter under threat by a cousin?"

"Not just threatened but at the pool."

"Then...if they were at the pool...could it be she nearly drowned?"

"To think Lady Matilda, of all people, would be poisoned by a daughter she loves dearly..."

"She is wicked beyond words!"

"She deserves no mercy."

"Lady Matilda must seek justice for her granddaughter!"

"What a poor child! She only just returned home, only to be plotted against?"

"At least she was clever enough to record it!"

"Wait... did | hear that right? Pregnant?!"

"Pregnant? Then the Santiagos are expecting a great-grandchild?"

"Lady Matilda is blessed indeed..."

"But who is her husband? Surely not from a powerful family, otherwise why is he not present tonight?"

The speculation spread like wildfire.

Meanwhile, Lady Matilda's hand trembled as she gripped the armrest of her chair. Her heart hammered violently

against her ribs, her face pale with dread.

She could not sit idle. She dared not imagine the worst...not with Jessica, not again.

She rose abruptly and left the hall, her steps brisk despite her age.

She hoped to get to the pool faster and find out the situation.

Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt

She dared not let Jessica suffer anymore injustice and surely not from a second branch family.

Donald hurried after her. "What about Davis?" she asked quickly, her voice strained.

"I haven't seen him for a while now," Donald replied, frowning.

Lady Matilda's eyes darkened. "His wife suffers a mishap in the Santiago home, and his shadow is nowhere in

sight. | am sure that display was his hand work and warning."

She sighed. "The Santiagos must give him a reasonable explanation." Lady Matilda said her tone was cold, but

beneath it was raw pain.

Several guests noticed her sudden absence.

Their curiosity sharpened, hungry for scandal. Sbeckoned a waiter to lead them to the pool.

Within moments, more than half the hall stirred into motion, buzzing like restless bees.

The waiters tried in vain to control them, but the tide of intrigue was unstoppable.

The MC stepped onto the stage, tapping the microphone softly. The echo carried across the restless hall, drawing

reluctant attention.

"The family extends their sincerest apologies for this mishap," he announced, his tone steady but carefully

measured. "We ask that you remain here while the matter is clarified. A full explanation will be given."

A fraction of the guests heeded the request, deciding instead to use the interval to secure business deals while

awaiting the conclusion of the scandal.

But many others slipped away, chasing the at the poolside.

Meanwhile Davis arrived at the pool, his gaze cold and unreadable.

Standing at the edge of the pool, his voice rang out "Cassandra, Bernice, how do you think we can solve this

problem?" He smirked coldly.

Exhausted from their struggles, neither could answer.

"I recall," he continued softly, almost taunting, "that you wished to see how a pregnant woman might suffer from

respiratory distress. But I... | prefer to watch how a vicious young lady fares in such a condition."

Bernice’s body trembled violently. His voice was calm, almost casual, but the silence of the night and the eerie

quiet of the pool made each word strike like thunder.

Her eyes stung. She tried to open them, but the irritation from the tainted water forced them shut again. Will |

lose my sight tonight? Panic clawed through her chest.

She dared not imagine what he wanted to do, she blamed her mother for not being discreet enough.

She blamed her for not being able to handle a simple task of inviting a naive countryside bumpkin out.

Oxygen slipped from her lungs, her body almost tinged blue. Yet before she could find breath, Davis’ voice cut

again.

"Haven't you noticed they're thirsty?" His gaze sharpened, his tone cruel. "Wouldn't it be merciful to let them

drink?"

Bernice shivered. Her thoughts spiraled. Deep in the irritating pool, already drowning, lungs full of poisoned

water, and now forced to drink more? Isn't this the end?

In desperation and trepidation, she tried to swim away, but strong hands seized her arms. Her breath hitched as

she struggled uselessly.

She forced her eyes open, only to be confronted by two masked, burly men in protective gear. Cold. Unyielding.

Dipping her under, again and again. The sight left her gobsmacked.

Her screams were swallowed by water, while just beyond the pool's edge cthe anguished cries of her

mother.

She found herself drifting in and out of consciousness as her thoughts spiralled.

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, Lady Matilda’s voice.

"Davis, you are here?" Davis nodded.

He turned slightly, nodding once.

Her eyes darted to the pool, relief loosening her chest when she saw only Cassandra and Bernice suffering.

Jessica was nowhere in sight.

"How is Jessica?" she demanded.

"In her room," Davis replied curtly.

A frail voice croaked from the water. "Grandma... you must seek justice for me!"

Lady Matilda's face twisted with rage. Her voice cracked like a whip.

"How can a useless old hag seek justice for you?"

"Aren't you living out your plot at the moment?"

Bernice’s heart collapsed. Her grandmother, the woman who had always coddled and adored her, had turned

cold.

"Are we really going to lose our life here?"

"Over that country bumpkin?"

"Will our ancestors abandonif I let her win?"

As if her thoughts were read, the merciless hands pressed her deeper under. Her consciousness slipped, the

world dimming.

"Davis, stop!" Lady Matilda's voice

trembled with urgency. "They don

need to die in the pool Det them out. |

will vaya an explanation...one that

satisfies you...before the night is

over." The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

For a moment, Davis was silent. Then, at last, he inclined his head.

"| promise," Lady Matilda swore.

"Take them out," he ordered. His gaze lifted to lock with hers. "I'll be waiting."

With that, he turned and left, his men trailing behind.

The women were hauled from the pool like discarded refuse. Bernice’s skull struck the tiles with a crack, jolting

her painfully back into consciousness.

Lady Matilda stared at her. The girl she had cherished, pampered and defended at every turn.

The betrayal cut deep. Jessica had saved her countless times with her antidotes had kept her alive.

And yet this child, this blood of hers, had schemed to end both their lives.

Her chest was constricted with grief and fury. But tonight, the scales would be balanced.

"Guards," she commanded coldly. "Take them to the Central Hall."

Bernice and Cassandra blanched.

In the Santiagos’ family, the Central Hall was both sacred and revered.

Matters taken to the Central Hall were usually without remedy and declarations made in this hall remain

irrevocable.

They tried to plead, mouths opening and closing, but no words emerged. Only silent tears carved down their

cheeks.

Lady Matilda did not spare them another glance as she strode ahead, her robes sweeping with finality.

In the grand, brightly lit Central Hall, the Santiago family gathered. The matriarch entered, her face a mask of

iron, devoid of tenderness and emotion.

The disgraced women were shoved to their knees before the assembly.

Her voice rang out, clear and unyielding.

"It is forbidden in the Santiago family

to kill or even to plot the death Pn

one’s kin, Yet lqday) Cassandra and

BEice Nave allowed hatred to

consthem, plotting not only

against Jessica... but against me."

The hall quaked with unease. The verdict was obvious.

"From this moment forth," Lady

Matilda declared, "they are stripped

of their name. Those tobe

Reba of EB iago family. For

their attempted murder, | reserve the

right of prosecution to the Allen

family...the very family they have

offended.” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

The hall fell utterly silent.

Cassandra collapsed, trembling. Bernice shook her head in disbelief, her mouth forming desperate denials, but

no one moved to help her.

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