Chapter 2758: The Truth
Chapter 2758: Chapter 2758: The Truth
"We also heavily interrogated the kitchen staff. One of the line cooks suddenly vanished from the estate this morning without collecting his pay. Our security team managed to track him down at a local bus terminal before he could successfully flee the city limits." Richard Lee explained.
Catherine Lee’s hands began to tremble violently as she stared at the photographs of her friend.
"And after our security team successfully captured Marlissa Lopez, before we even managed to extract a formal confession from her through force, she broke down and confessed to everything." Richard Lee continued, his voice tight.
Marlissa Lopez probably knew deep down that she would never be able to escape the reach of the family dynasty. It was far better to confess immediately before the physical interrogation began. She was well aware that even though the Lee Family operated massive, legitimate global businesses, they also had their hands deep in illegal underworld syndicates. It would not be a surprise to anyone in their circle if they knew exactly how to torture people to get information.
"The captured kitchen staff member admitted that Marlissa Lopez paid him a small fortune to slip a highly concentrated dose of poison into Derek’s evening milk bottle." Richard Lee said, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw muscle twitched.
Even though Marlissa Lopez had confessed almost immediately upon capture, Richard Lee had not held back his paternal rage, beating the woman to half-death with his own hands before bringing her in. It was his own flesh and blood. And because of simple, petty social jealousy, that miserable bitch had poisoned his son. How could he not be consumed by a murderous anger?
Catherine Lee’s face became increasingly ghastly pale with every word.
"What?" Catherine Lee muttered, her world tilting on its axis.
Richard Lee’s expression became increasingly cold, his eyes devoid of warmth.
"The poison she procured was completely colourless and tasteless. The forensics doctor confirmed that the chemical signature perfectly matched the toxic traces found inside Derek’s organs during the autopsy." Richard Lee stated heavily.
Catherine Lee’s breathing became shallow and unsteady. Her mind went completely blank as the reality of her monumental mistake crashed down upon her. She slowly, haltingly turned her gaze toward Angelica Lee. The young girl still stood perfectly quiet by the window, staring out at the grounds. She had not spoken a single syllable in self-defence from the very beginning of the meeting.
Catherine Lee suddenly remembered, with agonising clarity, what she had done at the hospital. She remembered the brutal force of slapping her daughter’s face. She remembered screaming the word murderer at her own child. She remembered the sheer, unbridled hatred dripping from her own voice. Yet, through it all, her daughter had never once tried to defend herself. Not once. Hot tears of immense shame immediately welled up in Catherine Lee’s eyes.
"I..." Catherine Lee’s lips trembled violently as she reached out a hand. "I..."
However, no coherent words of apology would come out of her throat.
"Marlissa Lopez admitted to something else during her breakdown," Richard Lee said, his tone shifting back to a freezing register as he looked at his weeping wife.
"What... what is it?" Catherine Lee looked up at him blankly, dreading the answer.
"She knew from your private phone calls that you were terrified Angelica would take violent action against Derek." Richard Lee paused for a long, painful moment before delivering the final blow. "She stated that you constantly talked about it during your afternoon teas. You kept repeating to her that Angelica might eventually hurt the boy because of her obsession with the heir position."
Catherine Lee’s face turned even whiter, all the blood draining from her skin as her eyes widened in horror.
"She realised your deep-seated distrust toward your own daughter and decided to use it as her primary weapon." Richard Lee’s voice gradually became colder, slicing through the room. "She knew that once Derek died under mysterious circumstances, your paranoia would ensure you immediately suspected Angelica without thinking. And she was completely right."
Catherine Lee’s tears finally spilt over, heavy sobs wracking her frame.
The entire study fell into a heavy, judgmental silence, save for the pathetic sound of Catherine Lee’s weeping as it echoed against the wood-panelled walls.
Albert Lee slowly closed his eyes, leaning back against his chair. For the first time in decades, even the patriarch felt thoroughly exhausted. A male heir had died. One granddaughter had tragically lost her younger brother and had been falsely, brutally accused by her own mother. And the outside culprit had successfully planted a permanent seed of absolute destruction inside the core of this family.
After a long while, Albert Lee opened his sharp eyes once more.
"Bring that pathetic creature inside." Albert Lee commanded, not even bothering to utter her name.
"Yes, Father." Richard Lee said.
He immediately radioed his subordinates stationed in the hall to bring Marlissa Lopez into the room.
Fifteen minutes later, the heavy oak door to the study swung open. Marlissa Lopez was roughly escorted inside by two massive, unsmiling bodyguards. She looked completely dishevelled, her expensive clothing torn, and there were dark, purple bruises blooming across her face from Richard Lee’s earlier wrath.
"Catherine... Please, you have to forgive me! I did not mean to do something like this, I swear! I was just temporarily confused at that moment!" Marlissa Lopez begged, throwing herself toward Catherine Lee’s sofa.
She was desperately trying to manipulate Catherine Lee’s naturally soft nature to secure forgiveness. She calculated that if she could somehow get a waiver of forgiveness from her old friend, the Lee Family might spare her life out of respect for Catherine Lee’s wishes.
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