Gordon took his life? Noelle rushed to the basement in disbelief and found all the Liddells gathered.
Donovan stood at the door and watched Gordon's hanging corpse. Though he was frowning tightly, he felt relieved deep inside. They could pin all the blame on Gordon with the excuse that he'd taken his life just to escape punishment.
When Frank noticed Noelle approaching, he immediately stepped in front of her to block her view. "Don't look. You'll have nightmares."
Noelle's face was cold. "Gordon couldn't have killed himself."
For Xenia to have manipulated Gordon, she must've bribed him. How could a greedy man like him willingly take his life?
Blake asked, "Are you saying he was murdered?"
"That's impossible."
Donovan was the first to object. "If this was murder, who did it? Xenia is just a lady, and she couldn't have done this. Don't try to frame her."
Noelle smirked. "Couldn't she find help?"
Sure enough, the man backing Xenia had made a move.
Donovan fumed. "She's an orphan, so where could she have found such powerful assistance? Someone who'd even kill for her?"
Frank nodded in agreement. "Donovan has a point. Maybe Gordon did kill himself out of guilt."
After thinking about it, Donovan said, "We'll say Gordon stole valuables from the house. He embezzled a lot of money, and that can serve as evidence.
"We could say he tried to sneak into Noelle's room to steal something last night but ended up getting caught. Now he's taken his life after feeling too overwhelmed by guilt."
Frank nodded. "That works. Gordon's financial records have always been shady, but I turned a blind eye to it."
Noelle found his words ridiculous. How could a man with such a poor character be allowed to stay with the Liddells for years?
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: No longer a pushover (Noelle and Cedric)