The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 195

No, she absolutely couldn't admit to it.

Aline's fingers fidgeted unconsciously, her eyes darting with frantic calculation.

Faced with Sawyer's accusation, her expression turned stiff. "Sawyer, I didn't do it. You have to believe me."

Sawyer's voice was cold and sharp, his anger barely contained as he shouted, "Aline, do you take me for an idiot? Would I even confront you if I didn't have ironclad proof?"

With that, Sawyer pulled up the security footage from the old manor on his phone.

The Norton brothers instantly crowded around to watch.

On the screen, it was painfully clear: Aline, sneaking into the manor's kitchen, furtively slipping something into the pot simmering on the stove. She hovered just long enough to finish, then slunk out as quietly as she'd come.

Impossible.

Aline remembered perfectly—she'd paid someone to erase those recordings.

"How did you get this footage?" Aline collapsed onto the floor, her face drained of color.

Sawyer tossed the phone at her feet, his expression icy. "I had a hacker restore it. Aline, you really are too naive. Did you think this little trick could fool me?"

Aline dropped the pretense and let out a brittle laugh. "So what if it was me? Sawyer, the Iverson Group is gone. You're broke. What makes you think I'd be afraid of you now?"

If her secret was out, there was no point pretending anymore. She was tired—tired of keeping up the act after all these years.

"Sawyer, without the Iverson family, you're nothing. You still think you're some untouchable Mr. Iverson? Wake up." There was a manic edge to her voice now.

She looked up at him, pleading, tears shining in her eyes. "Dad, please don't call the police. I don't want Mom to go to prison."

Jeanette understood—everything Aline had just said was meant to show Sawyer that Jeanette herself had no part in any of it.

Sawyer stared at his daughter, disbelief and pain etched across his face. He fixed her with a grave look. "Jeanette, do you understand? Your mother killed your grandfather."

"Your grandfather might only have a few months left." Sawyer's voice broke as he mentioned Holbrook, sorrow flickering in his eyes.

Sawyer looked utterly defeated. Jeanette shrank back a little, frightened, but still stood her ground for her mother. "But Dad, I don't want to lose Mom."

For a moment, Sawyer was silent, eyes locked on his daughter. He wanted to say that he didn't want to lose his father either.