Chapter 76 Investigating the Truth (3)
Anna's room echoed intermittently with the eerie sound of a cat meowing.
Cecilia maintained her façade of ignorance, deliberately using Anna to convey her message to Emily. After laying out her instructions, she added, "Don't tell her before Emily has calmed down."
"Okay." Anna replied, though her mind was clearly elsewhere, consumed by panic.
Cecilia acted oblivious to Anna's distress, feigned indifference, and exited the room.
Before leavingentirely, Cecilia discreetly switched off the audio in her pocket, aware that any abrupt cessation of the meowing might arouse suspicion. Then again, given Anna’s current overwrought state, she doubted the woman would notice such details.
Cecilia left the door slightly ajar as she exited. Anna, lost in terror, failed to notice. She only registered Cecilia’s departure before collapsing into an emotional wreck. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her reddened cheeks.
In her anguish, Anna muttered repeatedly, "Pamela, it wasn’t me who wanted to kill you. It was the young lady who forced my hand. If you have any grievances or desires for revenge, please, go to her. Not me. I did this to survive, to keep my job. My family depends on me. I beg you, don’t come to me, okay?"
Anna was a broken woman, tormented by her own actions. After drowning Pamela, she couldn’t reconcile with herself. Following Emily’s orders, she had staged a scene with Pamela’s lifeless body and then confined herself to her room, haunted by the image of Pamela’s lifeless eyes.
She regretted her decision deeply, realizing she had forsaken her integrity for the sake of her employment.
Whenever she thought of Pamela, her spirit shattered anew. She had raised Pamela with as much affection as one would a child, and the cat had been attached to her, perhaps even more than to Emily. Yet, she had ended its life with her own hands—it was as if she had killed her own "child."
Unable to bear it, Anna sought refuge in her room, trying to compose herself. She had hoped Cecilia wouldn’t discover her turmoil, but now the sounds of Pamela’s mournful meowing echoed again, just as when Ruth had visited earlier. Initially, she had dismissed the noises as illusions, but they were far too real.
Cecilia’s earlier words about the spirituality of cats now gnawed at her conscience, and Anna found herself truly terrified.
No. She had to accord Pamela a proper burial. She needed to give it the peace it deserved and find a priest to pray for Pamela’s soul.
Resolute, Anna rushed toward the door, only to stop dead in her tracks in shock.
Cecilia was standing there, having not left at all.
Anna was bewildered, having been certain Cecilia had exited moments before. How could she be back now? Desperately, Anna clung to the hope that Cecilia hadn’t overheard her earlier confession.
Anna forced herself to adopt a semblance of normalcy. "Do you need anything else?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
Cecilia's gaze was icy as she spoke, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "Did Emily tell you to kill Pamela?"
"No!" Anna’s denial was swift and frantic, her agitation betraying her attempt to conceal the truth.
"Really, it wasn't Ms. Emily Whitaker. She loves Pamela so much, how could she kill it? Don't wrong her; she's a good person. She has such a kind heart—she wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone do something so cruel," Anna's voice wavered and broke off abruptly as she saw the phone Cecilia held up. On the screen played a video—a recording of her earlier confession.
Anna's face drained of color as she stared at Cecilia in shock. She had pinned her hopes on a brazen denial, believing there were no witnesses besides Cecilia herself. She hadn’t anticipated the existence of such incriminating evidence.
Faced with this undeniable proof, Anna’s defiance crumbled. Her expression turned blank, her mind reeling.
In the next moment, desperation overcame her. She dropped to her knees before Cecilia. "Mrs. Cecilia Whitaker, please, don’t tell anyone. I can’t lose this job. I have younger siblings depending on me; if I lose my job, they won’t be able to go to school. I'm begging you," she pleaded, tears and snot smearing her face in her misery.
Cecilia lowered her phone, her expression unyielding. "It's not entirely your fault. Emily made you do it."
"Ms. Emily Whitaker also..." Anna began to protest.
"I know perfectly well why she did it. You don't need to defend her to me. If you want my help to stay with the Whitaker family, or even if you're kicked out, to get substantial compensation, you need to do exactly as I say. I promise you’ll leave with dignity," Cecilia assured her.
Skepticism flickered briefly in Anna’s eyes.
Without further delay, Cecilia outlined her plan. Anna listened, her head shaking rapidly in objection. "No, I can't betray her. She's treated me well; I can't sell her out."
"If I show this video to the Whitaker family, do you think you can hide anything? Or will you lie and say I forced you to make this recording?" Cecilia's voice was cold and calculated.
"No, I wouldn't dare wrong you," Anna denied in fear.
Cecilia had predicted this outcome. From Anna’s remorse over Pamela’s death, she deduced that Anna wasn’t inherently malevolent—thus, she could be reasoned with.
"Then simply tell the truth," Cecilia advised. "Besides, you’re not betraying Emily; you’re helping her. You know very well that what she did was wrong, don’t you?"
Anna did not respond, merely biting her lip, overwhelmed and lost.
"Emily shouldn’t have feelings for Alaric, right?" Cecilia stated clearly, watching Anna’s reaction closely.
Anna was stunned, her eyes widening as she stared at Cecilia in disbelief. How could Cecilia possibly know such a thing?
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