Chapter 849
Lillian looked at Jackson, his eyes gentle, radiating a calm strength.
Instinctively, Lillian leaned closer into his embrace. For the first time since waking up, she began to piece together the events of that day.
"I didn't want to go to that dinner. Since I got back to the Kelly family, I've only seen Kenneth a few times, and I don't like them."
"But Anouk said there were some of my mom's things at Hilltop Mansion. They used that to lure me, so I had no choice but to agree to the dinner."
"I took a cab, but before it arrived, Anouk pulled up in her car."
"She kept showing off the sports car Kenneth gave her as a welcome gift, trying to make me mad and jealous."
"When I got to Hilltop Mansion, Anouk taunted me some more, and I demanded the car from Kenneth right then and there."
"Anouk had even teared up, looking like she was deeply wronged."
"When she handed over the car keys, tears streamed down her face."
"Thinking back now, her acting was flawless."
Jackson's expression grew colder. "She was pushing you to take that car. That way, if something happened to you, she had a solid excuse."
"You think it was Anouk, don't you?" Lillian looked at Jackson.
Jackson gently pinched her cheek. "She was involved, but she wasn't the mastermind."
"Then who do you think it was..."
Lillian had her suspicions.
She paused and looked at Ambrose, who also seemed to know who they were thinking of.
Ruby.
Given Anouk's impulsive and reckless nature, it was unlikely she could plan something so meticulous and cautious.
Anouk probably didn't have the guts either.
"Why were Gage and Jett there?" Ambrose asked.
He had questioned Gage and Jett over the past few days, but they only said they were visiting and barely spoke to Lillian.
"A few days ago, Anouk mentioned introducing me to a cousin from the Lawson family. I didn't think much of it. That day, when I walked in and saw Gage and Jett, I thought Ruby had gone to great lengths to set me up with her nephews."
As Lillian spoke, she felt the chill beside her intensify.
Jackson said coldly, "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
Ambrose also looked at Lillian with concern. She shook her head.
"No, Gage tried to get handsy a few times, but I told him off. With Kenneth there, they didn't dare go too far."
"Later at the dinner table, Gage tried to get me drunk. I got angry and argued with Kenneth, flipping the table. Ruby got hurt, and Kenneth was furious, wanting the servants to stop me from leaving. It was Ruby who calmed him down."
At this point, Jackson and Ambrose exchanged a glance.
They both suspected Ruby even more.
"Gage and Jett were called over by Ruby. She knew you were wary of them."
"With Gage and Jett there, your attention was focused on guarding against them, lowering your guard against others."
Jackson said in a deep voice. It seemed Ruby was indeed a master manipulator.
She had set up a smokescreen for Lillian, making it no wonder she was caught off guard by the final blow.
Hearing Jackson's words, Lillian felt a chill run down her spine.
She remembered injuring Ruby when she left. Now, thinking back,
Ruby might have feigned weakness to make her drop her guard.
Ruby was truly terrifying.
Jackson had also looked into the Kelly family, given that it was Lillian's family.
He turned to Ambrose and asked, "Did Ruby donate a kidney to Ophelia?"
When Jackson had seen Ruby's file, he was surprised to find that Ruby had donated a kidney to Ophelia.
The Lawson family might not have the same status as the Kelly family in Seaspring Valley City, but they weren't insignificant.
The Lawson family had followed Oberon in his ventures, and he had treated them well.
Ruby was a wealthy heiress, and it was surprising that she would donate a kidney to someone she wasn't related to.
If it wasn't out of genuine sisterly love, then Ruby had ulterior motives.
From what happened later, with Ophelia's early death, Ruby not only took over Ophelia's company but also her husband and child; it was clear Ruby gained a lot.
But Oberon wasn't someone easily fooled.
Lillian also looked intently at Ambrose. She had always wanted to ask this question.
"Yeah, she did donate a kidney to Aunt Ophelia," Ambrose answered firmly.
"Is it possible she didn't donate it herself, but found a matching kidney through other means? Then bribed the doctors to stage the whole thing?" Lillian considered this possibility.
She couldn't believe that a woman like Ruby, who ended up with her best friend's husband, would donate a kidney out of genuine friendship.
"Unlikely. Aunt Ophelia's kidney failure came on suddenly and severely. The Kelly family used all their resources but couldn't find a matching kidney. Things were dire, and Ruby's match was a surprise."
"The doctor who performed the surgery was personally chosen by Grandpa, someone trustworthy. Grandpa and I were all outside the operating room, making it hard to fake."
"Moreover, Ruby has had annual check-ups, and the reports show she indeed has only one kidney."
Jackson wasn't surprised, just slightly smirking.
"If she did that, then Ruby is ruthless to herself, let alone to others."
"You think Ruby's kidney donation was part of her scheme? Not out of genuine affection for my mom?" Lillian asked, though she had the same thought.
Her interactions with Ruby had made her feel that the woman was very deceitful.
"If Ruby hadn't genuinely donated a kidney to Aunt Ophelia, Grandpa wouldn't have trusted and treated Anouk like his own daughter."
"After Aunt Ophelia passed, Ruby managed many of the Kelly family's affairs. Even Aunt Ophelia's child was entrusted to Ruby's care."
"Because Ruby raised Anouk, she frequently interacted with Kenneth, and they eventually developed feelings for each other."
"When Grandpa found out, Anouk only recognized Ruby as her mother, crying and begging for Ruby to marry Kenneth."
"By then, Aunt Ophelia had been gone for a few years. Grandpa was furious and beat Kenneth severely, breaking his leg. Kenneth was hospitalized for a long time, but it didn't separate them. With Anouk's pleading, Grandpa eventually gave in and let them marry. But he gradually distanced himself from Ruby."
"Grandpa wanted to take Anouk in, but she was already attached to Ruby and only wanted her parents. Grandpa, feeling sorry for her, didn't insist. Kenneth and Ruby would bring Anouk to the Kelly Villa on weekends."
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