Chapter 257 Everything Collapsed
Adeline didn't head straight to the hospital to see Helen. Instead, she grabbed a cab to the police station.
The young cop at the desk shut her down, saying, "The suspect in the commercial crime is still being interrogated. No visits allowed."
Adeline nodded. "When can I see him then?"
The officer checked his watch. "At least three to four hours from now."
"Got it." Adeline plopped down on a nearby bench. "I'll wait."
The officer gave her a surprised look before walking away.
Adeline waited at the station from noon, enduring the blazing sun until evening.
At 6 p.m., the young cop finally came over. "You can visit now."
Adeline thanked him and followed him to the visitation room.
When Daniel saw her, surprise flickered across his face.
"I heard a woman was waiting all afternoon to see me. Didn't expect it to be you," Daniel sneered. "So, Adeline, here to gloat?"
He knew this day would come when Stella asked him to steal Adeline's designs. But he didn't think it would be so soon. Before the plagiarism scandal even hit the internet, Jasper had him thrown in jail.
"Yeah, I came to gloat," Adeline sighed, her eyes mocking. "The Collins family used to be in business, even if it wasn't big. You were a business owner. You knew it was illegal, but you still leaked those trade secrets."
Daniel shot her a cold look. "Didn't think you'd dig into my past."
"Feeling smug now?"
"Trying to seduce my daughter's husband almost worked, and now you've got her dad in prison."
"Happy to see her heartbroken?"
With a bitter laugh, Daniel continued, "Adeline, you won't get what you want!"
"Jasper loves my daughter. No matter how beautiful and cunning you are, it's pointless!"
Adeline gasped, shocked.
She settled more comfortably in her chair. "Do you really think Jasper loves Adeline?"
"Remember how humble Adeline was when she married Jasper?"
"She asked for nothing, even willing to face you all, just to marry him."
"But in the end, Jasper gave her nothing."
"Even when your company went under, Jasper didn't help."
"Adeline paid the debts you owed off bit by bit with her scholarship money and the money she made from secretly drawing designs online."
As Daniel's face paled, Adeline smirked coldly. "Still so sure Jasper loves her?"
Adeline's words finally broke through Daniel's tough exterior.
Glaring at Adeline, he gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
"My eldest daughter Adeline has suffered enough!"
"From childhood, we always pampered our younger daughter, neglecting Adeline's feelings, never giving her a proper childhood."
"Now, the kids aren't close to her, and Jasper's treatment of her is inconsistent."
"She's already been through so much. Do you have to take away her last bit of happiness to be satisfied?"
Daniel's words stopped Adeline in her tracks.
For the first time, she heard Daniel express remorse and guilt towards her.
Adeline bit her lip, staring coldly at Daniel. "Jasper might be suing you for leaking major commercial secrets, but you stole my design. If I don't press charges, you won't have to go to jail."
Her calm words sparked a glimmer of hope in Daniel's eyes. He looked at her eagerly. "Miss Wilson, can you let me go?"
"I can," Adeline said, closing her eyes. "But I need two answers from you."
"First," she took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the gray-haired man across from her, "before Molly went abroad, she told me something. She said she wasn't Helen's child; she was yours and another woman's. You sent your and Helen's real second daughter to an orphanage and brought Molly back to be raised. Is that true?"
The room fell silent. Daniel stared at Adeline in shock, his mouth opening and closing without a sound. After a long pause, he finally rasped, "Why did Molly tell you that?"
Adeline closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Just answer me. Is it true or false? If I tell Stella about this, given her kind nature, do you think she would save you if she knew you abandoned her real sister?"
Daniel's face turned ashen, even paler than the wall behind him. After another long silence, he closed his eyes. "It's a long story. But yes, I did switch the children."
Adeline's heart ached fiercely. A mistress's daughter had taken Helen's love for over twenty years. Helen was still in the dark. Just this afternoon, Helen had fainted and been hospitalized out of emotional distress because Daniel, who had switched her daughter, had been jailed for stealing.
Biting her lip hard, Adeline glared at Daniel. "Don't you think what you did was heartless? What do you take your wife for?"
Daniel hesitated, remaining silent for a long while. Finally, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "In the end, I'm going to prison anyway. There's no reason for me to continue hiding. In fact," he opened his eyes, "although Molly isn't Helen's biological daughter, she's not mine either. She's the daughter of a wealthy foreigner. When I heard the orphanage was going to send the foreigner's daughter back, I had an idea. I had no means. I hoped my daughter could have a better life."
Adeline gasped. "So you switched the foreigner's daughter with your second daughter, right?"
Daniel remained silent. Adeline closed her eyes. The man in front of her was her father. Over the years, Daniel had always been a towering, mature figure in her eyes. But now, everything had collapsed.
"Helen still doesn't know about this," Daniel lowered his head. "But even if she did, she wouldn't blame me. After all, our daughter is now living a very good life. I've been self-reproachful all these years, but the deed is done. Besides treating Molly better, I have no other way."
Daniel lifted his head. "I've given you the answer to this question. What's your other question?"
Adeline hesitated for a moment and smiled. "The other question is... You and Helen have always said you feel guilty towards Adeline. Is it because of genuine regret and guilt, or are you just trying to please Stella to gain Jasper's protection?"
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