Chapter 301 I'm Determined to Get This Answer Today
Paige glanced towards the door; Francesca had already been brought over.
However, it was clear that Francesca was too shocked by the scene in front of her.
She could have anticipated both outcomes: victory and defeat.
It was obvious that the scene before her meant Louis had failed.
But Paige arrived too quickly, and where was Xena?
Paige's ignited anger was naturally hard to quell. She stared coldly at Francesca.
"Are you Curious why I'm here? Ms. Francesca was hoping it would be Xena here, right? You wanted Louis to kill Xena, didn't you? But you didn't expect me to replace Xena here. As soon as Louis made a move, I..."
Before Paige could finish, Francesca quickly walked in and interrupted her.
"What did you say? When Louis acted, you were here? Are you hurt anywhere?"
As Francesca spoke, she reached out to check if Paige was injured.
But Paige defensively dodged, causing Francesca to freeze in place. Her hand, still outstretched towards Paige, hung in mid-air, and she stood there stunned.
Paige found the scene incredibly amusing.
Or maybe Francesca's acting was just too perfect. She could fool others, but she even fooled herself.
Paige mocked, "Francesca, don't you think your concern is just like a cat crying over a dead mouse? No need to perform in front of me. You should know this trick doesn't work on me!"
Francesca's heart skipped a beat. She awkwardly withdrew her hand, her expression tinged with embarrassment. When she looked at Louis, their eyes met, and Francesca thought to herself.
She had been too eager and accidentally exposed her thoughts.
Louis had already failed, and she had lost her last chance to kill Xena. Next, she would face even more difficult crises.
She didn't know if she could get through the next hurdle smoothly.
Taking a deep breath, Francesca's gaze shifted from Louis back to Paige.
She had already calmed her earlier panic and adjusted her expression.
She was once again the elegant lady.
She asked Paige in a measured tone, "This was a trap, wasn't it? We all know you should be dining at the restaurant right now."
Paige answered, "That's right!"
Since everyone was here and she was already the winner, Paige could let Francesca know the truth!
By asking this question, Francesca was admitting it.
Admitting that these things were her doing, and Louis was just helping her.
When Louis realized this, he immediately stood in front of Francesca and explained once more, "Mom, this is just between Paige and me. You don't need to get involved."
It was only when Louis stepped in front of her that Francesca noticed his swollen wrist and realized he was injured.
She grabbed Louis's hand, looked at Paige, and felt a mix of fear and dread.
If Louis had succeeded, even if just by chance, Paige would now be a cold corpse.
If Paige had failed, even with a one-in-a-million chance, Louis would be either dead or crippled.
Francesca's recently calmed emotions nearly spiraled out of control again.
She held Louis's hand with one hand and pressed her heart with the other. At this moment, she wished she could kill herself a thousand times over.
Compared to exposing the secret, she couldn't forgive herself if either Paige or Louis were hurt, crippled, or dead!
Francesca lowered her head, hiding the redness in her eyes.
She felt a sharp pain in her heart, and Louis seemed to notice her discomfort.
"Mom, are you okay?"
Francesca's emotions were interrupted. She gently stroked Louis's hand, "I'm fine. It's you who are hurt."
With that, Francesca pulled Louis behind her.
Paige was right. What kind of mother uses her son as a shield?
The matter was her doing, and now that things had gone wrong and Paige had caught her, she couldn't clear her name.
"It has nothing to do with Louis. I was the one who asked him to do it. I just didn't expect him to fall into your trap. Paige, you're good, better than I expected. Raymond really loves you, planning everything for you. To ensure your plan went smoothly, he kept all my people at the border."
"Here, I have no one to count on. Great, you two working together must be very strong."
As soon as Francesca finished speaking, Raymond's voice came from outside.
"You seem to underestimate Paige. I didn't help at all. From start to finish, I never interfered in this matter."
As he spoke, Raymond had already walked over.
Following behind Louis were Pearl and Amelia.
Francesca listened to Raymond's words and looked at Paige in surprise.
"My people, you stopped them? How is that possible? How did you know I brought others?"
Paige didn't shy away from explaining, "Those who kept watch for you in the hospital, sabotaged the surveillance, and cleared the security around my mom's room. Francesca, you didn't think I wouldn't investigate these executioners, who disappeared into the crowd after doing your bidding, did you?"
Francesca's heart trembled. The knife she had sharpened for years had been noticed by Paige from the first day it was drawn.
No wonder her people were intercepted. No wonder her assassins sent to kill Xena failed.
"So, you noticed them long before Louis did."
"If they hadn't cleared the security around the hospital for you, my mom wouldn't have been harmed."
Francesca's throat tightened. She was actually afraid to hear this.
But she still asked, "So, tonight's trap was also set up by you in advance?"
Paige said, "I can't predict the future. I was just betting on how big the secret you wanted to cover up was, Francesca! Whether you would still take the risk when you got here."
"The fact proves that the secret you want to cover up is indeed big enough."
"Big enough for you to sacrifice Louis to take action."
"Since you had to move, I should give my hands. It also helps me get one step closer to the truth, doesn't it?"
Francesca understood. Yes, she had underestimated Paige again.
She kept making this mistake.
But could she be blamed?
Judging from Paige's life experiences, Paige shouldn't have such deep scheming.
Abandoned by her family, framed, and sent to prison.
Before going to prison, she was just a country girl. In just five years, and such an environment as prison, she gained a new identity, extraordinary means, and deep thoughts.
None of this made sense!
Even though Francesca couldn't explain all this.
But the facts at this moment proved that she had indeed repeatedly underestimated Paige's abilities and scheming.
Francesca, looking utterly defeated, relaxed her body and said to Paige, "So, Ms. Southern and Ms. Smith by your side didn't really need to dine in their rooms. They just gave me an excuse, right?"
"If I had dined with you tonight, you wouldn't have been able to set this trap."
"I could have kept an eye on you, and you wouldn't have been able to get away."
"Maybe the situation would have been different."
Paige shook her head slightly, "Francesca, you're wrong. You were destined to lose. From the beginning, the person who entered this room was not Xena."
"I had Pearl and Amelia dine in their rooms to give you an excuse not to appear at the dinner table."
"But I couldn't be sure you wouldn't attend the dinner. What if you did? If you kept an eye on me and I couldn't get away, there would still be others here waiting!"
"Whether you acted personally or had other people prepared, my people would be here to take the hit instead of Xena."
Francesca finally understood. No matter what, tonight's trap would catch her as long as she made a move.
She wanted to kill Xena, and Paige only needed to replace Xena. No matter who came to assassinate, tonight it would end in failure.
Francesca took a glance at Pearl and Amelia and suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid someone might die here?"
Francesca thought, that if she had gone to dinner tonight and Paige couldn't get away, then the person pretending to be Xena here would likely be Pearl.
If Louis succeeded, wouldn't Pearl die in place of Xena?
What a pity!
A young and beautiful girl loyal to Paige.
Pearl understood Francesca's provocative thoughts as soon as Francesca's gaze swept over her.
But Paige immediately said, "Would Pearl be killed? Francesca, how could that be? If the person here wasn't me, as soon as your assassin stepped into this room, the people hidden outside would rush in and kill your person instantly!"
When Paige said this, her whole body exuded a murderous aura, making Francesca feel a moment of fear.
She had just been thinking she should have gone to dinner and kept an eye on Paige.
But in that instant, she felt panic and fear.
Because the person acting was Louis!
If Paige's bodyguards didn't see Louis's face and shot him mercilessly, what would she do?
Francesca had never thought that dealing with Paige, something that seemed easy on the surface would actually be so full of heart-stopping moments.
Any mistake would result in a price she couldn't afford.
In the end, she had been careless and underestimated Paige, so she hadn't put more thought into the plan or brought more elite subordinates.
In this game, Francesca had lost completely and convincingly!
Paige's five years in prison were anything but ordinary!
She hadn't just spent five years in prison like a regular person; she hadn't just undergone five years of reform.
Her strength, intelligence, thoughts, and means were all likely honed during those five years.
As for who was behind her, Francesca still didn't know.
She also didn't know whether the person who made Paige who she was, was a friend or foe.
And her secret, which she had guarded for most of her life, was about to be exposed, turning everything she had protected into nothing. Francesca felt a sudden sense of panic and anxiety.
Things had reached a point where they couldn't be stopped!
Francesca's eyes were filled with unprecedented sorrow and confusion.
Was she going to become Paige's absolute enemy?
But as things had progressed to this point, it seemed she had no way out and no choice.
She looked up at Paige and said, "I've lost this game. I know, you won't kill me or Louis here. I'll be straightforward. I want Xena. She is useful to me. Paige, name your prices, and I'll try to meet it."
"Xena is my enemy. I didn't come all this way to exchange her for anything with you."
"Bringing you to see her has only one reason, Francesca, and you know it!"
Francesca's heart pounded. That reason was what Xena had overheard outside Luna's room.
Francesca's heart seemed about to leap out of her chest. Had the moment finally come?
She ultimately couldn't stop this moment from arriving.
Seeing Francesca tense and silent, Paige instead gave an order. "Bring Xena here."
A voice responded from outside. "Yes."
Paige looked at Francesca, "I want you to confront each other on the spot, Francesca. I must know the answer today!"
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