Chapter 537
Cassie was startled, caught off guard by the depth of William Zenith's dissatisfaction with his son. Yet, she couldn't deny the truth in his words.
After a moment, William Zenith drew a deep breath, dismissing his thoughts with a wave of his hand. "Enough," he said, his voice heavy with resignation. "I no longer wish to meddle in the affairs of the Zenith family. My immediate concern is to leave New York with Nina's mother. We'll then devise a plan to prove Nina's innocence. I am certain she is blameless. She could never harm Joyce. They used to be inseparable as children."
Cassie hesitated before voicing her curiosity. "Uncle, is your relationship with Megan and her father strained? Why else would she not visit you?"
At her question, William Zenith's expression shifted dramatically.
"I apologize if my question is inappropriate. You don't have to answer if it's uncomfortable..." Cassie began, but he cut her off.
"No, it's alright," he assured her, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "Megan likely holds a grudge against me for remarrying. But was I to remain single forever? In my youth, I was engrossed in my work, and Megan's mother was often unfaithful. I could no longer endure it, so I divorced her. Yet, for the sake of our children's well-being, I never spoke ill of their mother. Consequently, Megan harbors the misconception that I betrayed their mother, causing the chasm between us to widen. Nina's mother has always treated them kindly, but Nathan and Megan, much like their mother, fail to appreciate her."
Cassie was taken aback, realizing that William Zenith had his share of hardships. It was clear to her that Megan and her brother were far from virtuous, yet Joseph and his group idolized them. The thought alone was enough to give Cassie a headache.
Before long, her phone rang. It was Laura. " Cassie, something terrible has happened. Nina's mom is dead."
Cassie felt a jolt of shock. Struggling to maintain her composure, she stepped out of the hospital room and lowered her voice. "Don't frighten me like that."
"It's true," Laura's voice trembled. "William said that Nina's mother vanished after going home to pack today. I reached out to the Zenith family. Their household staff had all departed, and I had to scale the wall to enter. I found her in the bathroom, her head covered in blood. She had no pulse. The police arrived shortly after and concluded that she had hit her head on the bathroom cabinet, bled excessively, and died without medical intervention."
Cassie felt a chill run down her spine. "That can't be. She seemed perfectly fine when I saw her. Did you check the surveillance footage?"
"The Zenith household has been vacant for the past few days, so the surveillance was turned off," Laura explained through gritted teeth. "However, I managed to check the neighbor's surveillance. Megan visited this morning, but she only stayed for half an hour before leaving."
Cassie trembled. "This has to be connected to Megan. She despised Nina's mom."
"I thought the same, but the forensics team found no evidence linking Megan to the incident. There were no fingerprints of hers in the house, and they estimated the time of death to be around nine in the morning. Megan had left by eight-thirty."
Laura's voice shook as she continued, " Cassie, I've read about some terrifying psychologists who can use hypnosis..."
"Do you mean... Megan could have hypnotized Nina's mother?" Cassie felt a wave of horror wash over her.
"It's not entirely implausible. If Megan put Nina's mother in a semi-conscious state and caused her to fall and die, there would be no trace of a crime."
Cassie massaged her temples, trying to process the unsettling information. The circumstances surrounding Nina's mother's death were suspicious, to say the least. Nina, locked away in prison, would be heartbroken, and William Zenith... poor man. "We must keep this from William. I fear he won't be able to bear the news. We'll take care of the funeral arrangements for Nina's mother."
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