Chapter 443
I said, "What are you talking about? She did help me out. Even if a cat or dog dies, you'd feel sad, right? Let alone a person."
"I forbid you to be sad!" Linda snapped, "You're with me right now, but you're thinking about another woman. I won't allow it!"
I quickly shoved my sadness aside, realizing I had overreacted. I hugged her immediately. "Alright, don't be mad. I was just feeling a bit emotional. She's dead, after all. It's not like she can come back to life."
For the first time, I saw a look of hurt on her face. I quickly softened my actions and gently stroked her belly. "You've had it too hard before. From today on, you don't need to work so hard. I'll make sure you and the baby have the best life."
Linda's expression softened a bit, and then she said, "Help me up. I shouldn't soak in the bath for too long."
I nodded and lifted her out of the bathtub, but we didn't separate. I grabbed a large towel and wrapped us both in it.
Stella had already fallen asleep from exhaustion. We lay beside her, and Linda said, "I hate her because she harmed me!"
I sighed inwardly. Interfering in someone else's marriage—it wasn't wrong to say it caused harm. Although Katherine was forced by Lysander, wrong was wrong.
"Back then, Steven and I were just colleagues." As Linda recounted her story, an even more bizarre tale unfolded before me.
This also meant that my previous assumptions were all wrong. But some were true, like Steven being Katherine's teacher, and Linda's too. But at that time, Linda and Steven were just ordinary colleagues, not a married couple at all.
I was utterly shocked. The complexity of these relationships was mind-boggling. It turned out that Steven was just a poor teacher back then. Besides his handsome appearance, he had no money and no power.
He was even reprimanded several times by his superiors for his inappropriate personal conduct. Such a person somehow managed to become an associate professor in a very short time. At that time, Steven pursued Linda aggressively, but Linda didn't like him at all.
Katherine was assigned to work under Linda in the lab. The two had a very good relationship, but one night, after drinking a beverage handed to her by Katherine, Linda passed out.
The next day, she woke up to find her clothes in disarray, and Katherine was in the same state. This terrified them both.
A few days later, Linda received an email. When she opened it, the contents nearly made her collapse. It turned out to be photos of herself in compromising positions.
She frantically asked what the person wanted. But there was no reply, only a line of text under the photos: [I saw you. I got you. You are mine!]
Talking about that unsettling night, Linda's face showed a look of hatred. I asked, "So, that person was Steven?"
She replied, "That's right! I only found out afterward. He used this to blackmail me into submission! Desperate, I even thought being with him wouldn't be so bad."
Linda gave a self-deprecating smile. "I thought if he treated me well, his position as an associate professor would be a good match for me. But I was wrong. It was a trap, a meticulously designed trap, and Katherine was part of it!"
Her eyes were filled with intense hatred. "My family is quite wealthy. When I got married, my parents gave me several million dollars. Using that money and his position at the school, he quickly established Skyliho Group. A year or two later, Skyliho Group was thriving in Sevan City. He went from a university professor to a wealthy man. I thought it was all good until Katherine reappeared in my life, and I understood everything. So, I hate them!"
I shook my head helplessly. This situation was truly complicated. Linda wasn't wrong at all for targeting Katherine. The only one at fault was Steven. But Linda didn't tell me the whole truth either, like she hid the relationship between Jenny and Steven.
But there was also a chance she knew Jenny and Katherine were good friends. That was why she had Nicole set up Jenny. This way, the truth would come out. Unfortunately, Nicole was too dumb and messed everything up in the end.
I asked, "You stopped loving Steven a long time ago, didn't you?"
"Love? I never loved him!" Linda sneered, "Ever since he got rich, he indulged in debauchery. He came home every day smelling of different perfumes. Do you think I could love him?"
"I have another question!" I glanced at Stella. Although her eyes were closed, her fluttering eyelashes indicated she wasn't asleep. But since Linda was speaking in front of her, she must have known all this. "Why did he want to kill you?"
"Because he didn't want to share the money with me, because I wouldn't let him touch me, and because he's impotent! A long time ago, we started sleeping in separate beds because I didn't want to get sick! Unfortunately, he ended up harming himself."
Linda's expression was complex, but mostly relieved. She lay on top of me and whispered, "He's finished, and I'm free. I can finally get a good night's sleep."
I was analyzing the situation in my mind, and when I came to, I realized Linda had fallen asleep on me. I gently placed her on the bed. At that moment, Stella suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Can you let Steven live?"
I turned to look at her and saw her eyes filled with tears, a hint of pleading in her gaze. She added, "I'm begging you!"
I didn't know what to say for a moment. I thought, 'But with so much evidence against him, how could I let him live?'
Seeing my silence, Stella began to sob quietly. "I know, with your current wealth and power, you could easily kill him. But he's still my cousin. He brought this upon himself, and he deserves his fate, but I hope you won't kill him!"
I held her, wondering if Katherine would let him live. If he stayed alive, Katherine and Linda would never be at peace.
"You're talking nonsense. His fate is decided by the law, not me!" I gently stroked her back and said.
"Really?" She stopped crying, a look of joy on her face.
"Yeah!" I smiled helplessly.
"As long as you don't take action, he has a chance to live."
I sighed and gently wiped her tears. "Alright, don't think too much. Go to sleep!"
"Okay!" She kissed me on the cheek and then fell asleep in my arms.
At that moment, I distinctly heard a faint sigh from my left side. Tonight, sleep would elude me.
The next morning, we went to the police station again. The policeman told us, "After our investigation, Linda, you have no direct connection to the two cases. However, Steven is suspected of murder and money laundering, and the evidence is conclusive. We will proceed with the trial, and you will need to be present next week for the public hearing."
After leaving the police station, Linda was neither happy nor sad. As for Skyliho Group, it had already been seized. Laundering billions of dollars—just thinking about it was terrifying.
According to the police, the money laundering activities had started as soon as Skyliho Group was established. Steven had hidden it well. No wonder Skyliho Group had grown so quickly.
Sometimes I even wondered if Skyliho Group's business was really that good. It turned out it hadn't become the top in Sevan City because of money laundering. Golden Sunset Estates had also been seized, or rather, all of Steven's assets, including his cars, had been sealed.
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