Chapter 304 Evidence
Lilian, appearing unafraid and confident, held the urn as she walked into the living room, placing it directly on the coffee table near Fiona.
Then, she straightened up. “Ms. Rhoads, I’d like to know what I've done to offend you to this extent. You’re creating such a scene, even at the risk of undermining Darwin in front of everyone.”
She paused, as if a thought had struck her, “If it's about the incident with the project proposal, yes, I was wrong. I won’t make excuses, and I am ready to apologize and accept the consequences. Just say the word. But please, let’s not drag others into this.”
Lilian looked at Darwin with affection, “After all, Darwin almost lost his life for you. You shouldn’t be so harsh with him.”
"Lilian…”
Darwin’s voice was low, his tone carrying a warning.
“You’re right, I almost died trying to save you,” Fiona said, her gaze fixed on Lilian, “Since you care about Darwin so much, let me ask you, does the person who ordered the hit deserve to die?”
A flicker of emotion crossed Lilian's eyes before she answered, “Of course!”
“Good,” Fiona nodded with a cold smile.
After this brief exchange, Lilian had her suspicions as to why Fiona had involved her. Had she found out something incriminating?
"Stuart, go look for it," Fiona commanded in a frosty tone.
Without a word, Stuart and his team dispersed in every direction.
"Honey." Darwin spoke with a heavy voice.
"Don't ask, just don't," Fiona shut him down without making eye contact.
The idea that Dagwood might have been right about Darwin siding with his first love...
If that was the case, then Darwin can go to hell alongside Lilian!
Lilian had never seen anyone talk to Darwin with such vile contempt. She glanced at him, waiting for his inevitable eruption.
But...
With a gentle sigh, Darwin settled beside Fiona.
Caught off guard by his gaze, Lilian unconsciously furrowed her brows, becoming tense.
Before long, Stuart returned with a ziplock bag containing a cell phone.
"Found it, hidden in a really secretive spot in the study," Stuart handed over the phone to Fiona.
Fiona took the phone and tossed it onto the coffee table, where it knocked against Anniston's urn.
An uneasy lurch went through Lilian's heart.
"Is this the phone used to communicate with The Venomous Shadows?" Darwin asked.
Lilian looked baffled. "The Venomous Shadows? What's that? And what does this phone have to do with me?"
"The Venomous Shadows is a hitman ring. They sent someone to assassinate me—they're behind this all. This phone belongs to the real mastermind," Fiona explained, her eyes fixed on Lilian. "Shortly after the attempt on my life, this phone's signal popped up at Klein Mansion. It vanished after a dozen hours."
"A hitman's phone in Klein Mansion? Could it be... did Mr. Potter hire someone again?" Lilian's voice trailed off as she realized her slip-up, quickly covering her mouth, a look of fright directed at Darwin.
With furrowed brows, Darwin peered at the phone with a piercing gaze, ignoring Lilian.
Seeing this, Lilian lowered her eyes, murmured to herself, "No wonder Mr. Potter was acting so strange, rushing off abroad all of a sudden..."
Her thoughts raced, and she turned to Fiona in horror. "I heard from the police that someone might've been chasing Mr. Potter's car the day of the accident. Ms. Rhoads... tell me it wasn't you. That was Darwin's mother! No matter how angry you were, you wouldn't... not her life..."
"Lilian, you're quite the actress, why don't you go pro?" Fiona sneered, "Anniston has lost her way these last few years, but she's not dumb enough to hide such critical evidence in her own place, let alone leave it on to be tracked. Your attempt at framing someone is pathetic, no... it's laughably terrible!"
"Acting? What acting?" Lilian's face turned blank. "Ms. Rhoads, are you suggesting that I framed Mr. Potter? That I wanted to kill you?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Fiona replied with a cold chuckle.
"Darwin, I didn't! I couldn't possibly murder anyone!" Lilian looked horrified. "Ms. Rhoads must be mistaken. We've known each other for years. You know who I am. I'm not even close to Ms. Rhoads; why would I hire someone to kill her?"
She paused.
Then, as if struck by a revelation, Lilian turned to Fiona, "Ms. Rhoads, this is about those past issues with Darwin, isn't it? You're jealous that Darwin once loved me. Even Secretary Woods, who could be your twin, stayed by Darwin's side because he reminded him of me. But those are things of the past, he's head over heels for you now. I've moved on. Now, with my mother's passing and my brother disappearing, I'm utterly alone. Please, show some mercy and don't bully the unfortunate!"
"Honey, I know you wouldn't accuse someone baselessly. You say she's the one who hired a hit, do you have proof?" Darwin asked soberly.
"Yeah, if you're going to judge me, you should at least have some evidence!" Lilian cried out, steeped in self-pity.
Fiona scoffed.
She pulled out a document from her briefcase and tossed it onto the coffee table, "Lilian, did you think that by cancelling your payments to The Venomous Shadows from that anonymous account, no one would track you down?"
Lilian gasped in shock.
Darwin had already picked up the document.
Fiona didn't bother with him anymore; she just kept her eyes fixed on Lilian. "Two days before the assassination attempt, you sent two separate payments to The Venomous Shadows—one large, one small. The next day, another payment to The Venomous Shadows."
Lilian's hands began to tremble.
Without looking away, Fiona continued, "The Venomous Shadows always demand an advance with the balance paid upon completion. Let me guess, on the same day, the larger amount was the down payment to take me out, and the smaller… was it for your mother or your brother's life?"
"Chelsea, you're spouting nonsense!"
Lilian vehemently denied it.
Fiona was relentless: "It was your brother, right? After all, your mom died a few days later, and the final payment wouldn’t have been made so early. As for the money to have me killed, since the hit failed, naturally the rest of the payment wouldn't go through. It all adds up."
"Darwin, it's not like that! I don’t know what this account is. Someone must have stolen my information and set this up to frame me!" Lilian pleaded, rushing to Darwin's side and clutching his wrist, "Darwin, you have to believe me, you must!"
Finally, Darwin shifted his gaze from the papers to Lilian's face.
"This account... it was opened under the name of the royal family you belonged to five years ago." The document was crystal clear.
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