Chapter 468 Grace's Murderous Intent, Caught in Her Own Trap
Her hand hovered mere inches from Shane's life support, the plug within grasp—a seemingly innocent mishap away from ending it all. In her mind's eye, the scene played flawlessly; an 'accidental' disconnection, her unwitting discovery, the clear conscience thereafter.
Only a minuscule action remained. Her fingertips brushed against the plug, yet the synchronised creak of doors halted her intent.
From the bathroom emerged Riley, Patricia, and Martin, while Jeremy, Ariel, and Sebastian made their entrance from the corridor.
Jeremy's face contorted into a visage of sheer disbelief upon seeing Grace. Riley and Sebastian, however, maintained stoic facades, though their eyes couldn't mask the disdain and disappointment lurking within.
Confronted by the sudden gathering, Grace's hand twitched perilously close to the plug, but she swiftly composed herself.
Her gaze locked onto Patricia, laced with accusation. "What brings you here, Patricia? After confining Grandpa to this fate, you dare show your face?"
Intent on alerting authorities, Grace reached for her phone, only to be met with Patricia's scornful chuckle. "Assuming the role of the victim, Grace? Your guise doesn't fool us."
Grace retorted with feigned innocence. "Your guilt is clear to me, Patricia. The knife you drove into Grandpa's heart—I witnessed it with my own eyes."
Patricia, unphased by Grace's retort, advanced with a taunt, "Recollections surface, Grace. Did you think hypnosis could erase your deeds from my memory?"
A flicker of panic crossed Grace's features, swiftly denied, "Your accusations are baseless."
Patricia's eyebrow arched in challenge. "Denying the act we all witnessed? Your silence speaks volumes, Grace."
Cornered, Grace found no words to counter.
Patricia persisted, "He's your own grandfather, Grace. What drove you to pull the plug on his ventilator?
"You wanted to silence him forever, fearing the revelations his awakening might bring. Your transgressions would unravel with his consciousness. In desperation, you aimed to erase any trace, especially once his recovery became apparent. Do you really think everyone else is a fool and you're the clever one?"
Grace's initial panic gave way to calculated calm. The bathroom and room doors, positioned away from the bed, couldn't have offered them a view of her near act. Their prior position by the bathroom and corridor entrance equally barred them from witnessing her attempt.
Was this a ploy?
Seizing the moment, Grace conjured tears and turned to Riley with a desperate plea. "Riley, you doubt me as well? I harbored no ill will towards Grandpa. How could I? Patricia's framing me, seeking her own absolution."
Patricia's laughter echoed. "A frame-up, you claim?"
Grace, undeterred, clung to Riley's sleeve, her voice a blend of despair and entreaty as she said, "You must believe me, Riley. Grandpa cherished me—how could I possibly bring harm upon him? What motive would I have?"
Riley sighed deeply. "Indeed, why?"
It was both a lament and a quandary he wrestled with internally. The enigma persisted: Why, indeed? Grandpa's affection for Grace was boundless, an attempt to rectify decades of missed opportunities, showering her, his granddaughter, with the love he had withheld.
He would have bestowed upon her the entirety of the world, if such a thing were within his grasp. Despite her myriad of transgressions, her lack of genuine substance beneath her polished exterior, her grandfather's support never wavered.
His benevolence was unwavering, as constant as the northern star. In a just world, she would be the epitome of joy. Yet, the notion of her raising a hand against her own flesh and blood was unfathomable.
As Grace scrambled for another feeble defense, Jeremy swiftly brandished his phone, revealing the damning security footage for all to see.
The camera footage was a mirror to their reality: Grace clutching at Riley's sleeve, Patricia stationed by the bed, Jeremy confronting Grace with the footage, Ariel near the doorway, and Martin by the bathroom, as if he had just entered.
Grace stood mute, her expression a maelstrom of confusion. Her eyes traced the camera's vantage to its clandestine perch—a minuscule pinhole camouflaged within the ceiling light. Its presence was so subtle, it would elude any casual observer.
Jeremy's gaze bore into her, laden with a profound mix of sorrow and disillusionment. "Grace, I overlooked your attempt on Patricia's life. I dismissed your theft of her designs and your baseless allegations against me. Family ties, I reasoned, warranted my forgiveness. But to harm our grandfather? This betrayal is beyond my capacity to forgive."
Grace, astute as ever, quickly pieced together the unfolding scenario. Her eyes darted between the inert figure of Shane and the assembled kin.
Riley, with evident disgust, withdrew from her grip.
Her hand drooped, devoid of strength, as she stammered, "Was this... all orchestrated?"
The sequence of events—Ariel's assurance of Shane's recovery, Jeremy's assumed caretaker role—had misled her into believing an opportune moment had presented itself. Unbeknownst to her, the room was under vigilant surveillance, a trap set for her downfall.
Such meticulous planning was no mere happenstance. The entire ensemble, including Patricia, ostensibly a prisoner, was complicit.
Patricia's smirk was tinged with malice, "Ah, you've pieced it together. Not as obtuse as we thought."
Grace's face blanched, a ghostly pallor overtaking her visage, when Ariel's hand struck her with a forceful slap, the sound echoing through the sterile room.
Ariel, seething with rage, demanded, "How could you betray Grandpa's love?"
Grace, nursing her reddened cheek, discarded any facade, retorting bitterly, "Why this conspiracy against me? Aren't we supposed to stand together as a family?"
"You aimed to end Grandpa's life. The 'why' lies with you," Ariel countered, voice peaking in fury.
Grace remained defiant, clinging to her innocence. "I did no such thing! My concern was merely for the ventilator's connection, nothing more."
In her mind, as long as she maintained her denial, they were at an impasse. With Shane's silence, her secret was safe—for now. And Patricia's culpability in attempted murder remained a specter hanging over her head.
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