Chapter 512With Martin gone, the enemy prepares to make their move
Patricia shrank from the topic, trying to pull her arm away.
But Jade wasn't about to let her dodge the issue. Visibly angry, her tone was uncharacteristically stern. "Do you even realize what you're doing to yourself?"
Patricia hung her head in silence.
Frustration coursed through Jade. Unable to hold back any longer, she grasped Patricia's shoulders tightly, shaking her forcefully. "When will you stop doing this? Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this? Are you trying to torture yourself to death? Have you thought about the people who care about you? Are you so caught up in Martin that you’re willing to abandon us, too? Even if you don’t care about me, what about Charles? Randy? Fannie? And Maria and Waston? You grew up without a mother. Do you want the same for them?"
As her words ended, so did the tears fall. One by one, they landed on the back of Patricia's hand.
Overwhelmed, Jade wrapped her arms around Patricia and burst into sobs. "Patricia, I’m begging you, please don’t hurt yourself anymore!"
Their commotion drew Ariel and Jeremy from the living room.
Seeing Jade clutching Patricia and sobbing, Jeremy anxiously asked, "What happened? What's wrong?"
Ariel caught sight of Patricia's scars, and her face paled with shock. She grasped Patricia’s arm. "Patricia, your arm..."
Jeremy followed her gaze and saw the scars crisscrossing her arms like a plague of tiny insects, old wounds mingled with new ones. His eyes filled with pity. "Patricia, what have you been doing? Why hurt yourself?"
He knew the marks weren't made by anyone else. He had seen reports and shows on this kind of self-harm; the wounds matched exactly.
Patricia remained indifferent to their concern and questioning. She pulled down her sleeve casually and said, "I'm fine! Don't worry about me.”
Jade was furious. She released Patricia and slapped her hard.
A sharp 'smack' echoed through the room. The sound was crisp and loud, unmistakably forceful.
Jade didn't care if Patricia was hurt; she raised her hand and struck her again.
Patricia's cheeks swelled, a vivid handprint marking her skin.
"What are you doing..." Jeremy was distraught and rushed to protect Patricia but was stopped by Ariel.
Jade, sobbing, shook Patricia's clothes violently. "You tell us not to worry but look at yourself! How can we not?”
"You ungrateful wretch, have you forgotten how I helped you raise Charles and Fannie? Is this how you pay me back? I care for you so deeply. I'm terrified something might happen to you, and yet, you ask me not to worry?
"Your grandfather and your cousins have put aside everything to be here with you. Can you bear to see them worried sick about you every day?"
Her shouting voice echoed, unloading all the anxiety and concern she had accumulated over time.
Patricia's cheeks were burning with pain. Those slaps seemed to snap her back to reality.
She looked at Jade, who was screaming and venting, and tears started to fall, at first slow, then rapid.
She let out a wrenching scream, gripping her head. Heartbreak, pain, sorrow, grief, longing, despair—
After enough shouting, Patricia lowered her hand, turning to Jade with pain in her eyes. "Jade, it hurts so much..."
With that, she clasped her hand over the left side of her chest, pressing down firmly, "Right here, it's so painful. I feel like I'd rather die."
Jade grabbed her hand vigorously. "I know, I know it hurts... I understand..."
Patricia wrapped her arms around her, bursting into tears, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I've worried you all! But it's just that I'm in so much pain! Only like this does my heart feel less agonized."
Jade held her tightly, crying along. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hit you! Forgive me... If it still hurts, hit me; let it out on me. Maybe then it won't hurt as much..."
Her words only made Patricia feel more remorseful. "Jade, I'm sorry, so, so sorry..."
They apologized to one another, crying together. Ariel and Jeremy joined in, too.
Jeremy, not wanting to lose face, tried to keep silent, tears quietly streaming down his face. Ariel's shoulders shook as she let out soft sobs from her throat.
The kitchen was filled with the sound of their crying.
After this emotional release, Patricia seemed much calmer. Jade kept a close eye on her, fearing she might secretly harm herself again.
Fortunately, Patricia stayed out of trouble.
Patricia decided that when the time was right, she would break the news of Martin's death to Mr. and Mrs. Langley. Martin had grown up close to them and held a special place in their hearts.
Meanwhile, Martha, upon hearing the news of Martin's death, stood up from the couch in shock. Her coffee spilled onto her clothing, but she had no time to deal with the stain, her voice trembling as she asked the person on the other end of the line, "What did you say? Say it again."
"Martin's dead."
No, she hadn't misheard.
Martha questioned further, "Is this information reliable?"
Martin had been a picture of health, power, and wealth—how could he suddenly be gone? Could it be that Martin had staged this whole scenario to lure her into a trap?
"I double-checked, and it's true. Over two months ago, Martin and Carter headed to Country M to find a child and ran into an ambush. Carter made it back, but Martin didn’t. Carter was seriously wounded and is still in recovery. Martin suffered fatal injuries and died.”
Martha's eyes widened in disbelief. "He's been dead all this time?"
"His headstone is now up in the cemetery. You can go see for yourself.”
Martha started to laugh. "I never expected him to die like this! All those times I couldn't kill him, and now someone else has done it…"
"But he left behind three sons. Taking over the Langley Group won’t be so easy.”
Martha pursed her lips in disdain. "Widows and orphans are hardly a match for me. Besides, his sons are only five years old. There's no way those old fogeys at the Langley Group would entrust the company to a toddler.”
The Langley Group was hers for the taking. She had tried every trick in the book to kill Martin when he was young, but he always managed to escape. Later, Gregory Langley took him under his wing, which disrupted her best chance to get rid of him.
When Martin officially took control of the Langley Group, he was capable and powerful, wielding significant influence. She nearly put him in a vegetative state, thinking his end was certain, but he somehow recovered.
She knew Martin wanted revenge, but due to the worry that the two stubborn elders would be upset, he held back.
Martha had abstained from further attempts on Martin's life, fearing she would provoke his rage, which would surely backfire on her. But now Martin was finally dead.
Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity for her to turn the tables?
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