Chapter 379 Exposed
Zachary croaked out, "Black Mamba."
It was the only snake he could think of that looked like the indigo snake.
Matthew chimed in, "You're really lucky; getting bitten by such a venomous snake and still holding on until the family doctor arrived with the antivenom. But isn't this snake from a faraway place? When did it crawl its way to Dreamopolis?"
No need to get all detailed.
Feeling hopeless, Zachary muttered, "Bye!"
"Alright, take care. Samuel and I will swing by tomorrow," Matthew said, then told Winona goodnight before hanging up.
Winona, still holding the phone, looked down at him with a frosty expression, "What kind of snake was it?"
No way out of this one without spilling the truth. Zachary, barely audible, said, "Rat snake."
Winona quickly Googled it, read the description, and sneered, "It shouldn't have bitten your leg."
Zachary got what she meant right away. He didn't see that coming. Watching Winona head to the sofa, he didn't dare ask about the bath anymore, scared he might set her off. Skipping a bath was better than having Winona leave.
Just as he finished his little self-pity session, he saw Winona grab the blanket and start to leave. The "weak and powerless" Zachary sprang from the bed like a ninja, wrapping her in his arms, "Where you going? Couples don't sleep in separate rooms after a fight. It's bad for the relationship."
Winona gave a fake smile, "No worries, as long as you keep lying more often, our relationship will definitely get better! Lies can fool me and yourself. If one lie doesn't work, just tell more."
Winona, holding the blanket, was tightly embraced by Zachary, who seemed scared she'd bolt, holding her so tight she could barely breathe.
"Let me go."
"If I let you go, you'll run." Feeling her struggle, Zachary tightened his grip even more.
"If you don't let me go, I'll die." Winona's voice was almost distorted.
Zachary quickly let go but still blocked her way, "You said that we can't give each other the silent treatment after a fight. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you. I just wanted you to care about me more. I got bitten by a snake, and the doc said I shouldn't be left alone. But you left me in the room and went out to make a half-hour phone call. I feel like you don't like me at all anymore."
Winona stayed silent.
It was his fault for lying to her, but now he was blaming her, and she couldn't find a way to argue back.
She opened her mouth but couldn't say a word for a long time.
She suspected Zachary saw her as an opponent in a debate competition. Otherwise, how could he suddenly be so articulate? Her brow twitched, "Let go, I'll call someone to help you bathe and stay with you."
Zachary wasn't about to let her go, "I'll sleep on the sofa and bathe myself."
Winona handed him the blanket, not negotiating at all, "Go ahead, keep it down while showering. I have to work tomorrow, don't disturb me."
Zachary stood there holding the blanket while Winona had already gone to bed, taken off her shoes, climbed into bed, and covered herself with the blanket.
Did he get the short end of the stick?
After hanging up the phone, the more Frank thought about it, the more he found Zachary's snake bite suspicious. If someone was gunning for Winona, why go the long way around? And Zachary was still kicking, so the snake wasn't that deadly. If he made it, Winona would too.
Intimidation? Threats?
Winona had acid thrown at her yesterday, and he got a message that night with two demands: stop digging into the past and sell twenty percent of his shares.
But today, no messages.
And the package was sent to Zachary's parents' house. No way Winona would open something sent there. The snake bite wasn't aimed at her.
Intimidation yesterday, intimidation today—couldn't be a habit.
He called Rodolfo, "Check out what those families have been up to, see if any sketchy packages were sent. Also, put a few people on Eva. I got a hunch she's up to no good in Dreamopolis."
Twenty minutes later, Rodolfo called back, "Mr. Turner, something weird did happen."
"What?"
"Layla got beat up, Carlos's biological daughter," Rodolfo clarified, in case Frank didn't know who Layla was. "In a small alley, she got sacked, had three ribs and her nose broken. Doc says she might be disfigured. Weird thing is, it happened in a dead-end alley, totally out of her usual spots. After digging a bit, I found out she left the alley a few minutes after going in, cursing up a storm, then got jumped. A while back, she got hauled into the station for yanking Ms. Sullivan's hair, and her mom had to pull strings to get her out. Whether Eva's behind it needs more digging."
Eva had been the Turner Family's top dog for years, with loads of connections, resources, and cash. She'd watched her elders scrap since she was a kid, so she knew all the sneaky moves. She wouldn't leave such obvious evidence.
Frank rubbed his temples. The Turner Family's drama and Yara's death were already giving him a headache. He had no time for troublemakers, saying, "If she's causing trouble, deal with her. Why waste time investigating?"
"Don't stay up too late, or you'll get headaches when you're old." he added.
Rodolfo ran a hand across his neck, then remembered Frank couldn't see it and said, "Do you mean kill her?"
Frank was annoyed, "I've told you to change your mindset. This is Dreamopolis, stop thinking about offing people all the time. If you kill everyone, will you be happy being the last one standing?"
Rodolfo had grown up in a rough neighborhood abroad, lost his parents young, and was raised by an abusive uncle. His childhood was rough, and the constant chaos in his country made him pretty ruthless. It was only after following Frank that he got a sense of the law and stopped resorting to killing.
Frank rubbed his temples, "Have her mom take her back and keep her away from Winona. Also, you need to be gentler, or no girl will ever marry you."
If he ended up marrying someone crazy and had a kid who was also crazy, and the whole family talked about killing all the time, he'd be living in constant fear. It was terrifying.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
