Chapter 565: Annabelle Dies in a Car Accident
Lisa was floored and got up to follow, curiosity piqued.
"Daniel, what the heck is going on?" Lisa asked, totally confused.
He didn't bother explaining; he kicked open the warehouse door and strolled in.
Lisa peeked inside and gasped, covering her mouth.
Annabelle had never left; she was chained up in the warehouse?
"This is nuts!" Lisa exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Daniel frowned, taking his sweet time before speaking. "Annabelle, come with me."
Annabelle was curled up in the corner, scared out of her wits, not her usual cocky self.
Lisa took a minute to snap out of her daze. "Did Mom do this? Is she out of her mind? This is so illegal!"
Daniel shot Lisa a complicated look while he rummaged around for the key to Annabelle's chains.
But no luck finding it.
"The key's with your mom," Annabelle whispered.
Daniel went silent and looked at Lisa.
Lisa rubbed her temples. "I'll go get the key from Mom."
This was beyond crazy.
Annabelle glared coldly at Lisa and Daniel. It seemed Howard already knew Claire had gone to get the documents.
"I'll just use an axe," Daniel said, grabbing one from a nearby shelf and smashing the chains.
Annabelle nervously followed Daniel and Lisa out.
Howard was chilling in the living room and glanced at Annabelle. "Where are the documents?"
Annabelle looked terrified. "Didn't I tell Claire to go get them?"
Howard snorted. "Figures."
After a bit, Claire came back, not as kiss-up as before. She plopped down on the couch. "What's going on? Why'd you let her out?"
"Where are the documents?" Howard asked again.
"I just found them. Not sure if they're legit, so I had a friend decrypt the password. Once it's done, I'll send them to you," Claire said with a smile.
"No need, just hand them over," Howard said, tapping the table.
Claire looked awkward. "Howard, we've been married for years. Don't you trust me?"
Howard chucked his cup at Claire's head.
Claire dodged, but her forehead still turned red from the near miss.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to," Howard snapped.
Claire smiled. "Howard, I've been with you for years and given you two kids. Up until now, my son and I have nothing. Even if you don't care about me, think about Daniel. He's been so loyal to you; you should give him some security, like the shares you promised."
Howard knew Claire was playing hardball.
Annabelle stood aside, watching the drama unfold.
"Claire, are you threatening me?" Howard asked.
"Don't say that. I've been with you for years and know more than just these documents. I just think having these documents would be very helpful for Daniel," Claire said, shaking her head.
She hinted she had more dirt on Howard and would spill if pushed.
The documents were just her leverage.
Daniel and Lisa were lost.
"Mom, what documents? What are you talking about?"
Claire stayed quiet, just staring at Howard with a calm look.
Howard was silent for a long time. "We'll talk about this later. Ethan has already brought a lawyer to the Douglas family, demanding the shares in William's hands. He seems determined. We should unite against him first."
Howard tried to calm Claire down.
"What Ethan wants is Ethan's. What Daniel wants is yours," Claire shot back, not budging an inch.
She was dead set on securing those shares for Daniel.
Howard's face turned beet red, and he growled, "I get it. I'll think about it."
"Why bother? He's your son," Claire pressed on.
Clearly, Claire knew exactly what buttons to push.
Daniel and Lisa stared at Claire, stunned. What kind of documents had turned this usually meek woman into such a powerhouse?
"Come to the company tomorrow," Howard grumbled and stormed off.
Claire wanted to say more, but Daniel quickly cut in.
If she kept pushing, Howard might blow a gasket.
Claire snorted and clammed up.
What she had on Howard was way more potent than those documents. They were just a bargaining chip for Daniel's future.
"Mom, what are these documents?" Daniel asked, nervous.
Claire took a sip of coffee and glanced at Annabelle. "It's all thanks to Annabelle. She sacrificed a lot for your future, giving you some documents her parents left behind, full of dirt on many companies in Silverlight City."
Daniel looked at Annabelle, shocked.
Annabelle stayed silent, her hands clenched tight.
"So, you should treat Annabelle well," Claire said, acting all righteous like she hadn't just had Annabelle locked up.
"Since I've given you what you wanted, can I leave now?" Annabelle just wanted out.
She'd already stirred the pot between Howard and Claire. Now that they were at each other's throats, it was her chance to bolt.
"Alright, go ahead," Claire said, pulling a key from her bag and handing it to Daniel.
Daniel took it and stepped forward to unlock Annabelle's chains.
Annabelle backed away, panicked, and then bolted.
Claire said nothing, just looked at Daniel and Lisa. "Since you're both back, stay for dinner before you go."
Daniel and Lisa exchanged a look, thinking everyone had lost their minds.
Not long after, Claire got a phone call.
"It's done."
Claire raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Ethan got home and whipped up dinner for Jasmine.
Jasmine sat on the couch, swinging her legs happily. "Howard already knows Claire got the documents. I heard he's fuming. When he finds out Claire betrayed him, he'll be livid. Maybe he'll even have a heart attack."
Ethan chuckled. "Jasmine, come eat."
Jasmine hopped up and ran over, eyeing the table full of dishes. "What's the occasion? Why the feast?"
Gotta admit, Ethan was a jack-of-all-trades. His cooking skills just kept getting better.
"Guess," Ethan teased.
Jasmine thought for a moment but came up blank.
"No special occasion, just feeling good," Ethan said smugly.
Jasmine tilted her head. "Tomorrow, we..."
Just as she was about to say they'd return to the Cunningham family, her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Annabelle had an accident. I heard she just ran out of the Douglas family and got hit by a car on the main road. She didn't make it. The driver said the brakes failed, but they're still investigating."
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