Chapter 1296: The Best Friend
Gold hadn’t noticed who had arrived and greeted out of habit. “Would you like a bath or a massage, honored guest?”
“I’m here to see you!” Pearl’s voice cut through, making Gold turn around curiously.
When she saw the girl standing in front of her, her face turned pale, and she took several steps back. “Miss Pearl!”
Gold’s smile was weak and guilty. “Miss Pearl, why are you here? This Hotspring Resort is not a good place. If the master finds out, he will be angry. Miss Pearl, you should leave quickly.”
Pearl sneered and grabbed Gold’s arm to prevent her from escaping. “Oh? So you do recognize me! You were the one who brought me to Lord Parker’s room that day. Who told you to do it?”
“And Ruth, why was she locked in a secret room and sealed alive with cement?”
Hearing this, Gold panicked. How could Miss Pearl know that everything was arranged by her?
“Miss Pearl, you misunderstand. I really don’t know anything.”
Gold tried to act innocent, but this time Pearl wasn’t easily fooled. Determined to find out the truth, she took out her phone and prepared to call her father.
“See this? With just one call, I guarantee you won’t see the sun tomorrow.”
Seeing the word “Dad” on the screen, Gold broke into a cold sweat. Everyone knew how much Mr. Gilliam loved his daughter. Offending Miss Pearl was a death sentence; she had even crippled Lord Parker.
If Mr. Gilliam found out that she had framed Miss Pearl, she wouldn’t survive the night, let alone see the next day.
“So? Are you going to talk?” Pearl demanded angrily.
Under her pressure, Gold finally confessed. “Miss Pearl, please calm down. I’ll tell you everything.”
“It all started with Ruth. I don’t fully understand what happened. One day Ibrahim called me and said he had someone for me.”
“Ruth was sent by him along with a million-dollar debt note. I followed instructions and sent her to serve Lord Parker.”
Lord Parker redeemed Ruth shortly after, and Gold tore up the debt note.
“A few days later, Lord Parker brought Ruth back again. You know what happened next.”
Cheyenne was right; Ruth’s betrayal had hidden reasons. Why would Ruth owe so much money? She lived frugally and couldn’t possibly owe that much!
“Who is Ibrahim?” Pearl asked, catching the key detail.
“I… Ibrahim is the second-in-command at the Fortune Casino.”
Fortune Casino. Pearl remembered seeing that name in her father’s study. It was one of the Gilliam family’s businesses.
The truth seemed close, but the nearer she got, the colder Pearl felt inside.
Her face turned ashen as she glared at Gold. “Call Ibrahim here immediately! Now!”This content is © NôvelDrama.Org.
“Yes, yes, I’ll call him right away. Miss Pearl, please don’t be angry.”
With her secret exposed, Gold had no choice but to comply. She called Ibrahim in front of Pearl.
About fifteen minutes later, Ibrahim arrived in a luxury car.
“I’m here. What do you need?”
Gold had only mentioned an urgent matter on the phone without specifics. Seeing Pearl standing next to Gold, Ibrahim thought she was a new girl and looked her up and down with lecherous eyes.
“Is this a new girl? She looks good. How about letting me have a taste first?”
Pearl’s face darkened further. This man was clearly no good; no wonder Ruth was sold here.
Gold swallowed nervously and scolded sharply, “You blind dog! Do you know who she is?”
Ibrahim was confused. “Isn’t she just a whore? Or is she your top girl?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Pearl slapped him hard across the face, her eyes blazing.
“Bastard! I am the lady of the Gilliam family! How dare you disrespect me!”
Smack-
The loud slap made Ibrahim fall to his knees instantly.
“I didn’t know it was Miss Pearl! Please forgive me; I was just joking.”
Pearl angrily hit him with her handbag, and he didn’t dare dodge, taking the hit squarely on his face.
“Dog! I don’t even know you; what joke are you talking about?”
“Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. Please spare my life, Miss Pearl.”
Just moving a bit had exhausted her. Pearl took a couple of deep breaths before speaking again.
“If you want me to spare your life, tell me where that debt note came from.”
“This…”
If he revealed the source of the debt note, it would implicate Miss Libby.
Ibrahim hesitated; he knew Miss Libby’s methods were far more ruthless than Miss Pearl’s. Would he survive if he spoke?
“What? Are you more afraid of my sister than me?”
Pearl’s cold voice echoed above him as if reading his mind.
“No, no! Miss Pearl, if I tell you, will you guarantee my safety?”
“If you don’t tell me, I can only guarantee your immediate death!”
Having watched too many gangster movies recently, she had picked up some tough lines.
It worked; Ibrahim was terrified and confessed.
“It was Miss Libby’s order. She told me to get close to Ruth. I happened to know her brother Ryan.”
“Ryan is a gambler, so I used his addiction to make him owe a million-dollar debt…”
Ruth’s biological mother loved her son dearly and would make Ruth pay off the debt for him.
For her mother, Ruth had no choice but to compromise.
After hearing their plot against Ruth, Pearl felt a chill run down her spine.
Cheyenne’s words were confirmed again; it was indeed her sister.
Pearl stood there in a daze; she didn’t blame Ibrahim or Gold anymore. Compared to them… she was the real source of trouble.
Seeing her unresponsive for a while made Ibrahim anxious.
It would be better if Miss Pearl vented her anger by hitting him again; her silence was terrifying.
“Miss Pearl, I’ve told you everything. Can I go now?”
His voice interrupted Pearl’s thoughts. Her eyes reddened as she glared at him fiercely.
“Write down everything you just said and put your handprint on it. Record it while you’re at it, or don’t even think about leaving!”
“What?”
Gold and Ibrahim exchanged glances, not expecting this new demand from Miss Pearl.
“What ‘what’? Write it down now, or I’ll shoot you both!”
“Yes, yes, we’ll write it now.”
Helplessly, they wrote down their crimes under Pearl’s watchful eye and recorded their confessions with handprints.
Pearl left Hotspring Resort with the evidence and headed straight for Ruth’s grave.
Meanwhile, at Gilliam Mansion, Libby received a text message.
[Plan exposed; Miss Pearl knows.]
Libby’s face changed dramatically upon reading it; anger surged within her.
Natalia noticed her change in demeanor and asked with concern,
“Libby, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”
This matter must not reach her godfather or aunt. Libby quickly turned off her phone.
“Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I’m fine. By the way, there’s something I need to handle for the gang. Please inform my godfather.”
“Okay.”
Libby hurried away; her tall figure soon disappeared from sight.
In the cemetery park, dark clouds loomed over the sky-a sign of an impending storm.
In the silent graveyard stood a girl in a white dress, unmoving as the wind blew her skirt around.
After a while, she bent down and placed a bouquet of flowers in front of a tombstone.
A black-and-white photo of a young girl with a bright smile adorned the tombstone.
Pearl carefully wiped the photo with her handkerchief while speaking softly,
“I never blamed you; in my heart, you’ve always been my best friend.”