No Strings Attached

Chapter 456

Hearing those words, Edwin stumbled backward several steps before collapsing onto the bed. His worst fear had materialized.

His mother's chauffeur was a distant relative of Leonora, a man named Daniel, who had contracted cancer before the incident. He had kept his illness a secret, continuing to work for the Campbell family.

With only three months left to live, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that he might have done something drastic for the right price. And right after the tragedy, Leonora had given Daniel's widow a whopping half a million in consolation money.

Was it just a coincidence, or had Leonora been plotting this all along? If Leonora was truly behind his mother's death, how would Clara ever face Ian?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Edwin took a deep breath and headed back to Northbridge overnight.

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Leonora sat in the cafeteria, staring down at the unappetizing food on her plate, the hatred in her eyes growing more intense by the second.

Just then, she saw a familiar figure take a seat across from her. Startled, she looked up to find Paolo's aged face before her.

Surprised, she asked him, "How did you get in here? How's Heidi? Is that bitch Clara dead?"

Paolo glared at her with a frosty countenance. "Leonora, you've known all along that Clara was my and May's daughter, haven't you?"

At his words, Leonora let out a cold laugh. "What, you've come to settle scores with me? It's too late, Paolo. Your biological daughter has already perished in the flames because of your complicity."

Paolo clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, his teeth gritting together. "May died because of you. You were 'Mimi,' the woman from the club, weren't you? Heidi's your child, am I right?"

Leonora didn't seem surprised, instead letting out a light chuckle. "Do you have any proof? Without evidence, don't make wild accusations, or you might find yourself sued for defamation."

Suddenly, Paolo stood up and grabbed Leonora by the shoulders, ripping open her blouse. The sight of the triangular scar on her shoulder made his pupils contract sharply. He remembered clearly how Mimi had gotten that scar while saving him from a sharp blade. It was identical to the one on Leonora's shoulder.

Pointing at the scar, Paolo demanded fiercely, "What's your endgame, Leonora? Why pretend to be someone you're not, using such despicable methods? You knew Teo and I were brothers, yet you still slept with me, had a child, and for the sake of your daughter's future, you heartlessly killed your own sister and discarded May's and my child. What is going through your mind?"

Leonora, far from being caught off guard, calmly adjusted her clothing, her face twisting into a sinister smile. "Paolo, who do you blame but yourself for not keeping it in your pants? Imagine what Teo would do if he found out his beloved wife had been with his best friend. Do you think he wouldn't kill you?"

"Leonora, you're shameless! You know Ian and Heidi are half-siblings, yet you've been pushing them together. Aren't you afraid of incest?"

"Well, Heidi can't have kids anyway, so what does it matter? If you don't tell and I don't tell, who's to know? If it hadn't been for that tramp Clara getting in the way, Heidi would already be Ian’s wife, and

I wouldn't be locked up here. But it doesn't matter. As long as Clara dies, Heidi still has a chance. I don't believe she can't win Ian over."

Paolo's forehead throbbed with rage. How had he never realized how twisted Leonora's morals were? With gritted teeth and glaring eyes, he pronounced each word with venom, "Listen well, Leonora, your dreams are shattered. Clara isn't dead. She's been taken in by the York family in Riddleton to reunite with her real kin. It's Heidi who's been injured. She was severely burned in that fire and now can't even take care of herself. She couldn’t even utter a single word."