Chapter 2262
Rose froze for a moment, her mind racing with confusion.
"I've given it some thought, the twisted logic behind your wish for Wayne's demise," Penn said, pacing leisurely in front of Rose. "At the core, your motives differ from your mother's.
Your mother Yvette wanted Ayden gone because she couldn't stand to see her sister in a loving relationship with someone else. Plus, she harbored a naive crush on Ayden, and if she couldn't have him, she'd rather see him destroyed.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
But you... aside from the twisted maternal mandate, you yearned to be part of the fabric of Rosalynn's world, didn't you? To bask in her kindness, her nurturing support. Her friends and family treated you well, and you coveted that, stubbornly believing Wayne would follow in Ayden's doomed footsteps.
You feared that Wayne would be Rosalynn's downfall, disrupting the warmth and happiness of her life, and in the worst-case scenario, Rosalynn could end up like Betsy-dead by Wayne's hand, especially since he showed signs of danger towards her before his treatment began.
So, unlike your mother who covertly switched medications, you chose a more ruthless way—a single lethal injection intended for Wayne.d2
"I made a mistake!" Rose collapsed, tears streaming down her face as she knelt before Penn. "Penn, you know it, I've been brainwashed by mom since I was little. I couldn't control the urge to do those things! Take me back to Munich, I'll never step foot in the H Country again, I'll steer clear of Rosalynn and her life. Penn, can't we go back to being just us, like before..."
Penn looked down at the pitiful figure before him and chuckled a sound that sent shivers down Rose's spine. She looked up at him in shock.
Penn slowly crouched down, tilting his head as he gazed at Rose as if she were some amusing thing.
His voice dripped with sarcasm. "But you disrespected my late parents."
"I was out of my mind with anger then! You're the only family I have in this world, yet you betrayed me for Rosalynn. I was just... I wasn't thinking straight!" Rose hurriedly explained.
Penn continued to stare at her. "Rose, you've been by my side for so long, worked at the firm for over a decade, yet you've shown no growth at all?"
"I will improve, I promise!" Rose said hastily.
This place was more terrifying than any hell she had imagined. She couldn't bear another second here. If leaving meant abandoning her pride, she would give up anything.
"You're deeply mistaken about me," Penn said calmly. "I've lived my life in the shadow of my parents' violent deaths. Whether it's diving into psychology or pharmacology, or embedding revenge against Natalie into my very being from a young age, do you really think I turned out normal?"
Rose stared at him, fear creeping into her eyes as she felt a cold shroud descend upon her.
"You once said I had a thing for Gabriella Jared?" Penn exhaled slowly, pondering for a moment. "To be precise, I was indeed fascinated by her. She possessed a strength of spirit that I envied and longed for. From the moment I first saw her, she became an object of my human study. Even during those five years she spent as an stand-in, most of her choices defied the character profile I had sketched for her. After she stopped being a stand-in, she became even more unpredictable... She was too interesting. But you..."
For the first time, Penn looked at Rose with disdain.
His gaze had always carried a mix of indulgence, tolerance, or exasperation, but never disdain.
Even when others looked down on Rose for her failures.
Penn had never shown disdain-until now.