Chapter 298

Katrina shook uncontrollably after hearing Daniela's final words. A look of fear flashed across her face,soon replaced by complete confusion.

Daniela had already gone upstairs, and though some time had passed, Katrina's hands remained chilled by the shock.

Suspicions were one thing, but when Katrina confronted the harsh reality, her mind spiraled into chaos.

Daniela was already upstairs, and Cedric had gone up with her.

Caiden approached Katrina with confusion written across his face. "What did she say? Aren't you overreacting?"

Katrina slowly lifted her pale face. She tried to speak, her mouth opening and closing several times, before the words finally tumbled out, choked with tears."She told me she knows what it's like to watch the person you love most walk away and she wants me to feel that same pain."

Her voice trembled as she locked eyes with Caiden."What does Daniela mean by that?"

A wave of unease washed over Caiden. After a long,tense pause, he spoke flatly. "Is there any point in pretending anymore?"

Until now, Daniela hadn't asked a single question about the past. But she was convinced that Katrina had murdered her mother.

Katrina wanted to defend herself. She walked up to Daniela's door, but as she stood there, she found herself at a loss for words.

Just then, Cedric came out to get some milk for Daniela, and saw Katrina standing by the door.

Hoping he would be easier to convince, Katrina said,

"Cedric, I had nothing to do with Brylee's death. The police investigated, and I had a solid alibi. Daniela can't accuse me without any proof."

She held her breath, hoping he'd believe her. But Cedric's response was even colder than Daniela's.

His gaze hardened as memories surfaced-how Daniela had grown up without a mother's love, while Katrina had taken everything that had once belonged to Brylee, and raised her own daughter like royalty.

A surge of rage coursed through Cedric; he wanted to destroy Katrina in that moment.

Panic gripped Katrina as she stumbled backward, her balance slipping before she tumbled down the stairs.

Her scream echoed through the villa, sharp and filled with pain.

Katrina had broken two ribs.

As she was rushed to the hospital, Joyce burst out of her room. She stood there, utterly confused, the weight of the situation crashing down on her.

She had hoped Katrina would save her from the cruel torment. But now that Katrina was injured, what could she do? What was left for her?

Joyce froze at the top of the stairs, her legs trembling as memories of the endless, inhuman torture she had suffered flooded her mind.

Steeling herself, she made her way slowly down the stairs.

Seeing Caiden watching TV, she tried to summon the image of the obedient daughter she once was."Dad."

Caiden didn't even glance at her, his voice cold as he snorted. "I'm not your dad."

Joyce understood the resentment in his voice.Kneeling beside him, she tried to reach him.

Her face remained ghostly pale, still marked by the trauma she had suffered.

With desperation, she grasped Caiden's hand and begged, "Dad, I know l acted horribly before, but l've changed. You're getting older. Please, let me take care of you. I'm still your loyal daughter."

Caiden's gaze shifted to Joyce at her words.

After all, he had once cared deeply for her, and for a moment, compassion stirred in him.

Joyce bowed her head, letting it rest against his knee, her voice soft and vulnerable. "Dad, you know l've always been a bit naive, just a little stubborn.You'll forgive me, won't you?"

Caiden clenched his jaw, his silence speaking volumes.

Seeing the familiar softness in his expression, Joyce pressed further, her eyes shining with determination."I really mean it, Dad. Everything I've gone through has shown me just how much family matters. You're the most important person in my life."

Caiden often melted at sweet words, but Joyce's

next words caught him off guard. "Dad, if you pay off that hundred-million-dollar debt for me, I'll change my last name to Harper."

The mention of a hundred million shattered any lingering fantasy Caiden had of a heartfelt family reconciliation.

"What did you say?" Caiden squinted at Joyce, his confusion quickly turning to disbelief.

She might have once been his daughter, but now she seemed like a parasite, clinging to him with nothing but greed.

Thinking she had finally softened him, Joyce was blindsided by what happened next.

Caiden suddenly sprang to his feet, and Joyce was thrown off balance, stumbling to the floor in shock."Dad..."

"Don't you dare call me Dad. Have you lost all sense of guilt? I fed you, clothed you, and raised you.I even turned my back on my own daughter for you. And now you want to take everything I have?"

Joyce shook her head fervently. "Dad, I have no way out. Please, help me!"

Caiden sneered. "Yes, you have no way out. If you had one, you wouldn't be begging. You ran off with that useless Milo. Now that you've been fooled, deal with it on your own!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

Joyce sat motionless on the floor, her gaze blank as she stared into the vast emptiness of the villa.

She remembered a time when she had been the beloved daughter, adored by Caiden, with her mother holding the highest place of favor in the household.

She had been a prominent socialite in Olisvine,admired and envied by many.

Joyce couldn't comprehend how she had fallen so far,reduced to a figure of disdain and contempt.

Bitterness filled her chest, like a growing storm. Her heart felt cold, as though it had stopped beating.

The endless torment she had endured felt like a slow,unrelenting agony, each day stretching out longer than the last.

She had no one to turn to, no one to lean on.

The thought of being dragged away again,tossed into that dark warehouse to face another round of cruelty, filled her with dread.

With trembling legs, Joyce made her way upstairs,the maid's calls echoing behind her, but she didn't stop or answer.

When she stepped out onto the balcony, the cold wind hit her face sharply, as though it was trying to strip away the last shreds of her humiliation.

Surprisingly, Joyce felt an odd sense of relief, a strange kind of peace settling over her.