Chapter 669
The more Tammie had trusted Ann, the more he now hated her. He wanted to kill her. It was all her fault. If it weren’t for her, none of this would have happened. He was consumed by a burning, helpless rage.
Ann was completely stunned. She had no idea where Tammie had found this “evidence.” She knew there was no working camera in the study. As long as she denied it, no one could pin this on her. She wouldn’t let them walk all over her.
“I didn’t! I didn’t do it!” she cried, looking at Tammie desperately. “Tammie! Get a grip! I didn’t steal the design draft. You’re the only family I have left in this world. Why would I ever do something to hurt you p>
A bitter, sarcastic smile twisted Tammie’s lips. How ironic. He had once considered her his only family, too. And this was how she had repaid him.
No one could comprehend the fury boiling inside him. He raised his hand and struck her across the face.
*SLAP p>
The force of the blow snapped her head to the side. Stars exploded behind her eyes, and the taste of blood filled her mouth.
Tammie grabbed a handful of her hair, yanking her head back to force her to look at him. “Tell me! Why? Why did you stab me in the back? Do you have any idea how much I trusted you p>
He suddenly remembered the words Keira had said to him the day he left the Gonzales family. At the time, he had felt that every word was a vicious insult to Ann. Only now did he understand. Every word had been the god’s honest truth.
*Idiot. I’m such an idiot p>
Everyone around him had seen Ann for what she was. He was the only one who had been blind.
The thought made him raise his hand again, but this time, he struck himself. Ann deserved to die. But so did he.
Ann was still trying to talk her way out of it. “I didn’t, I swear I didn’t! Cousin Tammie, has someone been turning you against me p>
“Don’t call me cousin! You don’t deserve to p>
She turned her tear-streaked face to Benedict. “Ben, please, say something! I really didn’t steal the design p>
Benedict simply took out his phone. “If you didn’t steal it, then who is this person in the video p>
The moment Ann saw the security footage on the screen, her world shattered. She froze, her fingers digging into the floorboards so hard her knuckles turned white.
A camera. But the camera in the study was broken. How did they get this footage?
In that instant, all the fight went out of her. Her eyes became dull and lifeless. She thought she had been so clever, so careful. Why… why was it all falling apart?
Benedict put his phone away. “I had someone look into your movements that night. After you got the design, you left the villa and went to a coffee shop to meet Asher Fletcher.” He crouched down to meet her gaze, his voice low and cutting. “Ann, anyone else could have betrayed Tammie, but not you. Do you have any idea how much he trusted you p>
Benedict had never seen Tammie trust anyone the way he had trusted her. She was the first.
“Trust?” Ann suddenly laughed, a wild, unhinged sound. “What is trust? What is it worth? You say you treated me like family, Tammie, but did you really p>
She glared at him, her voice rising to a hysterical shriek. “After that old hag from the Gonzales family kicked me out, had nothing! You didn’t give me any money, you didn’t buy me a house! What kind of family that p>
“You’re all hypocrites! A bunch of liars p>
SWE
She was filled with regret now-not for stealing the design, but for being so
careless. She should have checked the study for cameras.
Her laughter grew louder, more desperate. She turned back to Tammie, her voice raw with pain. “You say you treated me like your closest family, but did you? Answer mel Did you? If you really saw me as family, you wouldn’t have been so suspicious of me! You wouldn’t have installed a camera in the study! Just because we’re not related by blood, you watched my every move! You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You wanted me to steal the design p>
“You say you’re disappointed in me? I’m the one who’s disappointed in you p>
“Tammie! You don’t deserve to be my family p>
“And another thing I didn’t kill Lindy. You did! If you hadn’t been so quick to
accuse an innocent person, she wouldn’t be dead p>
“Tammie! The one who really deserves to die is you p>
“You p>
Each word was a knife, twisting in Tammie’s gut, plunging him into a spiral of self- loathing. She was right. He had killed Lindy. It was all his fault.
*Wee-woo, wee-woo p>
The sound of sirens cut through the air. A moment later, a group of uniformed police officers filed into the house.
Ann was arrested for the theft of critical corporate intellectual property.
Tammie and Benedict were escorted to the police cars as well.
Meanwhile, at The Banks Group, Torin was on top of the world. Ever since they had released the design their social media following had exploded. With the added fuel of the
CL The Banks Group was winning big. All Torin had to do was sit back and watch the money roll in.
ewelsm
Asher stood beside him, respectfully holding out a tablet. “Mr. Banks, CL Jewels
has released a new statement p>
A new statement? What difference could that possibly make now?
Torin propped his feet up on his desk, the picture of a man in control. He smirked. “Don’t worry about it. They’re just a bug on its last legs p>
He felt not a shred of guilt for what he had done to CL Jewels. So what if he had played dirty? In the end, he was the one who had won.