“Yes! I will bear the consequences of my actions, but he volunteered to be my dog back then, earning seven to eight hundred, even a thousand dollars a day. Without him, there would have been others willing to do it. And I paid for his education. Without me, where would he be?”
If it weren’t for her, Leland Burns would still be carrying cement at the docks, unable to afford school fees and probably still doing manual labor.
They say she indirectly caused the death of Leland Burns’ parents. But didn’t Leland Burns’ father deserve to die?
She had casually mentioned that mixing cephalosporin with alcohol could be fatal. It was Leland who chose to buy the medicine to poison his father. How was that her fault? He didn’t use enough poison to kill his father, and instead, his mother lost her life.
Leland Burns had begged her to save his mother back then, but why should she? Just because he asked? If that were the case, should she intervene in every unfair situation or help every beggar on the street?
Henry was merely seeing things from Leland Burns’ perspective, completely biased. Winifred Dawson didn’t expect him to agree with her.
Winifred Dawson sneered at Henry: “You say I killed his parents. If there’s so much hatred between us, yet he still likes me, doesn’t that make him pathetic? Would you like a woman like me?”
Henry remained silent, but his eyes told her everything-he wouldn’t.
It’s always easier for an outsider to see clearly than those involved. Henry could see through it all at a glance, but Leland Burns couldn’t.
Winifred Dawson continued: “And let’s not forget that he has my father’s blood on his hands. With so many debts unsettled, there’s no way we could ever be together.”
“What if-I’m just saying if-your father’s death had nothing to do with Mr. Burns?” Henry began, but Wesley coughed loudly from the front seat.
Unfortunately, Winifred Dawson was too caught up in her emotions to notice. She closed her eyes and said, “But there are no ‘ifs’ in this world.”
Leland Burns had personally admitted to causing her father’s death. He had pinned her down on her father’s tombstone and made her listen to every word of his confession.
The rest of the journey was silent. Wesley glanced at the rearview mirror at the two people in the backseat and drove quickly. A thirty-minute drive took only twenty minutes.
They arrived at Gentry Estate-no longer called that since Gregory Dawson’s death. The area was now known as North Bankshire, close to Autumn Joy Estate.
Leland Burns had often talked about bringing her back here, but it had never happened. Winifred Dawson knew he didn’t want her condition to “improve.”
Leland Burns preferred the “foolish” Winifred Dawson because only a mentally impaired Winifred would be completely devoted to him.
In the end, it was selfishness.
Fortunately, Winifred Dawson wasn’t truly foolish. Upon arriving at North Bankshire, Wesley swiped a card to open the gate. Inside, she saw servants bustling about.
Winifred Dawson felt an inexplicable nervousness-a sense of trepidation about returning home.
People were gone; things had changed. Yet when Winifred arrived here, she found everything almost exactly as it was a year ago. The garden’s redbud trees were blooming even more vibrantly than before.
After Gregory Dawson’s death, Mrs. Roberts had retired last year and bought a house for herself. The estate was left under Leland Burns’ management.
With Winifred Dawson away, Leland rarely stayed here either; he hired housekeepers and gardeners for weekly maintenance.
So nothing had changed much since Winifred left.
But these unchanged surroundings brought back memories-both happy and sad-making her feel a sense of emptiness upon reflection.
Wesley got out of the car with some documents and handed them to Winifred Dawson.
She didn’t take them immediately and asked, “What is this?”
Wesley explained: “Your inheritance from your father. Mr. Burns has been holding it for you.”
Winifred Dawson had been gone for a year with no news about her in the country; people might have thought she was dead.
When Gregory Dawson fell ill and was hospitalized, Gentry Group was in chaos. With the chairman sick and Winifred as the sole heir missing, many opportunists tried to take advantage and seize control of the company.
If it hadn’t been for Leland Burns temporarily taking over, all assets would have been stolen long ago; there wouldn’t be any inheritance left for Winifred Dawson now.
Gregory Dawson had made sure to leave a will before he died, instructing Leland Burns to find Winifred and give everything he left behind to her.
Gregory died thinking Winifred hated him; considering he was an irresponsible father, it was natural for her to feel that way.
He died with regrets; Leland handled his funeral arrangements alone.
Gregory left Winifred twelve billion dollars in cash and this house-enough for her lifetime needs. The daily interest alone would suffice for her expenses.
Hearing it was from Gregory made Winifred choke up slightly. She took the documents and opened them; inside were two files-one original from Gregory and one transfer from Leland Burns.
Henry said from beside her: “Sign these papers and everything will be yours. Mr. Burns processed these transfers just days before his arrest because he knew his assets would be seized.”
“I don’t want anything from him; I only want what’s rightfully mine.”
Seeing her resolute refusal surprised Henry: “You’re really ungrateful.”
“I hope you understand that it’s not me who put Leland Burns in jail-it’s his own actions. If he were truly innocent, he wouldn’t be imprisoned.”
“That’s nonsense! Our shipment was legitimate until you leaked information leading it to be hijacked and filled with contraband!”
Winifred thought Leland’s imprisonment was due to money laundering as reported online but hadn’t expected this twist.
That shipment meant a lot to them; she wasn’t clear on its contents but knew Liam Burkhart had asked her to monitor its movements closely.
There might have been some double-crossing involved which she wasn’t aware of.
However, achieving her desired outcome mattered most-the process didn’t concern her at all.
Since being brought back by Leland Burns here again-all she wanted was him losing everything-and now he’s imprisoned forever without anyone bothering her anymore.
Leland’s minimum sentence would be life imprisonment-a span long enough that by then she’d no longer be who she is today.