“Grandma!” Georgia’s face was a picture of confusion. “What’s going on? I have no idea what happened!”
“What happened?” Emmalynn shrieked, jabbing a finger at Georgia. “Fine, if you’re going to play dumb, I’ll spell it out for you. Look what you’ve done to my son!”
With that, she yanked back the curtain. There lay Jamie, wrapped in bandages like a mummy. One of his hands appeared to have been amputated, and both legs were gone from the thigh down.
The gruesome sight made Georgia clasp her hand over her mouth in shock.
His hands and feet… gone. That oath he’d made had come true. Just days ago, he’d sworn in the villa that he hadn’t taken the money, invoking this very fate. Who could have imagined that in just two short days, karmic retribution would strike so viciously?
Was this divine justice?
Seeing Georgia, Jamie let out an agonized wail. The scene was heart-wrenching.
“Grandma!” he cried, pointing frantically at Georgia. “It was her! Georgia did this to me! It was her!” Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Old Mrs. Adams’s heart shattered at the sight. Jamie had always been her favorite, and seeing him like this was unbearable. With Jamie in this state, all her hopes and plans crumbled. She had intended to hand the company over to him once things stabilized. Now this tragedy had struck.
Old Mrs. Adams’s grief was profound, beyond measure.
Her eyes, rimmed with red, bore into Georgia as she bellowed, “Georgia, I never imagined you could be so ruthless! I trusted you, even put you in charge of the company, and this is how you repay that trust? He’s your own cousin, for heaven’s sake! Is power really worth such cruelty? You’ve… you’ve disappointed me beyond words. Kneel!”
She punctuated each word by slamming her cane against the floor, her rage palpable, almost visible.
Georgia shook her head, finally understanding. They thought she was behind this. No wonder she’d been accused the moment she walked in, nearly assaulted by Jamie’s mother.
“Grandma, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she pleaded. “I didn’t do this.”
“KNEEL!” Old Mrs. Adams’s fury reached its peak, her presence filling the room.
Georgia felt her knees weaken at the sight of her grandmother’s terrifying visage. Old Mrs. Adams’s authority had always left a deep impression on everyone in the Adams family. No one dared cross an angry matriarch.
As Georgia wavered, Kayden gently took her hand.
That simple touch set off a chain reaction within her. A sense of security washed over her, dispelling her fear. Kayden’s touch seemed to possess a magical quality, always calming her fears. He locked eyes with her and said firmly, “Don’t kneel. If you do, you’ll be admitting guilt for something you didn’t do.”
Georgia swallowed hard and nodded. “I won’t kneel. I’ve done nothing wrong, so I have no reason to. Whatever happened to Jamie, I wasn’t involved. I won’t kneel for a crime I didn’t commit.”
This was the first time Georgia had ever stood up to her grandmother. In the past, she’d always obeyed without question, even when asked to do the most menial tasks. But this time, she couldn’t back down.
“Mom, do you see?” Jamie’s father poured oil on the fire. “This is your granddaughter, defying even you now. Her true colors are showing. She wants to eliminate Jamie, then anyone else who threatens her position. Jamie is just the first who knows who’s next? It might even be you, sooner than you think.”
These words stoked Old Mrs. Adams’s anger further. Her face turned ashen with rage, her teeth clenched as if she might devour Georgia whole. Finally, she raised her cane and stormed towards Georgia.
Without hesitation, she swung the cane at Georgia’s head. Georgia, terrified, squeezed her eyes shut and let out a small whimper.
In that split second, just as the cane was about to connect, Kayden’s hand shot out and caught it with deadly precision. He stepped forward, his eyes boring into Old Mrs. Adams’s.
Their gazes locked. Old Mrs. Adams stared at Kayden in shock, then tried to wrench the cane free. But no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge. Kayden’s voice was low and menacing as he said, “You don’t have the right to touch my wife.”
Old Mrs. Adams’s face twitched. This was a slap in the face to her authority. She was the family matriarch how dare he say she didn’t have the right? If she wasn’t, then who was?
“You… you insolent…” she sputtered, nearly collapsing from anger.
Kayden said nothing, just held her gaze. As her fury subsided, she felt something pierce through her entire being a bone-chilling sensation she couldn’t quite place.
As she stood there, stunned, she found herself staring into those eyes. Never in her life had she seen such terrifying eyes. What kind of gaze was this? It felt like staring into them would plunge you into the depths of fear itself.
Even at her advanced age, even after a lifetime of trials and tribulations, even with death no longer holding much fear for her at this moment, she was truly afraid. She couldn’t even understand the nature of this fear.
Something primal within her amplified her terror as she stared into those eyes. She wanted to flee, but she couldn’t escape that gaze. Was this really the same fool of a grandson-in-law she thought she knew?
“Let go! Release my mother!” Jamie’s father took a step forward, pointing at Kayden.
When Kayden didn’t react, he turned to Harvey, jabbing a finger in his face. “Harvey, this is the fine son-in-law you’ve brought into our family.”
A cold glint flashed across Kayden’s face. In an instant, a palpable aura of murderous intent swirled around Old Mrs. Adams.
“Kayden!” Georgia, finally snapping out of her daze, grabbed his hand. “No, don’t!”