505.Chapter 505
Sophie trembled uncontrollably, the sharp sound of slaps echoing in the room as she struck the same side of her face over and over.
She avoided the other side to keep the wounds from reopening, but after several hits, one side of her face was swollen to an alarming degree.
“Stop it, Sophie. Please. Eliza–no, Your Grace. Fine, I’ll call you that. Sophie already hit herself–what more do you want?” Matthew pleaded, his voice thick with frustration.
He tried to step forward to intervene, but before he could, Sophie suddenly shouted, “No. Matthew, stay back.”
Her head hung low, her voice trembling with fear. “It’s my fault. I deserve this. No, I have to punish myself. If it makes Your Grace happy, I’ll do whatever you want.”
‘If that guard tells Eliza about my little tricks and she gets angry, I won’t survive the day, she wondered. ‘Better to grovel now and keep her happy–at least I’ll stay alive. Even if it means living in humiliation, it’s still life. As long as I stay alive, there’s hope. One day, I’ll rise again.“‘
“But Sophie, are you really okay? Let me take your place. I can-” Matthew offered.
“You can’t.” Sophie finally snapped, her patience worn thin. ‘Seriously, couldn’t Matthew stop being an idiot and quit messing things up?‘ she wondered.
“I told you to stay back. I know what I’m doing, no matter what.” Sophie snapped, her anger barely contained. Matthew hesitated but eventually closed his mouth, silenced by her outburst.
Gabriel, who had been quietly observing from the side, frowned slightly at Sophie’s strange behavior.
Behind him, Benedict remained motionless, his eyes closed as if the chaos around him was of no concern.
Yet, whenever Eliza spoke, Benedict would crack his eyes open, sneaking glances toward Eliza.
“Do you really think pleasing me is that simple?” Eliza’s cold laugh cut through the tension like a blade.
She knew exactly why Sophie was acting this way. It was nothing more than guilt over her failed attempt to poison Eliza. Sophie was desperate to curry favor with her, and Eliza had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily.
“I–I’ll do whatever it takes. Please, just tell me what you want,” Sophie stammered, her mind racing frantically.
‘How could I possibly satisfy Eliza? What would it take?‘ Sophie wondered. Suddenly, an idea struck her. Her eyes lit up as she glanced at her right hand, focusing on the finger she had used to scrape the poison powder earlier.
Her gaze turned resolute. Without hesitation, she snapped that finger with a sickening crack.
A sharp snap echoed through the room, followed by Sophie’s blood–curdling scream that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
The pain was unbearable, a searing agony that consumed her.
“She’s gone mad. Dale, Sophie has lost her mind.” Everyone present was utterly shocked by the scene. Even Adeline couldn‘ t help but jump in fright, quickly hiding behind Dale.
Dale frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over Eliza and the mysterious guard standing nearby.
If he still couldn’t figure out that this guard, who was supposed to belong to the Marquis’s estate, had been replaced, then he truly would be a fool.
‘But who’s this guard? When has he infiltrated his estate, and why?‘ Dale’s mind raced with questions.
Still, he was certain of one thing. This guard was not someone Eliza had planted.
After all, inviting Eliza to mediate this matter had been his own sudden decision. If Eliza had placed this guard in his estate long ago, there would have been no reason for them to reveal themselves now.
Moreover, the aura surrounding this guard was far from ordinary. Dale suspected their true identity was anything but simple.
“Your Grace, is this enough? Are you satisfied?” Sophie’s face was pale with pain, and cold sweat was dripping from her forehead.
‘Just one finger? How could that possibly satisfy me?‘ she wondered. Eliza’s gaze fell indifferently on Sophie. If not for the fact that she still needed Sophie’s Successfully unlocked!
today.
task, Eliza would never have let her off so easily
“Fine. But if this is all you can offer, it won’t be enough. You know what I want. Don’t make me repeat myself,” Eliza said, her voice calm but commanding.
Sophie carefully cradled her hand, which was throbbing with pain, and quickly nodded. “I–I know.”
505.Chapter 505
For now, Sophie had only managed to save her life temporarily. If she wanted the antidote and her freedom, she had to get what Eliza wanted.
Her thoughts drifted to Gabriel, and she couldn’t help but glance at him. I’m sorry, Father. I’m just trying to survive. I think. you would understand, wouldn’t you?’ she wondered.
Once Sophie withdrew, the tense episode finally came to an end.
Maybe it was Eliza’s commanding presence that sped things up when the two estates finally sat down to discuss the day’s pressing matters.
Anthony confessed to having considered poisoning Caleb and claimed it had nothing to do with Matthew, taking all the blame upon himself.
Of course, the claim that Matthew had no involvement was an obvious lie. Caleb, as the victim, knew better than anyone what had really happened.
Dale placed a steady hand on Caleb’s shoulder and gave a slight shake of his head. Caleb immediately understood. Caleb had no choice but to suppress his frustration and let his parents handle the negotiations with Gabriel and Anthony. In the end, the two estates settled on a compensation of 20 million dollars from the Duke’s estate to the Marquis’s estate. They could have pushed for more. But Caleb had already left Anthony half–paralyzed in a fit of rage. No matter how, that was Caleb’s fault. So Dale decided to ease up and let Matthew, who had also been involved, off the hook. Even so, 20 million dollars was no small sum for the Duke’s estate.
To cover the amount, they paid 10 million dollars and offered several properties to make up the remaining 10 million dollars. As soon as Dale returned to the Marquis’s estate, he received the compensation documents sent by the Duke’s estate. Sure enough, the Padilla family’s property was among those listed.
Dale drummed his fingers on the table, his gaze falling on Adeline, who was happily directing the servants to move the silver to the treasury.
Suddenly, he said, “No, these are not going to the treasury.”
“Why? Then where should all this silver go?” Adeline asked, turning back in confusion.
Dale narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them. “Send everything, including the properties on this list, to Saint Grace Nunnery on South Mountain.”
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