Chapter 15 Chapter 15
Shelby held out her hand to Irene, threatening in an ill–tempered tone, ‘Give me the original recording, and I’ll let you go. Otherwise, you’ll never become a Barnes.”
Though Irene had long seen Shelby’s cold, selfish nature, she still underestimated how low she’d sink.
Irene gave Shelby a mocking thumbs–up. “Hiring someone to assault your daughter? Shelby, you’re a real piece of work.”
“But I won’t give you the original. Irene unlocked her phone deliberately in front of Shelby. Tm uploading this recording right now. Let everyone see what you did and ruin your-
Irene’s words completely irritated Shelby. She rushed over, swatting Irene’s phone out of her hand. It sailed through the air and splashed into the lake.
Seeing Irene’s phone gone, Shelby sighed with relief. She pulled out her phone, activated the camera, and said to the masked man. Take her down.
The tall and burly man easily tackled Irene to the ground. She struggled wildly, screaming for help.
He slapped her hard across the face. “Shut the hell up!” he roared. Irene quieted down after the blow.
Shelby flinched at the sound. A flicker of guilt crossed her eyes, but thoughts of her interests and Lucas’s future hardened her resolve. She raised her phone and started filming Irene.
All of a sudden. Police sirens wailed, growing louder, and headed straight for Silvergrove Park.
At the sound of the sirens, Shelby paled. The man scrambled to his feet, ready to bolt.
At that moment, Irene gave a chilling smile. And she pulled out a dagger hidden behind the trash can, stabbing the man in the abdomen.
“Agh” The man let out a heart–rending scream.
Shelby was heartless. In her previous life, she’d emptied the Jacksons‘ fortunes and vanished. This time around, Irene wouldn’t have come to meet her unprepared.
The moment Shelby saw the knife in Irene’s hand, something clicked–a chill ran down her spine. “Irene, you set me up!”
Only then did Shelby realize that Irene had come to see her alone and threatened to post the audio online, all just to push her
into a corner.
Irene’s lips curled into a frosty smile. “Shelby, every step was your own choice. How is this my fault?”
Indeed, Irene was setting a trap for Shelby. But while Irene laid the groundwork, Shelby was the one who walked right into it. step by step.
Soon, the cops arrived at the scene, Seeing them, Irene’s demeanor shifted instantly.
Irene’s hands holding the dagger trembled, and her brown eyes filled with tears. “I–I killed him! I killed him…” she murmured in a panic,
Shelby gaped, stunned by the flawless performance. “Y–you slut!” she shouted.
“Quiet!” snapped Officer Nancy Miller, marching over and roughly yanking Shelby’s hands behind her back.
The cold steel of handcuffs clamped around her wrists, sending a jolt of fear through Shelby. She tried to defend herself. “Officer, that bitch set me up
Irene looked up at Shelby with a pale face, pitifully. She cried out in despair, “Mom, even if I talked back to you at Grandma’s birthday party and you thought I was disobedient, you didn’t have to hire someone to assault me.”
At these words, the officers at the scene looked at Shelby with pure disgust.
Shelby had no way to clear her name–she realized she’d been perfectly played by Irene.
Chapter 15
In a fit of rage, she started cussing Irene out, hurling every dirty word she had until the officer roughly hauled her into the police car.
Nancy then walked over to Irene, trying to take the knife from her hand. But Irene clutched it tight and wouldn’t let go.
Her lips trembling with fear, “Officer, Irene asked, “did I kill him? Will I go to jail?”
