Chapter 156:
Elena’s expression stayed firm as she said, “Forget it. You won’t get a cent from me. For Sheila’s sake, I won’t involve the police today. But you’d better pray she stays unharmed. If anything happens to her, I’ll make sure the Reed family pays a heavy price and disappears from Foiclens.”
With those final words, Elena turned and walked away, not even glancing back at Cecily’s reaction. She had the means to bring the Reed family to its demise.
Elena left so quickly that Cecily hardly had a moment to react.
By the time Cecily did, Elena had already become a distant figure.
Cecily, pointing at Elena’s departing figure, shouted furiously, “You’ll regret this! No matter how much you beg me, you’ll never see that old hag again!”
Cecily, dressed elegantly, now screamed curses in the street as if she had lost her mind.
People walked by, casting her scornful glances as they passed.
Sylvia noticed the pointing and whispering happening around them, and her expression darkened. “Mom, please calm down. Elena has already walked away.” No amount of swearing would bring in money, and it would only make them a laughingstock.
Cecily’s breath came in sharp, angry gasps, her cheeks flushed with rage. She fought to maintain her composure as Elena’s words echoed in her mind.
Sylvia gently pulled Cecily’s arm and gave her a meaningful look as she said, “Mom, we haven’t even picked out the coffee yet. Let’s not make Darren wait.”
This reminded Cecily that Darren was still waiting, urging her to regain her composure.
Coming to her senses about their public setting, Cecily just managed to control her bubbling anger. She turned and offered a forced smile. “I’m sorry, Darren, for you to see that. Elena… it’s really our fault for not raising her properly. She seriously lacks manners.”
Darren remained silent, his eyes lingering on Elena’s departing figure, a spark of something unspoken in his gaze. “Cecily, Sylvia, I just remembered something urgent I need to handle. I have to go now.”
The house Sheila lived in was tucked away in a quiet part of Foiclens.
Elena turned left at a crossroads, weaving through the street vendors crowding the path, then slipped into a narrow alley. Within five minutes, she arrived at an old six-story building showing signs of age.
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By the entrance, a towering banyan tree stretched its thick branches, casting cool shade over the gate.
A few elderly residents lounged nearby, chatting casually. When they saw Elena, they greeted her warmly.
“Elena, what brings you here?” asked Holley Chavez, her short hair completely silvered with age. She had been a close friend of Sheila’s. The two often sat beneath this banyan tree, enjoying the breeze and sharing stories.
Elena replied calmly, “Holley, I came to see Sheila.”
Holley’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Didn’t you hear? She moved to the villa where Cecily is staying.”
Raised by Sheila, Elena had continued visiting this house even after moving to the villa with Benjamin and Cecily. The elderly neighbors all knew her well. They avoided the internet, preferring simple face-to-face conversations. Word had long spread that Elena was not the Reed family’s biological daughter.
