Chapter 1269 Cynthia’s Goal
“So, what happened?” Sonia frowned. Cynthia shook her head. “They wanted her dead. To them, that woman was nothing but a liability. A big one at that. They’d never be able to live normally with her dragging them down. They had to work all day and every day just to make enough money to pay her medical bills. Eventually, their love was worn out by their exhaustion. All they wanted was to cut her off. Melody and Tina offered them just what they wanted. And they made money out of it.”
Cynthia wasn’t a good person at all, but even she thought what the woman’s family did was inhumane. She had nothing but disgust for them. “They probably thought they deserved the money after all they went through for her.”
Sonia gasped, a cold shudder running down her spine. “That’s… terrifying. I can’t believe her family would do this.”
“Family? No, they’re demons,” Cynthia remarked. Sonia closed her eyes. “Were they not aware that Melody would kill their daughter once they handed her over?”
“No, they knew that. But I did tell you that they thought of that woman as nothing but a burden. A liability. Something that holds them back from normalcy. The thing that keeps them in debt. They were willing to fork out money for her treatment at first, but eventually, they wanted nothing to do with her. Time changed them. They wanted her dead but wouldn’t do it since she was family. And the law would come after them if they did. When Melody offered them a hundred and fifty grand to relieve them of the woman, they happily took the offer. They knew the woman would die, but so what?” Cynthia shrugged. “They wanted to kill her off anyway. If someone could help them out and even pay them for it, there was no reason to say no, was it?”
After a long moment of silence, Sonia gritted her teeth as she cursed, “All of them are monsters.” The hardships of life would turn the best of people into monsters, but a whole family dumping one of them just to make their life better was appalling.
Even Cynthia stayed silent to process that fact. It wasn’t until Sonia had calmed down and started asking her questions again did she snap out of it.
“Why did Melody tell you everything? You barely talk to her, so why did she go into so much detail?” Sonia looked into Cynthia’s eyes as she asked.
That was what gnawed away at her heart the most. This testimonial was enough to sentence her to jail. If Cynthia had recorded it and taken the evidence to the cops, Melody would have been done for. Melody must know that as well. So, why did she tell Cynthia? Why?
“I have no idea.” Cynthia shook her head. “I only met her by chance, and she asked me if I had seen Tina. And then, she told me about that. Probably thought I was Tina’s friend and that Tina might come to see me. Or maybe she just wanted someone to lend her an ear. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw her. I almost couldn’t recognize her.”
She doesn’t look like she’s lying. She’s probably telling the truth about not knowing why Melody had told her everything. Sonia felt a bit disappointed. “Why? What happened to her?” she asked.
Horror crept up on Cynthia’s face. “Melody… was like a different person. I wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t called out to me. She used to wear nothing but haute couture. She used to think of everyone as beneath her, and most people despised her because of that. Yet, they couldn’t help but still envied her. Not all rich ladies can lead a life like hers, after all.
“However, the last time I saw her, she was wearing something from a bazaar, and it looked washed out. Her hair was unkempt, and she no longer looked at everyone like they were beneath her. Her gaze would dart around, and she seemed to walk with a tinge of fear in her steps. Sometimes, she would even mutter to herself as if she had gone nuts.”
Sonia could imagine what Melody must have looked like. An unkempt woman who’s suspected to be mad. No wonder Cynthia was shocked. I would be stunned, too, if I saw her in that state. But I can understand why she looked like that. Her family fell apart just because she helped Tina fake her death. She lost her family and the Southfields’ help. She became a layman, the kind of person she hated the most. It must have broken her mind.
Cynthia didn’t ask why Sonia was keeping quiet. She sighed before continuing, “I asked her why she wanted to find Tina. She told me Tina had lied to her. She had no dirt on Peter. She only said that to trick Melody into helping her.”
“Figures,” Sonia sneered. “The Southfields might not be as influential as the Stryders back then, but they still were aristocrats. Tina was just the daughter of a rich man. There’s no way she could get her hands on Peter’s dirt. Melody was just stupid. She loved Peter too much to see through the lie.”
Cynthia nodded in agreement. “I thought so, too. Now Peter has a new fiancée, and Melody thought she failed to get back with him because Tina dragged her down too long. She thought she would have time to hound Peter and make him remarry her if she hadn’t helped Tina. She figured he wouldn’t have gotten a new girl if she hadn’t gotten herself into such a mess. So, she now hates Tina’s guts and is dead set on seeking her out to destroy her.”
“What about you, then?” Sonia smirked. “You asked me if I knew that Tina was alive. And you told me a lot. You revealed this much information to me because you have your own goal to achieve, don’t you?”
Cynthia froze. She met Sonia’s gaze and could only see indifference in her eyes. Can’t lie to her anymore. “You’re such a smart woman, Miss Reed. Indeed, I do have a motive, but I promise I mean no harm. I just want to know if you still bear any hatred toward Tina. If you still hate her, you will seek her out once you know what she did. You and President Fuller would locate her faster than Melody could. I just want to make her pay the price for her crimes. I, too, have to get my revenge.”
“Revenge?” Sonia grinned. “I thought you were her friend. And now you want to take revenge on her?”
“Friends? With her? No, I was just her lackey. Nothing more. Yes, glamorous life being her lackey, but she abuses me in secret.” Cynthia bit her lip. She came to a decision and pulled her skirt up just enough to show her legs which were littered with hideous scars.
Sonia gasped at the horrifying sight, a chill coursing through her body. Cynthia’s legs were… terrifying. Every inch of it was filled with scars. There were stitches on them, too. The scars were all over her skin like big centipedes. It almost made Sonia hurl. She averted her gaze and covered her mouth, the look on her face pale from the shock.
