Return, My Love: Wooing the Neglected Ex-Wife

Chapter 889:

With a firm tug, Brielle pulled the pendant, causing the lights to flicker wildly, casting shadows of black and white across the room. She exerted one final pull, bringing the chandelier crashing down, exposing a small aperture in the ceiling.

Looking up, Michael was surprised as, instead of plaster, a cascade of cash tumbled down, each bundle stamped with the figure “ten thousand.” Several bundles lay scattered around them.

Michael was at a loss, wondering how much wealth had been concealed above them. “What’s this?”

Descending from her elevated stance, Brielle wiped her hands, her voice steady and somber. “When your father and I were younger, we handled a case where a drunk driver smashed into a pedestrian and then dragged his wife and kid for a hundred meters.”

A chill coursed through Michael, his mouth suddenly dry as a heavy sense of dread weighed down on him. “And then what happened?”

“The driver’s family had connections and money. To dodge punishment, they bribed your father and me. We covered up his DUI and made it look like an ordinary car accident.”

In terms of reparation, the driver did face some consequences. The settlement was reached, and the aggrieved family consented. At that time, renovations were underway at their home, with a steady flow of trucks delivering steel and cement.

To sway Terry and Brielle, the driver’s family had smuggled sixty million dollars in cash to their freshly refurbished study, delivering it in several installments.

This money had remained hidden since then; both Terry and Brielle had been too weighed down by remorse to ever use it.

Tragically, not long afterward, the same driver, once again intoxicated during daylight, was responsible for the death of over a dozen pedestrians.

Brielle squeezed her eyes shut tightly, the pain evident in her voice. “If we had just arrested him back then, none of those people would have had to die.”

When she reopened her eyes, they were glistening with tears. “Your father and I screwed up big time, and the guilt has weighed on us ever since. Michael, do you have any idea who might be behind targeting Dulce?”

The burden of what he’d just learned felt like a boulder on Michael’s chest, suffocating him. Over a dozen lives lost, and inadvertently, his parents had a hand in each tragedy.

Clasping his chest, overwhelmed by the gravity of the information, Michael took a deep breath before meeting Brielle’s gaze again. “Who?”

Brielle’s face was set in a determined grimace as she pronounced the name. “Fiona.”

“Fiona?” Michael repeated, his voice laced with disbelief.

“Yes, it’s her,” Brielle confirmed sternly. “Not long ago, Fiona came to visit, and strangely enough, the chandelier just happened to crash down. After that, the hidden money issue couldn’t be swept under the rug anymore. She subtly hinted to your father and me not to interfere with Dulce.”noveldrama

“And you actually listened to Fiona?” Michael scoffed, his laugh tinged with bitterness.

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