Chapter 448 The Choice Is Yours
Chapter 448 The Choice Is Yours
Clad in a simple black dress and high heels, Maria stepped into the house. She was followed by two bodyguards.
Once she was inside, she noticed there weren't just members of the Song family, but also Alina, Ronald and the illegitimate child of Chandler.
As Maria made her entry, everyone present fixated their eyes on her.
The only reason Elaine was qualified to be here today was because she was the mother of Chandler's children. NôvelDrama.Org holds © this.
Maria hadn't seen Daniela for a long time. Chandler had recently picked her up from their hometown. As her eyes ran over her, she realized there were a lot of changes in Daniela.
Maria mingled with the crowd, exchanging greetings. In a few minutes, she found a seat and sat down.
The lawyer cleared his throat and began to announce Gordon's will.
The expression on Elaine face changed when she heard she was only given one house. Daniela was given some funds that were worth millions of dollars. Carolina, on the other hand, was given real estates that were also worth millions of dollars. It was Maria's part that shocked her the most. Maria was given twenty-five percent of the shares of Song Group and a bank card. Elaine could no longer remain silent. She had to voice her frustration.
Standing up, she spat out, "Was the old man out of his mind? Doesn't he remember who took care of him while he was still alive? Maria had been absent from the Song family for ten years. In spite of everything, she gets so many shares. How is this fair? I don't care about the fact he has only left me a house. But Daniela surely deserves more than some funds!"
Chandler was livid as he heard these accusations. Trying to contain his rage, he explained, "Elaine, don't forget that we have divorced. You have nothing to do with the Song family now. Be thankful that my father was kind enough to leave you a house!"
At this, Elaine stared at him with wide eyes. After a few seconds, she said, "All right, let's forget what he left for me! But what about Daniela? Why has he given her some valueless funds? Isn't he being too partial?"
Daniela, too, felt she had been wrong. Yet she hadn't uttered a word. She silently began to shed some tears.
Watching the scene that was taking place, Ronald chimed in abruptly, "Aunt Elaine, I think it's a good thing that Daniela has been given some funds. My sister and I have only got hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you think of it, we get less money than a child gets." He wanted to say "illegitimate" child, but when he remembered Chandler's presence, he bit his tongue and reframed his sentence.
Gordon had left behind two houses as well as five percent shares of the company to the illegitimate son of Chandler and his mistress.
Elaine paid no need to what Ronald had said. She turned to the lawyer and said, "Did Maria pay you to do this? Have you tampered with the will?"
Chandler pounded his hands on the table.
"Enough is enough! If you don't want the house, it's okay. You are free to get the hell out of here!"
"Dad!" Seeing how bad things had gotten, Carolina decided to intervene. She stood up, looked at her mother and said, "Mom, stop this. You'd better leave."
"Stop what? Carolina, you have given Song Group so much! You worked hard for it. But in the end, Maria gets twenty-five percent of the shares! Why would you allow someone else to snatch something you have worked so hard on?"
In a flat tone, Carolina explained, "Mom, if it weren't for the loan given by HL Group in the past, Song Group would have gone bankrupt. If that had happened, even if Grandpa gave me one hundred percent of shares, I would still be in debt. Grandpa is a sensible man. He probably has a good reason for his arrangement. Don't make a fuss about everything. If you are ever in need of money, I am there to give you. But please let Grandpa rest in peace!"
"Carolina, are you giving in and accepting this unjust arrangement?" Elaine gazed at her daughter in horrified disbelief.
Carolina nodded her head and said, "Maria and I are sisters. We all owe Maria a deep debt of gratitude. I would have been willing to give Song Group to her if that was what Grandpa wanted me to do."
"Carolina! Have you been brainwashed?" Elaine couldn't believe her ears.
Carolina sighed and said, "Mom, let's go! I'll drive you home!"
"I won't go back. Maria, tell me the truth. Did you collude with this lawyer to tamper with your grandfather's will?"
Facing this wretched woman's challenging question,
Maria could no longer remain silent. She stood up and sneered at her so-called mother. "If I colluded with the lawyer to tamper with the will, you and Daniela wouldn't have gotten a penny, let alone Alina and her brother!"
"Maria, you ungrateful-" Elaine pounced on Maria, but the two bodyguards jumped in and held her back.
Maria walked out of the Song family house, not once looking back.
When she was about to enter the car, a figure rushed after her and held her back.
The driver tried to stop this intruder but that woman had firmly grasped onto Maria's clothes.
Maria gestured for the driver to leave them alone. He took a few steps back, but his vigilant eyes were still on that woman.
It was none other than Alina. She took out her phone, typed a few words and handed it over to Maria. "Give me the antidote. I promise I will never make trouble for you again."
Maria looked at Alina and said, "Clayton is going to be convicted and the ownership of Tang Group is going to be changed. Do you actually think you are qualified to negotiate with me?"
Alina shook her head. Her eyes were welling up with tears. She began to type again. "Please let go of Tang Group."
As Maria read this, her face curved into a haughty smile. She looked at the woman in front of her and said, "Well, since you are my cousin, I will help you with one of these issues. So tell me, do you want me to let go of Tang Group or give you the antidote? The choice is yours!"
Alina was rendered speechless.
"Send me a message when you make your choice," Maria said and got into the car, leaving Alina behind.
Alina wasn't done yet. She wanted to converse more with Maria. But before she could stop her, the bodyguards pounced on her and held her back. She could do nothing but watch as Maria's car disappeared from her sight.
On the way back, Maria checked her phone. She had received several calls from James. He called again. She slid the answer key and asked, "Have you finished your work?"
"Ask the driver to drive you to LZ Road. He knows the place."
"Is that where you are?"
"Yeah."
After hanging up the phone, Maria looked at the bank card in her hand. This was the one she had once given to Gordon.
Gordon didn't take the money. Instead, he had preserved and given another million dollars to her.
Maria closed her eyes and conjured up memories of her grandfather. She vividly remembered his kind smile.
Alina made her choice quickly. Within a quarter of an hour, Maria received a message from her. "I choose the antidote."
Maria smiled sarcastically and replied, "There is no antidote, Alina. To put it bluntly, your antidote is time. You will recover naturally in two years." This wasn't a lie. The effect of the drug would wear off in two years.
Alina, who had eagerly waited for an answer, was dumbfounded when she read this reply.
The driver stopped the car outside an old house on LZ Road. Maria got out of the car and was guided to the first floor by him
As soon as she opened the door, her nose was met by rank smell of the blood.
Shocked, her eyes began to search for James. Finally, she saw him sitting on the sofa. She could barely repress a sigh of relief on seeing him safe and sound.
There were more than a dozen bodyguards standing in the living room and a woman lying prone on the floor. Both her clothing and hair were disheveled. Maria wanted to get a glimpse of her face but couldn't see clearly.
When James saw Maria come in, he reached out for her hand. His eyes were brimming with tenderness.
Maria held his hand and sat next to him on the sofa.
Maria's arrival and the clicking of her high-heeled shoes caught that woman's attention. She raised her head and looked at the direction where Maria was sitting.
And now, Maria understood who this woman was. It was Rosa.
Her face was horribly swollen. Both her legs had wounds and blood was gushing out of them. There were whip marks on her body. All in all, it would suffice to say that her body was mutilated.
"When did you find her?" Maria asked, unable to hide her surprise.
"This afternoon."
James took out a dagger and handed it to Maria. "Go ahead!"
Maria wouldn't take it. She simply looked at the dagger and asked, "Has she admitted she killed Edith?"
"Yes. I have recorded her confession and sent it to the police." It was irrefutable then. Rosa couldn't escape punishment this time. Her deeds were finally catching up with her.
Satisfied, Maria nodded her head. "It's useless to deal with her now. You have found her daughter, haven't you?"
At the mention of her daughter, something in Rosa awoke. She gasped and glared at Maria accusingly. "Don't hurt my daughter!" she warned.