NovelEnglishIn the evening, Aurelia broke the news to Fredric.
Fredric was utterly flabbergasted, nearly fainting from the shock. He couldn't fathom that Sheryl of all people was behind the murder that had rocked the town just yesterday.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"That snake! Has she lost her mind? I'm calling the cops right now to take her in," he exclaimed.
"Hold off on that," Aurelia urged. "It would be better to persuade her to turn herself in and plea for leniency. After all, she's Nina and Mira's mother. Let's give her a chance at redemption." Fredric let out a weary sigh. "She was about to have you and Kane killed, and you're still pleading for her? You're too kind-hearted, you know?" "It's not for her sake, it's for Nina. Nina is a sensible and sweet kid. | wouldn't want her to suffer and carry this trauma with her.
Let's leave this toand Leopold to handle. You just make sure Jelena is safe." Fredric nodded, "You've got my word. | won't let anything like this happen again." Aurelia fell into silence, seemingly lost in thought, then whispered, "Let's not tell Jelena about this just yet." "I get it," Fredric replied. Telling Jelena would be a recipe for disaster. She'd never let Sheryl off the hook.
The next day, the kids were whisked away to school by helicopter.
Leopold and Aurelia headed to Sheryl's villa.
Sheryl, lounging on her sofa with a facial mask, sneered as they arrived. "What brings you two to my humble abode?" she quipped with a mocking tone.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmLeopold, not one for beating around the bush, got straight to the point, "Were you at Silver Surf Beach looking for Nina the day before yesterday?" Sheryl jolted, faltering her feigned calmness. "What kind of joke is that? I've been in Aberystone this whole time, only got back last night." A knowing glance passed between Leopold and Aurelia who had expected her to deny it. No fool would confess to such a crime.
Leopold pulled out the call log from Nina's phone. "The day before yesterday, you texted Nina and called her, asking her to meet you outside the resort." A spasm of panic shot through Sheryl. "That wasn't me! My phone's been stolen. | had no idea you were vacationing at Silver Surf Beach. It must be someone impersonating me. Is Nina alright?" Leopold, skeptical, showed her the security footage from near the resort. There she was on camera, almost identical to the woman they knew.
"Denying it won't help you. No one can escape the watchful eyes of surveillance." Upon seeing the footage, Sheryl widened her eyes in disbelief. "That's impossible! | was at the hotel in Aberystone all day long. | didn't go anywhere. That has to be someone in disguise, imitating me." Aurelia watched her intently. Sheryl's shock seemed genuine, not the product of a charade. But as an Oscar-winning actress, feigning emotions was well within her skill set.
As they stood in a heavy silence, Sheryl trembled her voice. "Can you please tellwhat happened? Where's Nina? My Nina?" Aurelia said, "You went to see Nina the day before yesterday, giving her a box of chocolates. Three of them were laced with a deadly poison intended for me, Jelena, and Kane. Nina, unaware of the danger, gave the chocolates to a quarreling couple in the palm grove, and both of them died instantly." "What?" Sheryl shivered with horror.
She had scrolled through the news on Twitter, even spent tabsorbing the details with a sense of detachment, never imagining she would be cast as the perpetrator.
She seemed to be hit by a scandal out of the blue while sitting at home.
"I may despise you and Jelena, but I'm not foolish enough to orchestrate a murder-suicide. If you die, | won't survive the repercussions. Do you think I'm an idiot?" Sheryl's voice kept shaking. "lI would never use Nina. She's my flesh and blood. How could | possibly involve my dear Nina in a murder?"
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