The Ex and Her Riches
Chapter 409

Chapter 409

Nico came to a sudden halt, and his eyes lifted to meet Cedrick’s piercing gaze from the other side. Hisface paled slightly, startled by the intimidating look.

“I swear, my sister-in-law-to-be, I wouldn’t dare tamper with the results when so many eyes are uponme!”,

Compelled by a wave of trepidation, he swung the branch once more, this time with even greater force.

Evelyn convulsed in agony, her body trembling at the brink of collapse.

Her doe-like eyes brimmed with tears as she cast a helpless gaze toward Kieran and Treyton, whowere seated on the nearby couch.

“Help me, Kieran, Treyton.”

However, Kieran remained cold and impassive, his face devoid of any trace of emotion. He wasunperturbed by her desperate plea for help.

Treyton couldn’t bear to see her covered in blood as the brutal strikes echoed in his ears. Hence, heturned away, choosing to ignore the scene.

As Evelyn witnessed the apathy of her two brothers, a chill settled in her heart. A sardonic smile creptonto her pale lips, a bitter reflection of the irony that enveloped the situation.

She would groan in pain occasionally, but she never begged for mercy.

Slap!

As the final whip cracked through the air, the last thick branch in Nico’s hand snapped.

He took a moment to catch his breath, feeling exhausted from the exertion. He turned to look atGwendolyn and Cedrick and said, “We’re done with the fifty lashes.”

“Great.” Gwendolyn’s voice remained icy, devoid of any inflection.

Evelyn clutched her arms in pain and trembled uncontrollably on the ground. Her carefully styled hairand immaculate makeup were now marred by perspiration. The captivating charm she had exhibited atthe homecoming feast had vanished, replaced by a disheveled appearance.

William stepped forward and forcefully pulled her up, making her kneel.

Her fragile form bore the marks of countless wounds. Despite teetering on the edge of collapse, herindomitable spirit refused to succumb completely.

Before any questioning began, she was subjected to harsh punishment. She knew all too well that thiswas Gwendolyn’s deliberate attempt to crush her spirit and assert dominance over her.

Gwendolyn turned away from Cedrick’s embrace and shot Evelyn a sidelong glance. The frigid intensityin her eyes spoke volumes of her haughty and composed demeanor.

Her status in the family was evident.

Gwendolyn asked, “Lorelai said you instigated her to push Dad down the stairs. Is that true?”

Evelyn took a moment to ease the pain coursing through her. Finally, she replied expressionlessly,“Yes.”

“You’re truly despicable! How can you bear to have someone push him down the stairs? He has beensupporting you and doting on you all these years. Don’t you feel remorseful?” Gwendolyn hissed.

Evelyn let out a humorless laugh, and her eyes filled with a pained expression. Despite the agony shewas experiencing, her voice carried a chilling coldness. “What is there to feel guilty about? He shouldhave known the consequences when he gave you the inheritance. I know I’m his beloved daughter, buthe loved you more. He was unwilling to make me part of the Harris family all these years. I was theillegitimate daughter who had to live in secrecy. Doesn’t he deserve to die?”

Hidden beneath Evelyn’s exquisite facade was a heart filled with malice and cruelty.

“You’re a heartless woman!” Gwendolyn bellowed, “Nico, slap her. Make her pay for her vicious words!”

“Okay.”

With that, Nico rolled up his sleeves and walked over. With a swift motion, he raised his hand anddelivered a powerful slap.

Weakened by the relentless beatings she had already suffered, Evelyn couldn’t bear the force of theslap any longer. She crumpled to the ground in pain.

She gently pressed her tongue against the damaged lining of her mouth. The searing pain persisted inher mouth even after she spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

Only when William forcefully yanked her back up and forced her to kneel again did she start to regainsome semblance of clarity.

Gwendolyn was still furious by Evelyn’s hurtful words earlier.

Cedrick quickly patted her back in the hope of soothing her anger.

Luckily, his presence calmed Gwendolyn down.

She asked Evelyn calmly, “You have treated me as your greatest enemy all these years and took greatpains to cause me trouble. I don’t understand why you hate me so much.”

Evelyn glanced at Kieran and Treyton, who were sitting on either side of the couch. They showed nosigns of empathy as they witnessed her being beaten.

She scoffed, “We are both daughters of the Harris family. You are the almighty princess, protected byyour dad and brothers from a young age. How would you understand the pains of an illegitimatedaughter? While all of you were enjoying New Year’s Eve dinner, I was alone at home weeping insorrow. When I was young, I saw Dad holding you in his arms while we were out. I wanted to go overand call him ‘Dad,’ but Leif pulled me aside and told me that Marcus was not my father in public; heonly had one daughter, Gwendolyn.

“Dad and my brother did give me many things, but they couldn’t give me what I truly wanted. I had nochoice but to pursue my desires myself, even if it meant resorting to despicable means. As long as I getwhat I want, isn’t that all that matters?

“Gwendolyn, I don’t hate you. I just feel it’s unfair, so I wanted to switch places with you. Because in theHarris family, there can only be one beloved little princess, and I felt that you were interfering with mygoals.”

A blanket of silence fell over the room when Evelyn finished speaking.

When Alban amended Gwendolyn’s DNA results and caused her to be mistaken as the illegitimatechild, Gwendolyn felt miserable.

There was the incident involving Charles earlier too.

In truth, having an illegitimate status was frustrating for families of high social standing.

She could somewhat grasp Evelyn’s fixation on her identity as an illegitimate child, including the innerturmoil she had endured for all these years. However, it was not a valid reason for her to absolveherself of the numerous heinous acts she had committed.

If she had chosen to act in such a way, she must be prepared to face the consequences of her actions.

Kieran and Treyton had no emotional attachment to Evelyn.

To them, the existence of an illegitimate child would disrupt the family harmony. Hence, they despisedand loathed her instead.

Treyton locked gaze with Evelyn and said, “You’ve lived a more privileged life than many others. Butyour insatiable greed led you down this path. An illegitimate child remains an illegitimate child. Do youtruly believe that you can become a princess? What makes you think you’re worthy enough to takeover my little sister’s position?”

His final words struck a nerve within Evelyn, as it seemed that everyone held the same opinion whencomparing her to Gwendolyn.

She chuckled bitterly, shaking her head, and redirected her gaze to Gwendolyn seated across from her.“You already know that I orchestrated everything that happened before. If there was something Icouldn’t accomplish, I would turn to my elder brother for assistance. Now that the truth has beenexposed, I’m devoid of any will to stay alive. As I reflect upon my actions, I’ve come to acknowledge thecountless sins I have committed. So, let Cedrick send me to the Federal Bureau of Investigation so thatI’ll be sentenced to death.”

Gwendolyn arched an eyebrow and said flatly, “It’s boring to simply kill you.”

Next, she stood up from Cedrick’s embrace and approached Evelyn, who remained kneeling behindthe coffee table. She gazed down at her with an air of superiority.

“I won’t end your life because you belong to the Harris family. Moreover, death is an easy way out foryou. Instead, I will make you suffer every day, tormenting you with remorse and agony!”

As Gwendolyn spoke, her eyes shimmered with hatred. She leaned forward and smirked. “Evelyn,would you care to learn of my plans for you?”