Chapter 506
He started to believe Tara was the victim and Sylvia was the vicious woman.
He imprisoned Sylvia so that she would not go out and hurt Tara anymore, and his anger drove him to divorce her in the end.
He had just regained control of his company back then and he was busy handling work matters. He got so busy that he only had a few hours of sleep in the office for many nights.
Tara sustained permanent damage from the fall and could never be pregnant again and she got a little mentally unstable. Therefore, whenever he got the time, he would go visit her.
When he finally settled his company matters, it had already been one month since Sylvia’s labor.
It was on the same day when he returned home, that he saw Sylvia slapping Tara.
He was furious.
It was Sylvia’s fault that Tara could never be pregnant again, and Tara did not even complain once. She even visited Sylvia frequently. However, Sylvia did not appreciate Tara’s effort and slapped her six times. Not only that but Sylvia even gave him the cold shoulder after what happened. It was a drastic change from her attentive attitude from before where she complied with every request and placed him ahead of everything in her life. He told the bodyguard to slap Sylvia sixty times. He then left with Liam, not knowing that Sylvia had hidden Isabel.
He also did not expect Sylvia to disappear for three years after that. The past came back to haunt him. This time, he did not think about Tara’s pitiful look but the horrified expression on Sylvia’s face after he shook her hand away and went to check on Tara after the fall.
He even remembered the resentment and resolution on Sylvia’s swollen face after the sixty slaps.
He choked on all the memories. Edmund was telling him the truth and he knew it was not Tara’s first time when he slept with her that night. She had been lying to him for five years!
She might not even be pregnant with his child in the first place!
She could fall off the stairs to lose the child and shift the blame to Sylvia. A perfect one stone, two birds situation.
Sylvia slapping her must also be part of her plan. She planned it meticulously so that he could see it with his own eyes. He was stupid enough to believe that Tara was the victim, the poor and helpless victim who
understood all his needs. On that rainy night more than a decade ago, she used to be a kind and caring girl. What changed her? Aside from the changed personality, Tara stayed by his side for so many years but he knew nothing about her different faces. He even fell for her trap more than three times. Not only did Tara indirectly put his grandmother in a comatose state, but she also made him think that it was Sylvia and Edmund who caused the accident, resulting in him imprisoning Sylvia and breaking her leg. Lastly, he even took Tara’s suggestion and let Sylvia go to Cloudy Heart Lake. The chilly breeze came in through the window and assaulted his face. It felt like an invisible hand slapping him on the face. He finally understood why Sylvia came back as a changed person after three years and was so resistant to remarrying him. He finally understood why she said he would regret it if he broke her leg. He also understood why she came back from the dead and insisted on a second divorce and scolded him a stupid idiot.
She never lied to him from the start and never once hurt Tara on purpose.
It was Tara who schemed and hurt her, not the other way around.
However, he chose to believe in the witch more than his own wife at that time. He had been a stupid idiot for so many years and deeply hurt Sylvia multiple times. He clenched his fists tightly and even the veins on the back of his hand started to show.
…
Ding. Inside the car that was stopping under the tree, Sylvia’s phone buzzed.
It was a text from Edmund.
“Syl, I’ve got news from my men whom I sent to take care of my lackey’s mother. They said that someone just checked on Tara and my lackey’s past. It must be Odell and he should be aware of what the woman did in the past.”
Chapter 507
“Thank you, Edmund.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sylvia put her phone away.
Now that Odell learned about Tara’s past, he would not be that stupid to continue believing Tara was a pure and innocent girl. Sherry then said, “Syl, it’s Odell’s car. He’s coming out. Should we follow him?”
Sylvia looked ahead and saw Odell’s car driving down the main road.
It seemed like he was heading to Lake Victoria Villa. ‘He’s going to Tara’s place?’
Even though Sylvia no longer cared about his relationship with Tara, she was still curious and yearned for more gossip. She grinned and said, “Sherry, follow him. We’re in for a good show.” Sherry wore the same wide grin. “Alright!”
The black sports car sprinted in the night.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at Lake Victoria Villa, Tara’s house.
Odell got out of the car and the bodyguards immediately opened the door for him.
The man strode inside the house.
It was dark. The bodyguards did not notice the grim look on his face, so one of them went up to him and said, “Sir, you’re finally here. Ms. Avery has been throwing a tantrum for an entire day. She refused to eat or drink and only wanted to see you.”
Odell ignored him and continued inside.
He soon reached the living room and saw Tara on the couch.
The bodyguard cleared his throat to alert Tara.
Tara looked up. She saw Odell and she bolted up with excitement.
However, the sudden excitement caused her to trip. Her scrawny figure in addition to her teary eyes made her look feeble.
“Odell…” she called out to him in sobs. Sylvia and Sherry arrived outside the house and were just in time for the show. Sylvia watched with a frosty look.
Sherry clicked her tongue and said in disdain, “She can really act.”
Back in the living room, Odell peered down at Tara with a condescending gaze. He was expressionless.
Tara noticed something was wrong. She got up on her feet and went up to him. With feigned innocence on her face, she said, “Odell, I didn’t hurt Sylvia. I have known her since we were young. I might be jealous that she wins your heart but I’ll never hurt her.” Odell kept quiet and simply watched her.
Tara thought of hugging him and continued her explanation but when she met his deep gaze, she had goosebumps and dared not have any body contact with him. Her gaze shifted and said, “Odell, I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, you can check on it. You can tell Sylvia to call the police. I did nothing wrong and I’m not guilty!” The man that she hired to seize Sylvia at Cloudy Heart Lake was a hitter that Melanie introduced through some gangster in other cities. After Sylvia fell, the man left Westchester City.
Even Tara had no idea who the man was, let alone Odell.
Besides, the police failed to get any useful clues after months of investigation and as long as she denied it, no matter what Sylvia said, the police would have no evidence against her.
Odell waited for her to finish and then pulled his phone out to show her the pictures he received from Cliff.
Chapter 508He asked, “Do you know the man in the picture?”
Tara’s face turned white as paper.
The picture showed her clinging to another man.
She uncontrollably faltered as she looked at Odell’s frosty look. She said in a trembling voice,” 0-Odell, who sent you the picture?”
“Answer my question.”
Tara’s gaze became evasive. She hurriedly said, “I-I don’t know him. I’ve never taken a picture like that! Someone is trying to frame me!”
Odell then scrolled to the next picture.
He showed her the phone again and said, “So, this picture is also someone trying to frame
you?”
The second picture showed her kissing Joshua intimately. Tara started to shake. “Odell, I…”
Odell looked at her as he scrolled through his phone and showed her every intimate picture she had with Joshua.
She took the pictures with Joshua five years ago when they were still together. Those pictures should have been erased from existence after Joshua was arrested. How did Odell get his hands on them?
Sweat covered her forehead instantly.
Tara panicked. “N-No, it’s all photoshopped! Someone is trying to frame me!” She reached out and snatched the phone from him. Odell did not react. He continued staring at her with a cold gaze. Tara’s legs turned weak. She fell on the floor with a thud. Odell peered down at her and said, “If you’re not telling me the truth, I’ll do it for you.” Tara’s tears rolled down her face.
If he was able to get that many pictures of her and Joshua, he must have known about her past relationship and that Joshua was in prison because of her affair.
Tara no longer dared to say the pictures were photoshopped. She crawled closer to him and cried, “Odell, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you. The man in the picture was my ex boyfriend but we broke up five years ago! I only knew you after we broke up! “I was forced to be with him. I had no support back then and he’s a gangster. He fell for my looks and made me his girlfriend. I didn’t do anything but he claimed that I cheated on him! I just had tea with a male friend and he beat my friend to death! He’s a scary person!”
Sylvia and Sherry heard everything from outside the door. “My gosh, she’s good at twisting facts!” Sherry almost ran into the house and slapped Tara. Sylvia stopped her from being reckless. Sherry frowned. “Syl, I can’t bear it anymore! I have to expose her! She’s good at distorting facts! She’s going to fool Odell again!” Sylvia was looking at the man’s back inside the house when she said, “Let’s just observe for now.”
She also believed Odell might be fooled but if he fell for Tara’s tricks again, he would be the stupidest man alive. Even if she and Sherry went in to expose Tara, Tara might be able to turn the situation to her advantage and use it against them. The man’s gravelly voice sounded as he asked, “So, you’re saying you never cheated on him?”
Tara answered instantly, “Yes! I didn’t cheat on him but he slandered me! He claimed that I slept with many men but I only love you, Odell! I was forced to be with him. How could I be with several men at once?”
Odell’s towering figure stood like a monolith.
The air got quiet.
Sherry started to lose her patience and even Sylvia pursed her lips nervously.
Would the man believe her again? Just when Sylvia lost interest in watching and wanted to bring Sherry away, Odell showed Tara his phone again. Tara froze and was horrified after seeing the phone. Sylvia narrowed her eyes curiously.
Chapter 509
Sherry asked in a small voice, “What did he show her?” Sylvia answered, “It should be a picture of some sort.”
Back in the living room, Odell indeed showed Tara another picture and it was a picture of her being intimate with another man other than Joshua.
Tara only had a glance at the picture before Odell scrolled to the next picture.
The picture was also from five years ago and it showed her being intimate with yet another unrecognized man.
Tara was petrified. Odell continued to scroll through the screen until the last picture in the album. It was a picture of her with another man on the bed and it was taken by Joshua himself.
Tara collapsed on the floor.
Odell retracted his phone.
The filthy pictures would only stain his phone. He deleted all of them before he pocketed it. Then, he stared at Tara with the coldest gaze and asked, “Do you have anything else to say?” “I……” Tara stuttered and failed to produce a full sentence. Odell then turned to the bodyguard. “Tell the others who worked here to leave immediately. Everyone is to return to the Carter residence and no one is allowed to stay here.”
The bodyguard was shocked but he nodded and answered, “Yes, sir. I’ll inform the others right away.”
The servant was long gone. All that was left was the bodyguard and two kitchen helpers.
The bodyguard then went off to carry out the order.
Odell then looked at Tara. His voice sounded as cold as his gaze when he said, “From this moment onward, you and I are done. This house belongs to you and you’re on your own now. Don’t even appear before my eyes.” He then turned around and walked out. Tara was stunned on the spot. As she watched his towering figure walk toward the entrance, she cried, “Odell, have you forgotten that rainy night more than a decade ago?”
She refused to cut all ties with the man.
Without him, she would have no money to spend on luxuries and branded items. She refused to live like a peasant!
Odell paused. Tara’s eyes gleamed with a sliver of hope.
Odell turned around and shot a colder gaze at her.
“If it wasn’t for that night, you’re already a dead person.”
Aside from the fact that she lied to him for five years, separated him from Sylvia, and driving him to do all those horrible things to her, her inciting her aunt to hurt his grandmother alone was enough for him to kill her a hundred times over.
Tara’s gaze shrunk. She dared not make a sound anymore.
It was then the bodyguard who left to carry out the order cried, “Madam?!”
Odell froze, so was Tara.
The two of them then looked outside the door.
Sylvia and Sherry came out from the shadows.
Sylvia smiled at the two of them and said, “Hi, did I interrupt anything?”
Sylvia and Sherry got carried away by the developing story. When they noticed the bodyguard coming toward them, it was too late for them to leave. They tried to hide in the shadows but as a bodyguard, the man sharply noticed their presence and exposed them. Odell’s eyes shifted and strode to Sylvia. Sylvia stood in her spot and allowed him to approach her.
Chapter 510
He grabbed her wrist and showed amusement in his gaze. “Why are you here?” Sylvia’s gaze shifted a bit and said, “I was wandering around and accidentally ended up here.” Odell grinned. “It was you who told Edmund to reveal everything to me, is it?” “What are you talking about? I don’t know.” Sylvia decided to play dumb. Odell did not linger on the question. He said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go back.” He then held her hand and walked out.
Sylvia tried to retract her hand but his grip was too strong.
She was dragged outside by force but before she left, she had a glance at Tara inside the house.
Tara was still on the floor. She wore a horrified expression as if she saw a ghost, but the resentment behind showed that she wanted to eat Sylva alive.
It was a horrible scene to look at.
Sylvia grinned and looked away. Odell dragged Sylvia all the way to the main gate. Right before he shoved her into the car, Sylvia cried, “Odell, stop!” Sherry came over. “Odell, let go of Sylvia!” Odell looked at Sylvia and said softly, “It’s late. If Isabel and Liam don’t see you tomorrow morning, they’ll throw a tantrum.”
Sylvia puckered her lips. She turned to Sherry and said, “Sherry, go home.” Sherry was worried about her friend. “Syl…”
“It’s okay. I’m going to be fine.” “Call me right away if something happens.” “Okay, thank you.”
Sherry had a resentful glare at Odell before she stepped away.
Sylvia then got into the car willingly.
After she fastened the seatbelt, Odell finally released her wrist. He closed the door and went over to the driver’s seat.
The black sports car then drove onto the freeway.
It was quiet in the car until he asked, “Since when did you find out?”
“About what?”
“Her past.”
te 510
Sylvia had a glance at him. The man’s eyes were on the road and his expression was cold. He was not exactly unhappy. Sylvia’s gaze shifted and turned a deaf ear at him. “Are you referring to Tara cheating on you?” Odell pursed his lips. “Yes.” “A while ago, from Edmund.”
While Edmund was detained in the detention center, she visited him once and he told her the truth behind Madam Carter’s incident.
Edmund then further informed her about Tara’s past. If it was not for Edmund, Sylvia might still be unable to figure out why Tara was ruthless enough to lose her child just to frame her. It would be easier for Tara to win the fight if she gave birth and used the child to capture Odell’s heart.
After learning the truth from Edmund, she figured out that the child that Tara bore might not be Odell’s.
Ironically, the man chose to believe that his wife cheated on him while ignoring the fact that the woman he had slept with one time cheated on him the most.
The car went silent again. Suddenly, he said, “I’ve misunderstood you.”
Sylvia looked at him.
He was driving. His eyes remained glued to the road but the expression on his face was serious.
Two seconds later, he added, “I won’t let this happen again and I won’t misunderstand you anymore.”
He sounded serious as if he was making a vow.
Sylvia scoffed.
Be it when Tara framed her back then or when she was imprisoned for four months, she had been desperate to tell him the truth and wanted to let him know that she was framed. However, all her efforts fell short and he refused to listen to her.
Now, she no longer cared about his trust and now he told her he misunderstood her and promised he would never do it again.
Irony. What a joke.
Sylvia said, “Don’t spew nonsense. I don’t care anymore. I just want a divorce. If you want to make it up to me, sign the papers