Female Novel
Chapter 1401
Just like what happened seven years prior, the police inquired about what Stella could recall from theaccident. She recounted the memories etched vividly in her mind, leaving nothing out of her testimony.
“Albert wasn’t inclined to dig deeper into the truth back then. He told me that my mom could be heldcriminally responsible if it was found that her depression had relapsed. He claimed that her conditionwould result in erratic behavior, which caused the accident. He also said that insurance wouldn’t coverthat and that he simply did not have the money to pay her medical bills.
“When, in fact, my mother’s depression had been well under control for quite some time. She was nottaking any antidepressants in the six months leading up to her accident. I have all her detailed medicalrecords and prescription logs here,” she continued.
“My mother had been gathering evidence of Albert’s embezzlement and tax evasion six months beforethe accident. She had already drafted a divorce agreement. If the accident hadn’t happened, theywould have divorced within a month at most. In the divorce agreement, Albert was to receive a smallpercentage of shares. After my mom’s accident, he never once mentioned their impending divorce tome.”
Stella calmly laid out these details. She anticipated that she would be brimming with emotion when theday finally came. Yet she maintained a composed demeanor when giving her statement. The long-standing conflicts within the Jewell family were finally reaching a resolution.
Meanwhile, Marshall had just come down the stairs when he saw Ian hurrying out the door with hiscoat. “It’s rather late, Uncle Ian. Where are you off to?” He called out casually.
Ian froze and turned around. He put on a calm face and said, “I’m having trouble falling asleep, so Ithought I’d go out for a walk.”
“Oh. I’ll join you. I can’t seem to fall asleep either,” Marshall said and grabbed his coat.
Ian did not like the sound of that. Still, he managed a smile and said, “Don’t you have a lawsuit to workon?”
“It’s all about balancing work and rest, right?” Marshall offered a faint smile. “Shall we?”
Ian pursed his lips. “Truth be told, I was thinking of heading to the art gallery.”
“Sounds good,” Marshall replied. “I’ve yet to visit your gallery. Today seems like a fitting occasion.”
Ian’s expression tensed. Just then, Irene chimed in. “Since when were you interested in art, Marshall?”
Marshall turned around and regarded Irene with a polite nod. “Hey, Aunt Irene.”
Irene wore a silk pajama set, her hair casually draping over her shoulders. Her facial features exuded amature and womanly charm.novelbin
“You’ve been living under the same roof for quite some time, but I haven’t seen you exchange manywords with your uncle. Why are you clinging onto him so tightly lately?” She remarked.
“I realized we have so much in common, given our close age, ” Marshall answered.
His response rendered Ian speechless. ‘When did we have anything in common? Marshall has beenwatching me like a hawk these past few days. He seems to pop up everywhere I go, inviting me for arun or a meal. Coincidentally, it’s always when Hylda reached out. I can’t even meet her with this kidtrailing me.’
“Even so, you should give him some space. He’s still your elder after all,” said Irene, “Come play around of chess with me, Marshall. While you are out, bring us back some food, Ian,” she added.
Hearing that, Ian let out a sigh of relief and promptly took his leave. Marshall pursed his lips and facedIrene. “There’s a good chance Hylda will contact him, Aunt Irene. You’ll be caught up in unwanted
trouble if he meets up with her.”
Irene offered a faint smile and said, “If he can’t distinguish priorities, then let him face theconsequences.”
Marshall looked at her but held his tongue.
Once Ian was out the door, he made a beeline to the art gallery. As soon as he turned on the lights inthe dimly lit studio, he saw a disheveled woman behind a canvas