Chapter 427: The Young Madam’s Inspection of The Gustin Family’s Villa (6)
As Paige turned her gaze to Enrico, he sat there, his expression frozen, his eyes dark and bloodshot.
“…”
Now, he finally understood why Paige had said he was unworthy.
Enrico sat still, looking deeply into Paige’s eyes. “How did you figure it out?”
Even he hadn’t noticed anything wrong, so how had she discovered all of this just by walking around?
During her tour, Paige initially felt sorrow for Annie, distressed that all traces of her life had been destroyed. But seeing the look in Enrico’s eyes, her heart ached for him too.
“I was just guessing.”
Paige responded calmly. “You took me to the hot springs pavilion. The medicinal baths there were all managed by your mother. Their properties were mild, showing she was someone who cared about wellness. But when I passed through the garden, I noticed that although it had rare flowers and plants, it was poorly maintained. There wasn’t a single medicinal plant in sight.”
“…”
“I checked the documents and found that a few years ago, the garden was filled with medicinal plants, arranged in harmony with the seasons, following a meticulous design that matched your mother’s style. But for some reason, it was all destroyed.”
Paige continued, “When I went to the hot springs pavilion, I realized it felt isolated, with a layout that didn’t match the other buildings in the villa. After standing there for a while, I figured out that it should have been connected to the hot springs hill outside. The windows should have opened to a misty, ethereal view, with the scent of medicinal plants wafting through the air. It should have been an elegant and serene place.”
But everything had been ruined.
Enrico sat there listening, then let out a bitter laugh. “You sure think a lot.”
He had always assumed that Annie focused on medicinal baths because she was worried about the day he might suffer from AS schizophrenia. But it turned out she had been focused on wellness, even growing medicinal plants for the purpose.
How had he never thought of that…
Why had he never considered it…
“In retrospect, it’s understandable that you were too busy dealing with the Gustin Group’s affairs to pay attention to the villa.”
Paige’s tone softened, and she was about to approach him when Enrico suddenly stood up and began walking towards Jeremy.
Jeremy sat stiffly in his chair.
In the next moment, Enrico grabbed Jeremy by the collar and yanked him to his feet, his bloodshot eyes glaring at him murderously. “Does it feel good? Watching me destroy my mother’s hard work piece by piece, does it feel satisfying?”
Jeremy, face flushed from the chokehold, smirked instead of showing fear. His laugh was almost mocking. “Isn’t this how we are as father and son? You play me, I play you. You schemed to oust me from power, and I stood upstairs watching as you ordered the entire garden to be leveled.”
“…”
Enrico’s grip tightened.
“Those plants and flowers, they were indeed planted one by one by your mother, who had AS schizophrenia.”
Jeremy taunted, “She even told me that when the children grew up, she and I would sit in the garden, watching the sun rise and set, waiting to grow old together.”
The sweet words from the past were now nothing but venom to Enrico.
Paige watched from the side, noticing the killing intent in Enrico’s eyes intensify. He violently shoved Jeremy back into the chair, gritting his teeth as he roared, “You think you deserve to grow old? Jaden! Gun!”
“…”
Jaden froze for a second, then instinctively looked at Paige.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Jeremy, slumped in the chair, showed no fear. On the contrary, his face took on a crazed expression. He elegantly straightened his wrinkled collar. “Go ahead, kill me. After all, you’ve already killed your brother. What’s one more? You trampled your whore mother’s garden, so why bother with her will?”
“Jaden!” Enrico’s eyes blazed, his voice growing louder, filled with the urge to kill.
It was hard to say if this situation was more tragic or hateful.
Catching Jaden’s pleading glance, Paige stepped forward, placing her hand on Enrico’s arm. She met his furious gaze. “Enrico, leave this to me.”
Enrico’s arm was as rigid as a stone, his gaze still locked on Jeremy, his words sharp and deliberate, “You don’t need to get involved. Go finish your meal.”
Don’t go hungry.
“He’s already lost everything, Enrico. He has nothing left.”
Paige glanced at the taunting Jeremy and continued, “Once, he thought he could reclaim power. But step by step, he lost his son, his daughter is as good as gone, and Leah fled to seek refuge. Even Denver, who helped him, can’t protect himself now. He’s nothing more than a lonely, defeated man. If you kill him, he’ll feel relief while also haunting you with the bitterness of it. Do you really want to give him that satisfaction?”
Jeremy’s life was already in ruins.
He was a broken man, far from the glory he once sought.
Hearing this, Enrico’s eyes flickered slightly. He turned to look at Paige, his fierce expression softening just a bit. “Then what do you suggest?”
“Let him continue living as a lonely old man.”
Paige smiled faintly and then turned to Jeremy. “Don’t worry, old man. I’ll persuade Enrico to let you live a long, long life. That way, you’ll understand that without Annie, you… are nothing.”
The ultimate act of revenge was not death, but making him realize his insignificance.
Paige had finally hit Jeremy’s most vulnerable spot.
He had made sure Enrico destroyed Annie’s legacy, not just out of hatred but because deep down, he resented how much he had relied on her. Everything he achieved in the Gustin family villa had been because of Annie.
This was the deepest wound in his heart, a pain he would never admit to.
Sure enough, Paige’s words had the desired effect. The once fearless Jeremy’s expression changed dramatically. He glared at her, shouting, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Am I wrong?” Paige smirked. “If you had even an ounce of real ability, you wouldn’t have been so easily defeated.”
“You wretched woman-” Jeremy leapt from his chair, lunging at her.
“Bang!”
Enrico raised his leg and kicked Jeremy, pulling Paige protectively behind him.
With a loud crash, Jeremy fell back onto his chair, toppling over and landing on the floor in a heap. “You ungrateful son! How dare you treat your father like this? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”
“He’s not afraid, because from today, I’m the one in charge of this villa.” Paige stepped out from behind Enrico.
Enrico shot her a disapproving look.
She really liked to step in for him, even when he tried to shield her. Was he really becoming the man she had to protect?
“Steward Beau, take note. From now on, I’ll list the names, and you’ll fire them all and ban them from The Capital.”
Paige stood beside Enrico, her hands gripping his wrist in a way that made her look delicate and affectionate, yet she commanded the scene like the true master of the house.
Jeremy struggled to stand, stunned as he heard the string of names. She had just listed all of his people, some of whom were so well-hidden that only he knew of them. How did she know?