Chapter 1316: Humans Are Naturally Selfish Creatures
Pearl took the newspapers, not caring about the dust on them, and squatted down to flip through each one.
Late at night, she wore an expensive gown with a large skirt, squatting on the ground without any regard for her image, attracting frequent stares from passersby.
“Not this one…”
“Nor this one.”
“Where is it?”
Pearl didn’t care how others saw her. She muttered to herself as she looked through the newspapers.
The shop owner watched her toss each newspaper to the ground, soon covering the floor with paper.
Curious, he asked, “Young lady, what are you looking for? Or are you trying to find some information? You don’t seem like someone who would sit down to read the paper.”
“I’m trying to find an article about a tragic incident that happened on a train about a month ago. Do you know anything about it?”
She had gone through all the newspapers in her hands but found no relevant reports.
Hearing this, the owner seemed to recall something.
He bent down and pulled out a newspaper from a glass cabinet.
“Is this the one? Only a hundred copies of that day’s newspaper were printed.”
“I happened to subscribe to one. Later, for some reason, the printing company wanted them back, saying they shouldn’t be circulated.”
“I hid my copy and told them I threw it in the trash.”
He had sold newspapers for over ten years and had never encountered such a situation before, so he paid extra attention.
“Yes, this is it! Thank you so much. I’ll take this newspaper.”
“What about the ones on the ground…”NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
“No need, you can put them back.”
With that, Pearl got up and left with the newspaper, leaving behind a bewildered shop owner staring at the mess on the floor.
On the other side, Pearl had the newspaper but didn’t dare open it easily.
What if… what if it was just as Libby had said?
Hesitant, she decided to go home first.
She quickly stuffed the newspaper into her handbag and hailed a taxi back to Gilliam Mansion.
She arrived early, so the house was still empty. Turning on the lights, Pearl sat alone on the sofa.
Taking out the crumpled newspaper, she hesitated for several seconds before resolutely opening it.
The first thing she saw was a headline in bold red letters: “Shocking! Bloodshed on Train: Tragic Mother and Child Fall Victim.”
In the accompanying photo, a frail woman lay in a pool of blood, her disheveled hair covering her face.
Pearl recognized her immediately; the woman was Giana.
A tear fell onto the newspaper unexpectedly, followed by more tears flowing uncontrollably like water from an opened faucet.
She couldn’t bear to look closely at the photo. Libby’s words echoed in her mind repeatedly.
Finally, Pearl couldn’t hold back her guilt any longer. She covered her face with both hands and sobbed loudly.
“Giana, Giana! Esteban… I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
“It’s all my fault… I caused your deaths.”
Giana was indeed dead, following orders from her own father.
Meanwhile, Declan had just returned from a banquet.
Before entering the house, he heard heart-wrenching cries coming from the living room.
His instincts kicked in, and his left hand instinctively went to his gun handle.
“Who’s there?”
Brody glanced at the half-closed door. A sliver of dim yellow light seeped through the crack, casting a triangular shadow on the floor.
The dim light accentuated the woman’s sorrowful cries, evoking pity.
“Sir, it… it seems like Miss Pearl is crying.”
When he passed by the garage earlier, he didn’t see Miss Libby’s car, so she probably hadn’t returned yet.
The only person who would dare cry in the Gilliam family home was Miss Pearl.
Hearing that it was his beloved daughter inside, Declan thought she must have been wronged outside. He immediately pushed open the door.
Sure enough, it was Pearl.
This was the first time Declan had seen her cry so heartbreakingly. He became anxious too.
“Pearl, Pearl, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you? Tell Daddy and I’ll teach them a lesson!”
Pearl didn’t answer him; she continued crying.
“Was it that brat Sam who made you angry? I’ll call him over right now and see how I deal with him!”
As he spoke, Declan angrily stood up from the sofa as if he were about to go find Sam right away.
Seeing this, Pearl quickly reached out and grabbed his arm.
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying so much, resembling a rabbit’s eyes with tears still clinging to her lashes.
“Don’t go find Sam. The one who made me cry is you.”
Pearl’s tone was both cute and fierce, leaving Declan momentarily stunned.
He frowned and asked, “Pearl, what are you talking about? What did Daddy do wrong? Don’t cry, I…”
“What is this?”
With a “smack,” Pearl threw the newspaper in front of him.
Declan glanced down at it, his expression instantly turning serious. He explained in a deep voice, “Pearl, listen to me. This is someone’s deliberate slander…”
Damn it. Hadn’t he ordered that this matter shouldn’t be reported?
And how did Pearl find out about this?
Could it be Natalia who told her?
“Stop pretending, Daddy. Libby told me herself that you ordered her to kill Giana and Esteban.”
“Why? Why did you do this? You promised me you would spare Esteban!”
In her anger, Pearl’s voice rose significantly. Her fury stopped her tears but made her look at Declan as if he were an enemy.
Declan’s heart sank.
This was his most treasured daughter, yet now she looked at him with such eyes.
“Hmph, so that’s how you found out. It was that ungrateful girl who told you.”
His tone…
Pearl looked at him in utter disappointment and spoke weakly: “So you admit it. You ordered Giana and Esteban’s deaths?”
“Yes!”
Since there was no hiding it anymore, Declan admitted his actions.
Without a hint of remorse, he continued to Pearl: “Pearl, this world is survival of the fittest!”
“Humans are naturally selfish creatures, including me.”
“If I didn’t kill him today, maybe he would kill me in the future! So it’s better for me to eliminate him now!”