Chapter 590
The more Rex thought about it, the more enraged he became. He abruptly stood up. “I’m leaving the two upstairs to you.”
He marched toward the door, his exhaustion completely gone. His mind was consumed by one single fact: Elissa was his sister.
The sweet, obedient little girl who had grown into such a cautious, guarded woman… was his family.
He knew exactly how violently the Murphys had abused her. She was brilliant, learning to act compliant and sweet just to survive the old patriarch’s cruelty. But despite her efforts, her life had been a living hell. She was supposed to be the cherished princess of the Wilkinson family, yet she had suffered in misery for over a decade. Aside from the nine years she spent by Rowan’s side, there were over ten years-more than three thousand days and nights.
A person only lived for so many decades.
As Rex reached for the door handle, he stopped. The look in his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses turned lethally dark. He pivoted and stormed toward the staircase.
Sensing his murderous intent, Laurel shouted sharply, “What are you doing? Are you going to kill her?”
Rex ignored her, taking the stairs two at a time.
“And then what?” Laurel yelled at his back. “Maya is evil, and she will face the consequences, but it’s not up to you to execute her! You know Grandpa’s rules. He’s been impartial his whole life; he won’t make an exception for you.”
“Rex, your life will be ruined! And what about Tanya? She’s waited for you all these years. Are you just going to throw that away?”
Rex finally stopped and whipped around, his eyes blazing. “My life has been smooth sailing from day one! But what about Elissa?! You say Maya will face the consequences, but hasn’t she been throwing her weight around using our family’s name for years?!”
“You all knew Elissa had it rough at the Murphys, but do you have any idea how bad it actually was? She was tortured until she ssed out. She was forced to stand outside in the freezing cold for days on end! She…”
Rex was practically vibrating with hatred. He hated the Murphys, he hated Maya, and most of all, he hated himself. How could he have stood by and watched for so long? That was his own flesh and blood. Grandpa was right; he was an absolute bastard.
His voice choked, and a tear hit the floor. He sounded like a caged beast. “She was almost assaulted by that degenerate, Slate Murphy…”
Back then, when Rowan had tried to kill Slate, Rex had actually stopped him. Looking back, he should have butchered the man himself!
“What did you just say?” Suzanne’s trembling voice echoed from the landing above.
Rex and Laurel looked up to see Suzanne awake. She, too, was utterly shattered by the revelation.
Both mother and daughter felt their hearts being torn to shreds. Elissa was always smiling, infinitely patient, and a brilliant doctor. They had subconsciously assumed she had lived a decent life.
“Answer me!” Suzanne gripped the railing, trying to stand up in her panic.
Her physical therapist quickly caught her. “Mrs. Wilkinson, Dr. Drummond said you can’t rush this, or all our progress will be ruined.”
Hearing Elissa’s name grounded
Suzanne slightly. She stopped
struggling, but her chest heaved
agonizing sorrow. She glared at Rex. Did you mean Rowan’s cousin?
“…Yes.” Rex hadn’t meant for his mother to hear, but there was no taking it back.
Suzanne turned to Laurel. “You have a plan, right?”
“Slate and his father aren’t true Murphys.” Laurel’s mind was clear and calculating again. “If we leak that the Murphy family will tear
Slate apart before we even lift finger. Paige Jensen will be too busy saving herself. A little push from us, and they’ll never recover
The Murphy family’s internal politics were far more vicious than the Wilkinsons. Rowan had nearly died taking control. If Paige lost her.
status no amount Del.ne
would save her. For people accustomed to ultimate luxury, falling into absolute ruin was a fate worse than death. They’d end up destroying themselves.
Rex was stunned. “How do you know that?” And how had she devised such a ruthless plan so fast?
Laurel looked at him. “Because I possess something you clearly don’t.”
“What?”
“A brain.”
II
Rex’s homicidal rage cooled slightly. “And what about Maya?”
“I told you, she will get exactly what she deserves,” Laurel said coldly. “No one needs to dirty their hands.”
“Aren’t you afraid your dad will lose his mind?” Rex asked. He had been rushing to kill Maya because he knew Tristan protected her like his own flesh and blood.
Laurel stared him down. “What about you? You were ready to kill her. Aren’t you afraid of his wrath?”
“I don’t care,” Rex spat. “I haven’t done a damn thing for my sister all these years. Whatever I do now is long overdue.”
As Suzanne rode the elevator down, Laurel walked over to take the handles of the wheelchair. She glanced back at Rex. “Then why ask stupid questions?”
They were on the exact same page. Neither of them had been a good sibling before, but that was going to change.