Chapter 454
Standing behind a third-floor window of the estate, Celeste swirled a glass of red wine.
Watching the girl sobbing on the pavement below, her lips curved into a subtle smirk.
“Poor kid,” she murmured, a playful edge to her tone. “But it’s fine. Pawns are meant to be sacrificed, right p>
She took a sip of her wine, turned her wheelchair around, and rolled back into the room, letting out a triumphant, cynical laugh.
“Oh, Sienna, Sienna,” she muttered to herself, her voice dripping with venomous delight. “You won once, and you thought you’d keep winning p>
Celeste’s laughter grew louder.
The sound echoed through the empty room like a poisonous flower blooming in the dark.
The crystal chandelier overhead shone brilliantly.
A tall figure sat on the sofa, flipping through the forged documents for Celeste’s new identity. A cunning smile played on his lips.
“Keep these safe. Don’t take them out unless you have to. If someone catches you slipping, you’ll never recover p>
“The Sterlings have enough power to handle it,” Celeste dismissed casually, gliding over to him.
She set her wine glass down, tracing her manicured nails down the man’s handsome face.
“Otherwise, why would you have coveted them for so many years p>
The man reacted like a dog whose tail had just been stepped on. He grabbed her wrist tight, his refined features twisting into something dark.
“Those things were mine to begin with p>
Celeste watched his shifting expressions, her eyes darting thoughtfully.
She nodded obediently, smoothing over his ego. “Of course. They are all yours. And I’m yours, too p>
The man’s face finally relaxed.
Watching him carefully, Celeste added in a soft purr, “We need to hurry and submit more evidence. Even if we can’t ruin Sienna right away, we have to keep her locked up and dragging her feet p>
“The cops aren’t idiots. Albert is still sitting in the hospital. If we really want to trap her, we have to go all the way p>
Seeing the ruthless glint in his eyes, a hidden thrill sparked in Celeste’s gaze.
“She already traced my accounts in Zurich. If we let her keep digging, it’s. only a matter of time before she. finds you p>
Celeste let her sentence hang in the air.
She noticed the man’s expression harden with an undeniable viciousness.
Inside the interrogation room, the fluorescent lights were blindingly white.
Sienna sat in the metal chair, a cup of water long gone cold resting on the table in front of her.
Across from her sat a male and female detective, both wearing grim expressions.
“Dr. Sloan, what do you have to say about the recording from Albert p>
Sienna leaned back in her chair, entirely relaxed. She even let out a faint smirk.
“That recording is fake. While in isolation, Albert hasn’t had access to a phone or any communication devices.
I arranged his last visitation. At the time, he was lucid and his condition was stable.
Since then, no one besides the medical staff has set foot in his room p>
The female detective frowned. “Are you suggesting someone forged the audio p>
“I’m suggesting,” Sienna said smoothly, “that if you send someone to his room right now, you’ll find him perfectly safe.
There are no signs of imprisonment. And as for that recording p>
It’s highly likely it was synthetically replicated, exactly like Qin’s suicide note p>
She paused, her eyes drifting toward the buzzing light overhead. “The voice emulation is decent, but the delivery is entirely wrong.
Albert suffered a massive stroke. Half of his body is paralyzed, and he can’t even close his mouth properly.
But you heard the tape. The enunciation was crystal clear. That didn’t come from a man with severe facial paralysis p>
The two detectives exchanged a look. She had a point.