Winnie could feel her heart throbbing painfully in her chest. She was utterly heartbroken.âGranny, things have already gotten this far. Are you not going to come clean? Youâve changed so much! You werenât this way before! Everything I know, I learned from you. You said I shouldnât hurt the ones I love, but Iâm hurting right now! Donât you love me anymore? Am I no longer your beloved grandchild?âSeeing Winnie so distressed, Jacintaâs eyes gradually reddened. Nonetheless, she retained the impassiveness from before as she said, âI donât know what youâre talking about.âWinnie remained rooted to the spot as her sadness overwhelmed her. She could not believe that this was happening.With a sniffle, Winnie turned to take the maternity test from Josiah before thrusting it into Jacintaâs hands.âThese are the results of the DNA test between you and Stuart. What do you have to say for yourself now? How are you going to get out of this?âJacinta eyed the report and went into a daze briefly before ripping the report to pieces.Winnie merely stood in front of her and watched until Jacinta stopped.âGranny, you need to stop behaving like this. So what if youâve ripped the report to bits? I can still request another copy. I can bring you thousands of copies! Even if you manage to rip all of them to shreds, it wonât change the fact that youâre Stuartâs biological mother!ââWell, then!â Jacinta went silent for a second before launching an explosive tirade of questions, âNow that you know Iâm Stuartâs mother, so what! I carried him in the womb for ten months! Is that somehow wrong? Am I unfit to be a mother?âSoon, tears began to fall from Jacintaâs eyes as she shakily said, âD-Do you think I wanted that child? No. I had no choice! I endured that horrific birthing only for someone to take him away. Alas, he is still my son. Heâs still my flesh and blood! Do you know how difficult it was for me to find him?âHaving said this, Jacinta straightened herself and pointed at Rufus.âAs for you! Why did you take him away? You could have just given him to me!â roared Jacinta in anger. âI know my parents had put you through hell, but I was not spared from their machinations too. And I hate them for that. However, that child was innocent!
Why did you treat him so harshly after taking him away? You donât like my son or my grandchild! They were ruined by you! Every single mistake theyâve made is your own doing!âIn the face of Jacintaâs accusations, Rufus frowned.âI donât like them. Yes, Iâll admit to this. Iâll admit that I was prejudiced against Stuart in the beginning. Iâve tried to accept him, but his character and mannerisms have really put me off. However, Iâve never been harsh with him. Whatever he was supposed to have was given to him as well.âRufus sighed wearily before continuing, âAlthough my wife canât say that sheâs treated him like one of her own, she has never been unkind to him. Back when your father came to ask me for money using Stuart as leverage, your father didnât even intend to give Stuart back to you. To your father, Stuart was nothing but a moneymaker. In that sense, Stuart is very much like your father.
Therefore, Jacinta, do take this as a warning. I think Stuart is using you. Itâs time for you to wake up and smell the coffee.ââWake up?â Jacinta suddenly found his statement hilarious. âApart from my only child, you have another son and a daughter. So, of course, you can act all high and mighty! That child is my flesh and blood. What right do you have to stand here and lecture me?â âGranny, please⦠You need to stop being stubborn!â Seeing how Jacinta was still so stubborn, Winnie strode toward her granny and stood before her.With her eyes red with tears, Winnie said, âI found some dirt in your closet and brought it out for testing. Itâs a perfect match to the dirt in the flowerpot that nearly hit Xavier. I donât know if Stuart put you up to this, but have you considered why Stuart did not want to do it himself?âWinnieâs lower lip trembled as she continued speaking. âAlso, I have your burner phone. Iâve seen what Stuart has sent you. He said that heâs already gotten Shania out and is waiting for Xavier to come back. Since he canât meet up with Xavier without drawing any suspicion to himself, he asked you to use me to set everything up, right? If you think about this carefully, he never implicates himself in any of your plans. Do you know what that means? If anything happens to Xavier, itâll all be traced back to you!ââIs that so?â Jacinta turned to look at Winnie before breaking into a smile. âIâm well aware of it, Winnie. Iâm well aware of what Iâm doing.ââYouâre aware?â Winnie was taken aback by this. âSo, you do know whatâs happening!âWinnie rubbed her sore temples before turning to look at Jacinta again, her gaze inexplicably sharper than it was before. âSince youâre aware, then stop what youâre doing.
Otherwise, donât come looking for me when I expose you to Stuart.ââAre you trying to frighten me, Winnie?â asked Jacinta with a smirk. âWhat are you going to tell him?âWinnie pinned a sharp glare at Jacinta as she uttered, âHow Zyon died. Granny, you never told him the truth, did you? He thinks that Xavier killed Zyon. However, thatâs not remotely true. Back then, you were the one who opened fire. I remember Zyon begging me for mercy, saying that I was his cousin and that he was your grandson. I was curious and initially wanted him to clarify this.âWinnie pursed her lips before continuing, âHowever, you suddenly opened fire on him. I understand why you did it now. You were worried that Zyon was going to rat you out to me. To hide the truth, you put that bullet in his head. Granny, to be frank, I have no desire to use such methods on you at all. But if you donât stop, then youâll leave me with no choice.
If Stuart finds out that youâve killed his only son to ensure his silence, what will Stuart think of you then?ââNo! Absolutely not!â Jacinta suddenly broke the silence with a loud yell. âYou cannot tell him the truth! You canât tell him, Winnie! I canât let him know the truth!ââThen turn yourself in,â said Winnie resolutely. She then closed her eyes and sighed before continuing, âItâs too dangerous for you to be allowed contact with each other. Stuart, especially, needs to be punished for his crimes. Tell me what the original plan was and how he wanted to execute it.ââBut Winnie,â croaked Jacinta piteously as she looked at her granddaughter. âDo you really have to do this? Heâs your uncle! Canât you forgive him just this once?âWinnie could not believe that this was happening right now. Firmly, she replied, âGranny, can you not behave this way? If I let things slide, the next one to die will be Xavier. Weâre talking about a man whoâs planning a murder. Shouldnât he be locked up? You need a reality check! Iâm giving you a choice. Either Stuart goes to jail, or I tell him how Zyon really died. Itâs time for you both to surrender. If youâre still going to be this stubborn, then I wonât care about our familial ties anymore.â