Caroline was certain Frederick wouldn’t return for a long time, and as she reveled in the opportunity, a wild laugh escaped her lips.

“Caroline, I think you’re being a little too optimistic,” Diana said, biting her lip. “Don’t forget, Claire is currently locked up in the basement of Halfmoon Manor. If something happens to her, or she dies, Frederick will definitely trace it back to us. We can’t afford to be reckless.”

Despite being raised with every imaginable pampering, Diana wasn’t entirely naive. She might not have been the most cunning, but she certainly possessed her fair share of intelligence.

“Of course, we’re not going to openly kill Claire,” Caroline said. “But we can create an accident, can’t we?”

Caroline, however, was far more calculating. She was far smarter than Diana. It was precisely why Diana had been her puppet for so long, dancing on the strings of her manipulation.

“An accident? Even if it’s just an accident, we’re talking about life here. Madam Prescott cherishes Claire immensely. If anything were to happen, it would be hard to explain away her death to the Prescott family.”

Diana was still hesitant. Despite her spoiled nature, her…

“That’s exactly why we find someone to take the blame,” Caroline said. “If something goes wrong, and there’s a scapegoat, someone with no ties to your family, then how on earth could the Prescott family pin anything on your family?”

“Diana, I can’t stand it anymore. I hate Claire to the guts. My sister died such a tragic death, but Claire is living comfortably. She may even be pregnant with Frederick’s child.”

“You said it yourself that Claire is now Frederick’s fiancée. Once her pregnancy is confirmed, she’ll marry him and give birth to his first son. Do you have any idea how much power she’ll hold then? She’ll rise to prominence on the back of your family, Diana.”

“Of course, I’m not blaming you for being cautious. You’re the daughter of the Hawthorne family, after all. You have to think about things from the family’s perspective. Besides, Anna wasn’t even your biological sister. You didn’t grow up with her.”

“Diana, you don’t need to blame yourself or feel guilty. Let me handle this. I don’t have a family to protect. My mother disappeared years ago after the whole real-and-fake daughter scandal.”

“My father is a drunk gambler who never comes home. He might be dead for all I care. I have no ties. If something goes wrong and the Prescott family demands a scapegoat, they can have me. I don’t care.”

“It might still drag your family down a little, but this is the best I can do to protect you. Diana, you have to understand I’ve been haunted by my sister’s death for the past four years. Every night, I dream of her. She crawls toward me, and her body is…”

Caroline persistently egged Diana on. How could she let such a golden opportunity slip through her fingers? Besides, she had already once pushed Claire over the edge of a cliff. She was convinced that Claire harbored a deep-seated hatred for her. The rivalry between them had escalated to a veritable fight for survival. Now that she had the upper hand, she knew she had to finish her off!

“Caroline, what on earth are you suggesting?” Diana retorted. “Anna might not be my sister by blood, but she’s the one who saved my life. Remember, you said we could find someone else to take the fall? Let’s think this through.”

After wrestling with her thoughts repeatedly, Diana finally found herself swayed by Caroline’s arguments.

At three o’clock in the afternoon, Diana arrived at Halfmoon Manor.

“We can use drugs, which should be common. Rat poison, for example. Claire’s locked in the basement, right? It wouldn’t be strange for rats to be down there. If she dies from poisoning, no one will suspect a thing.”

“Or, we could stage an accident. Maybe one of Frederick’s enemies comes to take revenge. Claire gets caught in the crossfire. She may be shot.”

“What about a car accident? We can say that Claire’s test results came back today. If she’s confirmed pregnant, we could make it look like she had a stomachache while driving, lost control of the…”

Caroline’s mind raced as she threw out idea after idea.

It was when she mentioned the car accident that Diana’s eyes lit up. “Yes! That’s it!” Diana slammed her hand on the table.