Chapter 181

“So that was a charm after all?”

Everyone at the scene froze, staring at the red snake Xavier vomited. Disbelief etched itself onto their faces one by one. No one could have imagined the esteemed heir of the Horst family, with his bright future, stooping so low to win someone over.

“Xavier, I never thought you’d be like this!” Claudia yelled, angry and shocked. She had been deceived by her trust in him, almost becoming an accomplice in his schemes.

Xavier was speechless, his face paling. The truth was out; any denial would be futile.

“Hmph. Good thing Dustin saw through your evil schemes. Otherwise, Sheila would have fallen right into your trap!” Ruth spat, contempt lacing her voice. She despised men like him—despicable and shameless, incapable of winning a girl fairly, resorting to underhanded tactics. Absolutely disgusting!

Sheila remained silent, her gaze fixed on Xavier with disgust and dawning awareness.

“So what if I gave her the charm? I did it because I love Sheila! I’m the best match for her in all of South City—Uncle Caden already treats me like his son-in-law! I only expedited the marriage between our families. What’s wrong with that?” Xavier roared, irritated.

“Ugh, you hypocrite! It doesn’t change the fact you stooped so low. You’re disgusting!” Ruth spat on the ground.

“What do you know? I have true love for Sheila, a love unmatched!” Xavier retorted angrily.

“True love? If it was true love, why did you kidnap Miss Murray?” Dustin snorted.

“What the fuck are you talking about, kid?” Xavier scowled.

“Miss Murray was attacked twice, and your timing was perfect—someone tipped you off. The Serpent Love Charm and the spider venom in the Four Scoundrels’ bodies came from the same source. I conclude you have close ties to the Four Scoundrels,” Dustin stated flatly.

“What a load of bullshit!” Xavier yelled.

“If you did nothing wrong, why kill that man?” Dustin countered.

“I—I was worried about Sheila’s safety! That’s why I struck him with full power!” Xavier insisted stubbornly.

“Is that so? We have a survivor. Let’s hear their side of the story,” Dustin said, picking up the badly injured Wade. Fortunately, Wade was still alive.

“Enough! This ends now!” Claudia suddenly shouted.

“Didn’t you want me to present my case? Why the change of heart?” Dustin chuckled.

“Stop it, Dustin! This benefits no one. This matter should remain between our three families. We’ll handle it; we don’t need outsiders interfering!” Claudia roared at Dustin.

The Murray, Doyle, and Horst families were longtime friends, their interests intertwined. One family’s downfall would bring down the others. If this scandal got out, it wouldn't just damage the Horsts; it would damage the Murrays and Doyles as well. So, even at Sheila’s expense, they had to stop the questioning immediately.

“Wait, he’s rotten to the core, and you still help him? Have you considered Sheila’s feelings?” Ruth yelled, frustrated.

“Shut up! You have no right to interfere!” Claudia spat.

“Why you—” Ruth was about to explode, but Dustin stopped her, placing a hand before her. “Let it go. She’s right; it’s their mess to clean up. It’s none of our business.”

“But what about Sheila?” Ruth frowned. She didn’t want her best friend to suffer.

“I’ll be fine, Ruth. I’ll leave this to my father,” Sheila said, forcing a smile.