Talia's scornful laughter, echoing from the voice recorder, filled the room. Felicia had strategically placed speakers beforehand, ensuring every word was amplified with crystal-clear sound. Clive's face darkened.
The recording was brief, just a few remarks. Yet, several keywords revealed Talia's actions toward Roberta went far beyond stealing poison. Suppressing his anger, Clive asked in a deep voice, "What are the videos about?"
Talia's face paled. She remained silent. She had previously arranged for the videos' origins to be obscured, believing she could fabricate a plausible explanation if discovered. However, Felicia's next words proved devastating.
Felicia addressed Clive directly: "Grandpa, I met Roberta before arriving at the Walsh residence. Everyone, including you, believed she was studying abroad. Let me describe our first encounter. I found her in a village notorious for human trafficking. She was chained, and the daily horrors are easily imagined. Why did she return? Perhaps for her mother, or clinging to hope for her father. Regardless, she escaped and reunited with the family. But Talia used videos to coerce Roberta into stealing and administering the poison intended for me. Tragically, on that same day, Roberta's mother, upon learning about Roberta's past ordeal, took her own life during a lucid moment, unable to bear the burden. Overwhelmed with despair, Roberta then poisoned herself…"
Felicia looked at Roberta, whose eyes were closed. Roberta's life had been a constant struggle, a precarious existence as Harvey's illegitimate daughter. Ultimately, she lost everything.
Wiping away tears, Felicia turned back to Clive. "Grandpa, what should we do?"
Clive was stunned. The voice recording and Felicia's account painted a horrifying picture of Roberta's suffering—a teenager subjected to unspeakable cruelty. He grabbed a nearby cup and hurled it at Talia. "You vile woman!"
The cup narrowly missed Talia, grazing her head. She stammered, "That's not true! Felicia's lying! Why would I do such things?"
Felicia responded flatly, "We'll determine the truth. The village still exists; the sanatorium has numerous staff. Finding witnesses will be easy."
Talia’s attempts at concealing her actions were futile. Clive saw no need for further investigation. He shouted, "Gerald, get rid of her! Call the authorities immediately!"
Talia, sensing defeat, collapsed, pleading, "Grandpa, I acted in the heat of the moment! I'm Harvey's wife, forced to endure his illegitimate daughter's presence daily! Can you imagine how difficult that's been?"
Felicia found it ironic that Harvey remained silent, the architect of this tragedy. He had avoided responsibility after fathering Roberta with Eileen, leaving her and marrying Talia.