Ivy had no idea what was going on until, after thinking for a moment, realization dawned on her. “So all of this happened during those years I was missing?”
“Yes, that’s right. You weren’t home then, so you had no way of knowing.” Rosetta nodded. “When we found out, we were furious. We made Emma promise she’d cut off all contact with him. She swore she would, but honestly… I’m sure they still kept in touch behind our backs.”
A cold, mocking smile curled Ivy’s lips. She gave a short, bitter laugh. “Of course they did. Emma even got him to tamper with my car’s brakes, hoping I’d die in a crash.”
Rosetta’s brow furrowed in confusion. She stared at Ivy for a moment, then suddenly seemed to understand. “Wait… you mean—when you first came back, that car accident you had? That was Emma and this Hawley guy?”
“That’s right.”
Rosetta froze, darting a nervous glance at Ivy. It was plain to see she was just now realizing the depth of their past misunderstandings about their daughter—and how biased they’d always been in favor of Emma.
“So how did you eventually figure out that he sabotaged the car and set the fire at the house?” Ivy pressed.
Rosetta explained, “After Baillie’s car accident, we sent the car to the auto shop for repairs. They checked it over and told us the brakes had been deliberately cut. We pulled up all the security footage from the garage and the neighborhood. It took us days, but we finally found some evidence. That bastard was clever—I don’t know where he learned it, but after he messed with the car, the brakes didn’t fail right away. Baillie drove it for two more days. Then that day, he was driving Flora to a doctor’s appointment, and the accident happened on the way.”
The details were chilling. Baillie had been approaching a red light, but when he tried to stop, the brakes failed and the car just rolled straight through—right into the path of another vehicle coming through on a green.
Ivy listened and pieced it all together. So, the same trick—tampering with the brakes—had been used again, striking without warning. No wonder she and Jamison Ludwig had always suspected something was off about Baillie’s crash, but Boyd Ludwig had investigated for ages and never found any issues with the other driver. They’d been looking in the wrong direction all along. The problem wasn’t with the other driver. It was Baillie’s car.
“We haven’t dared tell Flora about any of this,” Rosetta continued. “She’d be absolutely furious—she’d probably give Baillie hell all over again.” After all, she’d married him for a quiet life, and now the family was on the verge of bankruptcy—not to mention being dragged into someone’s personal vendetta and nearly killed. Anyone in her shoes would be livid. She might even file for divorce on the spot.
Ivy frowned. “She gives him hell?”
“Oh, absolutely. That woman—ever since her miscarriage, her personality’s completely changed. She’s impossible at home, treats Baillie like a servant, not a husband!” Rosetta grumbled, her words sharp with resentment.
But Ivy didn’t join in her outrage. She just responded coolly, “Your son went after her for her money, never really treated her as a wife. She’s little more than an ATM to him, isn’t she?”
Rosetta fell silent, refusing to meet Ivy’s eyes. She had to admit: this information was more valuable than she’d expected.
Ivy, sharply aware of favors owed and debts paid, got to her feet. “Thank you for telling me all this. As for the Windsor Group’s restructuring, I’ll do what I can to help. Consider it my way of returning the favor.”
As Ivy turned to go, Rosetta hurriedly called after her, “Ivy, wait—wait!”
“What is it now?”
Rosetta scrambled to her feet, forcing a bright, eager smile. “I’ve heard from Baillie—you’re doing really well. Even without Mr. Jamison, you’re… well, you’re pretty well off, aren’t you?”