Chapter 218

El had a fiery temper and didn’t indulge Leia. His words were straightforward and, at times, extremely harsh to hear.

After listening to him, Leia’s face turned dark with anger. Her lips trembled, and the way she glared at El was as if she wanted to tear him limb from limb. Despite her fury, Leia was speechless, unsure of how to retort.

At that moment, Bennett, who had been observing the scene, stepped forward with his usual elegant and composed demeanor.

“Alright, I believe anyone can see who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong. Leia’s attempt at murder is already undeniable. Let’s hand her over to the police and let them decide,” he said to the others.

Both Leia and Damon looked up upon hearing this.

Leia immediately panicked. Just moments ago, she had been indignantly listing the Anderson family’s bad deeds, feeling utterly wronged. But now, at the mention of being taken to the police station, she was terrified.

“No, Bennett. I don’t want to go to the police station. I won’t go,” Leia pleaded.

“Bennett, she…” Damon hesitated, calling out in a low voice.

Bennett glanced at Damon and cut him off. “Damon, whatever you’re about to say, think about Dad first. You saw him coughing up blood yesterday, right? He just barely escaped life-threatening danger, and who knows what long-term effects the poison might have on him.”

As Bennett spoke, Damon’s face turned ashen. He lowered his head, and the words stuck in his throat, unable to continue.

Then, Bennett turned to Leia with a smile. “You attempted premeditated murder. Now that everyone knows about it, what would it mean if we let you off the hook!

“Are we supposed to harbor a criminal? Hey, actually, I’m partly responsible too. Since I’m not shirking my duty, you should act like an adult and take responsibility for your actions, don’t you think?”

“Bennett!” Leia was both terrified and furious at his words. She glared at him, grinding her teeth as she asked, “How can you be so ruthless! Didn’t you say I was your most beloved sister? Is this how you treat me?”

Bennett showed no remorse. He simply sighed, “Leia, that’s the logic of a bandit. Just because I love you the most doesn’t mean I should condone your crimes. Should I turn a blind eye while you try to kill my own father? Wouldn’t that make me a monster?”

He continued, “I always knew you were selfish, but I never expected you to say something like this. You’ve really let me down. Come to think of it, I think Noelle is much better after all.

“Despite how badly we treated her at first, she never thought about killing us. Blood really matters, unlike you, who’s an ungrateful wretch. I’m done with you.

“Otherwise, who knows when you might get upset again and try to poison us? No one can handle that,” Bennett spoke in his usual calm and measured tone, but his words were like daggers to Leia’s heart.

Leia, who loved to blame others, found Bennett even more adept at it. He not only criticized her but also praised Noelle, every word designed to provoke her anger. Leia was so furious she felt like exploding and wanted to tear Bennett apart.

Damn Bennett. I’ve seen through him. His words are all lies. Calling me his favorite sister was just a deception. In his eyes, I’m nothing but a pawn he’s been playing with, Leia thought bitterly.

When Bennett returned, he had already called the police. Soon, the officers arrived. Bennett handed over the evidence to them and cooperated as they prepared to go to the station to give statements.

As Leia was being taken away, she panicked again. Passing Kimberly, she knelt down and pleaded, “Mom, I’m wrong. I truly know I’m wrong. I don’t want to go to the police station. I don’t want to go to jail. Please, for the sake of our years together, show me mercy this once, Mom.”

Kimberly looked at Leia, who was sobbing and begging on her knees. Though she was furious, she also felt a deep sense of sorrow. She silently wept, too upset to speak.

At that moment, Bennett walked over, pried Leia’s hands off Kimberly, and said with a smile, “Now you remember our years together? Why didn’t you consider the years of father-daughter bond with Dad when you decided to poison him?

“You were just complaining about how we wronged you, but now you have the nerve to talk about years of affection!”

Leia glared at Bennett with a mixture of anger and hatred, tears streaming down her face.

But Bennett was completely unfazed by her gaze and continued to cooperate with the police as they took Leia away.

As she was being led out, Leia’s wails echoed through the air. One moment she was begging for mercy, claiming she knew she was wrong; the next, she was cursing the Anderson family, wishing them ill and predicting their downfall.

When she reached the outer gate, Leia clung to the iron bars, refusing to let go and biting anyone who tried to approach her.

She no longer cared about her appearance, her hair disheveled and her face smeared with blood, looking like a complete madwoman.

“Stay back, or I’ll kill myself right here,” Leia screamed at the police officers.

The police officers were momentarily at a loss on how to handle her. Bennett, however, watched coldly, his eyes devoid of any sympathy or heartache, filled instead with a mocking amusement as if he were watching a play.

At that moment, Bennett seemed to remember something and pulled out his phone, calling Damon.

Upon hearing the news, Damon rushed out and saw Leia clinging to the gate. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Leia…”

Hearing his voice, Leia immediately turned to look at him.

Damon was staring intently at her, his eyes still holding that familiar look of concern.

In that instant, Leia felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

Since her poisoning attempt had been exposed, everyone in the Anderson family had turned against her with hatred and indifference. Even her usually soft-hearted mother now looked at her with loathing. But Damon still looked at her with worry.

A thought suddenly crossed Leia’s mind. If Damon had stayed by my side all along, unwavering in his support, would I have been so radical and ended up making such a grave mistake? she wondered.

As this thought occurred to her, Leia realized she had one last thing she needed to know. Even if she went to jail, she needed to understand; otherwise, she would die with regrets.

“Damon, there’s something I need to ask you,” Leia said through her tears.

“Go ahead,” Damon replied.

Leia glanced at the others, especially Bennett, and said, “Everyone, step back. I only want to talk to Damon.”

“Sure,” Bennett said with a faint smile, stepping back in a gentlemanly manner and giving Leia and Damon some space.

Damon walked up to Leia and asked, “What do you want to know? Go ahead and ask.”

Leia looked at him, sniffled, and said pitifully, “Damon, there’s something I can’t get out of my head. You said you would draw a line with Noelle and stand firmly by my side. But that day, when you came back with Noelle, everything changed.

“El pushed Noelle, but you were so anxious about her, completely focused on her. The next day, you ran around buying medicine for her, so concerned. I need to know what happened that day. Why did your attitude change so suddenly? I want the truth. What did Noelle do to you?”