Chapter 6
Ms. Veronica gave a cold scoff. “Luckily, I’m smart. I kept wondering why Claire was growing more and more beautiful! Turns out! she takes after me!”
Eleanor stamped her foot in fury. “When did you find out?”
Ms. Veronica blinked her long, fluttering eyelashes, like a moth’s wings. “My daughter sent me the DNA paternity test results!”
It was only after my death in the previous life that I understood why Bethany had insisted on blowing up the school and framing me. It was because Ms. Veronica had casually remarked, “Claire is truly blossoming, growing more and more like me.” Eleanor and Bethany, fearing exposure, concocted this poisonous scheme. If I were driven mad, if I blew up the school and killed people, I would be tainted. Even if Ms. Veronica one day discovered that Bethany wasn’t her biological daughter and I was, she wouldn’t be too heartbroken.
The live stream audience was instantly captivated by this melodramatic gossip.
[This is too wild! Best friends swapping babies?!]
[What kind of wicked best friend is this? Someone brings you food and drink, and you swap their baby!]
[But even if it was the poor friend’s child, the rich lady would probably treat her well!]
[But after swapping kids, wouldn’t all the rich lady’s property go to her own daughter?!]
[Human greed knows no bounds!]
Seeing this, Bethany began to sob uncontrollably. She shook Eleanor’s arm. “Mom! What do we do?! She found out I’m not her biat ogical daughter! I don’t want to live a poor life!”
Eleanor, however, was surprisingly caim, not flustered in the slightest. “So what if Claire Reynolds is your biological daughter? That doesn’t change the fact that she blew up the school!” She turned to Ms. Veronica. “Veronica, if you still acknowledge Bethany, Bet hany will take care of you in your old age, help you inherit your family fortune…”
“Bah!” Ms. Veronica spat, cutting Eleanor off before she could finish. “Shameless! Swap my child and still want to inherit my fortu- ne? How dare you even suggest it!”
Eleanor, however, remained composed. “You were the one who said you wanted to swap back then.”
“Me?! Ms. Veronica’s eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief as she pointed straight at herself.
Eleanor calmly continued, “Back then, didn’t you dislike how much the little wretch cried? I kindly swapped my daughter with your and you’re still ungrateful!”
Ms. Veronica gasped for breath, seething with anger.
The live stream comments were going wild
Chapter 2
The live stream comments were going wild.
[So the older generation played such abstract games?]
[This old woman is utterly shameless; how can she come up with such absurd excuses!]
12.37
The School Board Chairman was practically losing his mind. He slapped his thigh. “You two can argue this at home! All I want to know right now is who killed my son!”
Eleanor spoke in a sinister tone, “There’s even a fingerprint at the scene. It’s ironclad evidence. Of course, it’s Claire Reynolds!”
The Chairman looked at the police. “Then what are you waiting for? Arrest her!”
I was truly panicking. Even though I hadn’t known Ms. Veronica was my real mother before, I knew she was generally unreliable: wondered how she had handled the matters I entrusted her with.
Ms. Veronica fully embodied the intimidating aura of a powerful matriarch. She clapped her hands. Suddenly, a black executive van pulled up. Two men in black sunglasses got out and opened the doors. Then, several students, led by the School Board Chairman’s son, stepped out.
“Dad!” The Chairman’s son dashed towards him.
The Chairman’s eyes widened, and he froze in stunned silence. “My son! Where did you come from?!”
As it happened, the Chairman’s son was Owen Maxwell. He and I had participated in a chemistry competition together once. Alth ough we weren’t in the same class, we had known each other for a long time. In my past life, I had learned he died too, after my Qwn death. That day, his class teacher had kept them a little late. After school, he was on duty for classroom cleanup. Several of his friends stayed in the classroom, waiting for him to go home. As a result, they were all killed in the explosion.
In this life, though I didn’t know if Eleanor and Bethany would actually commit such a heinous act, I still recounted the chemistry lab explosion from my previous life as if it were a dream. To my surprise, Owen slapped his thigh. “My family has shares in this school!! If she dares to bomb it, she’s bombing my family’s money! i can just do this to her, and then that to her!”
I looked at him in horror, I wished I hadn’t said anything. But if I didn’t expose her true colors this time, who knew what other tricks she would pull against me in the future? And with Ms. Veronica’s years of mother–daughter affection for her, how could she possib- ly believe Bethany would kill or bomb a school? I was a little agitated, unsure how to explain it to him.
“Hey! My dad has several illegitimate children; I understand these kinds of rivalries. Since you can save my life, whatever you say, I‘ Il do!”
We immediately finalized a plan. On the day Bethany bombed the school, Owen had to convince his teacher not to keep them lat so they could all escape, Owen and his friends would feign death; to make it convincing, they all turned off their phones, which we why we hadn’t been able to contact them until now.
Upon his Annestanen A..
Chapter 2
12:37
Upon his appearance, Owen had been continuously looking at me and Bethany with a puzzled expression. I was utterly bewildered, not knowing what exactly he had seen last night.
Owen pointed at me. “Last night, the teacher didn’t keep us late. As soon as class ended, I was about to leave, but Claire Reynold stopped me. She insisted that the lab equipment hadn’t been cleaned yet and wanted me to help her wash it. I thought it was susp icious, so I refused. But then she threw herself into my arms, clinging to me, not letting me leave…”
As Owen spoke, everyone’s gaze collectively focused on me. I felt like I was seeing a ghost in broad daylight. I threw up both hands in alarm. “Owen! Have you lost your mind? I was at the psychiatric institution all last night! How could I have been at school?!”
“But, Claire, I can’t lie. The person I saw that night really was you. And that dream you told me about before–was it really just a dream?”
I was astonished, my eyes wide. “But you’re standing here perfectly fine now, aren’t you?”
Owen nodded. “So I’m still not sure if you really blew up the lab or not.”
The School Board Chairman ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Do you two know how precious my time is? Whoever blew up the lab, just confess already!”
