Chapter 734

A triumphant gleam flashed briefly in Rory's eyes her scheme had succeeded. Yet she continued her performance of mother-daughter affection with practiced ease. Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head vehemently. "No, Mom! I was the one who did all this. You only helped me. Besides, I'm still a minor the law protects underage offenders. Even if convicted, my sentence would be lighter." Her voice quivered with feigned distress. "And my baby brother... he's so young. He needs you. Please, Mom, let me turn myself in instead!" Aaliyah gently cupped Rory's face, her calloused thumb wiping away the girl's crocodile tears. Though her features were gaunt from exhaustion, her expression radiated maternal tenderness. "Silly child," she murmured, "a lighter sentence still means a permanent criminal record. You have your whole life ahead of you I won't let it be ruined." A frail hand brushed stray hairs from the girl's forehead. "I've just given birth that's a mitigating circumstance. They'll likely grant me probation." With quiet resolve, Aaliyah picked up her phone and dialed 110. Her voice remained steady as she confessed to the authorities. Rory made a half-hearted attempt to stop her, then simply stood by with an artfully crafted look of anguish though her eyes glittered with barely concealed triumph. Originally, she'd intended to eliminate Jane and Mina altogether. But those cockroaches had survived, becoming walking time bombs. Rather than risk being caught in the blast, she'd needed someone to shoulder the blame. Aaliyah was the perfect scapegoat. More importantly, with her mother behind bars, she could mold her infant brother into the perfect pawn for the inheritance battle to come. —— As Frederick carried Jane down fourteen flights of stairs, the child suddenly squirmed like a slippery loach, wriggling free from his embrace. Mina also signaled John to set her down. Once both little girls were back on their feet, they immediately huddled together, hand in hand, and started walking out Frederick strolled beside Jane, his mind lingering on the fact that she had come to the hospital for a check-up. Concern flickered in his eyes as he asked softly, "Jane, were you feeling unwell today? How were the results?" Jane’s cheeks flushed at the question, and she scrambled for an excuse to dodge it. But Mina beat her to it, waving a hand dismissively. "Don’t worry, Frederick! It’s just a little kid thing nothing serious!" Frederick blinked, momentarily puzzled. *A little kid thing? What does that even mean?* Then, catching sight of Jane’s mortified expression, realization dawned. He lowered his head slightly, pressing a fist to his lips to stifle a chuckle. His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, laced with amusement. "Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine! You’re still little, Jane. You’ll grow out of it!" Jane’s eyes widened as she took in Fuller Frederick’s expression. *Oh no he totally misunderstood!* Desperate to salvage her dignity, she planted her tiny hands on her hips and glared up at him, her voice rising indignantly. "I did not wet the bed! I just drooled a little in my sleep, that’s all!" Her fierce tone, combined with the unintended volume, cut through the noisy hospital lobby. Heads turned, curious eyes landing on the flustered little girl. Jane wished the ground would swallow her whole. Her image! Her pride! *Ruined!* Frederick scooped her up, his deep voice warm with suppressed laughter as he murmured near her ear, "Really, Jane, it’s okay. I don’t mind at all." Jane: "..." Before Frederick could react, his arms suddenly felt empty Jane had already been whisked away into John’s embrace. John cast a frosty glance at Frederick and retorted sharply, "Who are you to judge Jane?" Jane: "..." At that moment, she wished she could find a block of tofu to knock herself out with. Once they finally got into the car, Jane immediately laid down the law to her sister and big brother. She made them swear not to tell anyone else especially not any of her other brothers about her drooling or the medical checkup. Mina nodded eagerly, even puffing up with pride as she said, "Don't worry, Jane, I get it. See, when Frederick asked me earlier, I didn’t say a word about the drooling!" Jane: "..." But you told him it was just a common childhood issue, and now Frederick probably thinks I wet the bed! You might as well have just told him outright! Realizing this conversation was going nowhere, Jane gave up in despair and changed the subject. "Big brother, sis, I don’t think that elevator accident earlier was just a coincidence..." Before she could even finish, Mina blurted out, "Was it Rory’s doing?" Just then, John’s phone rang. The two girls immediately fell silent, respecting his call. "Yes, understood. I’ll bring both my sisters to the police station right away." Jane and Mina exchanged bewildered looks. Why were they being taken to the police station now? Hanging up, John quickly clarified, "Jane, Mina, Aaliyah has turned herself in. She confessed to killing Veronica and dumping her body in the pool. It was also her who tried to kill Ainara in a staged car accident to silence the witness. And today’s elevator incident she bribed the hospital staff in charge of elevator maintenance to orchestrate it." Jane and Mina exchanged bewildered glances once more. Jane blinked her large, obsidian-like eyes, her mind racing. She had planned to provoke Rory today, hoping that guilt would drive her to check whether all evidence of their crime murdering Veronica had been thoroughly destroyed. That way, she could follow the trail and finally bring Rory and her accomplices to justice. But she never expected Rory wouldn’t go after the evidence. Instead, Aaliyah turned herself in. This threw a wrench into her plans. With Aaliyah taking the fall for everything and Rory being a minor, it would be nearly impossible to hold her accountable. At the police station, John stayed by Jane and Mina’s side as they gave their statements. The officers took detailed notes before seeing them out, frustration evident in their demeanor. On the drive home, Mina couldn’t hide her frustration. "Jane, we told the police everything how we heard Rory talking to Ainara that day. That should prove she was involved in Veronica’s murder, right? Plus, we have the recording from the ant storage device the call between Rory and Aaliyah. Even if Rory’s underage, shouldn’t she at least be sent to juvenile detention for some serious re-education?" Jane slumped in her seat, her small face crestfallen as she shook her head. "Everything we heard Rory say only proves she knew Aaliyah killed Veronica. If Aaliyah claims she ordered Rory to talk to Ainara, she can easily shift the blame and keep Rory out of it." Mina leaned back against the car seat, her tiny frame radiating disappointment. "What a waste… I really thought we could finally take down Rory and Ainara those heartless monsters for good this time."