The morning at the mansion felt much calmer. After the incident in the bathroom yesterday afternoon, Finley hadn’t touched Anna at all. The doubts swirling in his mind gave Anna some breathing room. True to her role as a wife, Anna decided to continue serving Finley politely and obediently for Alden’s sake.
In the kitchen, Anna brewed a cup of black coffee without sugar and carried it upstairs. Her back still ached, but she forced herself to walk slowly.
Anna knocked softly on the door to Finley’s study. “Finley, it’s me.”
“Come in,” a deep voice replied from inside.
Anna stepped inside and placed the coffee cup in the corner of Finley’s desk with the utmost courtesy. “I brought you some coffee.”
Finley paused his fingers over the laptop. His eyes fixed on the coffee cup, then shifted to Anna with a sharp, suspicious glare.
“What did you put in this coffee?” Finley asked coldly. “Are you trying to poison me, Anna?”
Anna was taken aback for a moment, but kept her composure. “I didn’t put anything in it, Finley. It’s just black coffee.”
“Drink it,” Finley ordered firmly, sliding the cup toward Anna. “Take two sips right in front of me now.”
Anna didn’t argue. She reached for the warm cup, brought it to her lips, and took two sips of the bitter coffee without hesitation. She set the cup back on the table.
“Done,” Anna said softly.
Finley watched Anna’s expression. After making sure there was no unusual reaction, he waved his hand stiffly. “Get out of my office.”
“All right, Finley,” Anna replied, bowing politely before walking away.
After the office door closed, Finley picked up the coffee cup. He sipped it slowly. Anna’s coffee turned out to be just the right balance of bitter and rich, brewed at the perfect temperature. Finley paused for a moment, savoring the warmth spreading down his throat.
That evening, Anna prepared dinner in the main dining room. When Finley came downstairs and sat in his usual chair, Anna stepped closer and placed a plate of hot steak in front of him.
Finley stared at the plate with furrowed brows. His suspicion hadn’t completely faded. He cut a small piece of meat, then pointed his fork at Anna’s face.
“Eat this first,” Finley said flatly.
Anna wasn’t surprised. She opened her mouth and accepted the piece of meat from Finley’s fork, chewing it calmly before swallowing.
“This food is safe, Finley,” Anna said softly with a polite, faint smile. “I have no intention of hurting you.”
Finley silently pulled his fork back. He began eating his meal in silence.
Suddenly, Lexi hurried into the dining room. The assistant’s face looked very serious. He was holding a thick brown envelope in his hand.
“Mr. Finley,” Lexi called out firmly. “I need a moment of your time upstairs.”
Finley wiped his lips with a cloth napkin and stood up. “Follow me to my office.”
The two men walked quickly upstairs, leaving Anna behind as she began clearing the dining table.
Inside the office, Lexi immediately handed him the forensic report and several aerial photographs of the crime scene.
“I’ve just received the results of a reanalysis from an independent forensic team regarding the night of Miss Feya’s death, sir,” Lexi said seriously.
Finley stared at the photos of the spot where Feya had fallen. “What did they find?”
“There’s a discrepancy in the angle at which Miss Feya’s body fell from the balcony,” Lexi explained firmly. “If someone had been intentionally pushed from the front, her body would have landed a certain distance from the building’s wall. But the reenactment proves that Miss Feya slipped and fell while trying to run away from someone.”
Finley’s eyes flashed sharply. “Run? What do you mean?”
“Miss Feya fell out of fear because she was being chased, sir. And based on the analysis of Mr. Alden’s whereabouts, he only entered the lobby area exactly two minutes after Miss Feya’s body hit the ground,” Lexi continued. “Someone up there deliberately transferred Mr. Alden’s fingerprints to the balcony railing and dropped one of Mr. Alden’s belongings to frame him.”
Finley’s chest rose and fell as he struggled to contain his raging emotions. His gaze was fixed on the documents on the table.
All this time, he had been convinced that Alden—his close friend and his younger sister’s boyfriend—had killed Feya. He had taken out all that vengeance on Anna and locked her away without mercy.
His mind suddenly spun back to Anna’s words in the basement: “Feya’s real killer is laughing as you torture the wrong person.”
“It seems Miss Feya’s killer is one of your rivals in the black market, sir, given how meticulously the crime was carried out,” Lexi interjected.
“Find out who the bastard inside the building is before Alden arrives!” Finley snapped, his voice trembling as he held back the rage and remorse burning in his chest. “Do it now!”
“Yes, sir,” Lexi replied before turning to leave.
Finley stood frozen in the middle of the room. He stared at his own hands. The wall of vengeance he had built crumbled instantly, leaving behind a profound sense of guilt over all the suffering he had inflicted on Anna.