Chapter 41

Witnessing Anne’s hysterical outburst, Renee's anger intensified, and she immediately turned her wrath toward Tony, who was standing next to her.

She shouted at him, "I warned you years ago not to get involved with her! I told you to sever all connections, arrange for her adoption, and never recognize her! But you foolishly ignored my advice! You kept her around out of misguided sympathy. Now look at the chaos she’s caused! As long as she’s here, we’ll never have..."

"Can you just be quiet, Renee?" Tony snapped, glaring intensely at her. "I need to know the truth. What really happened with her car accident? Was it your doing? Tell me right now!"

"That’s nonsense!" Renee whirled around, her breath coming in harsh bursts as if she was concealing something. Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "Have you forgotten what she did at Anne’s engagement party? The thought alone makes me want to rip that little brat apart!"

"She’s only a child! Why do you have to obsess over everything she does? Aren’t you tired of it?" In a stern tone, Tony declared, "Regardless, she’s my daughter and shares my blood! I can tolerate a few oral scoldings, but if you dare to harm her in any outrageous way, we’re done!"

Tony wasn’t adept at handling marriage or relationships, nor did he make much effort to. As a leading neurosurgeon who was also attractive, he always had women around him. Even after his infidelity and subsequent marriage to Renee years ago, there had been persistent rumors about him having mistresses.

He was detached and single-minded, dedicating all his efforts to his career. His passion for medical research was unyielding, and he took full responsibility for his patients, excelling at saving lives. However, when it came to matters of love and family, he was entirely apathetic, allowing things to crumble as they would.

"I just want to kill her!" Anne exclaimed, breaking down in front of Tony. "She deserves to die! She should’ve been gone long ago! She's wrecked everything for me. Every day she's a slap in my face!"

Tony shot her a sharp look, feeling the urge to shout back. But instead, he turned away in frustration and headed upstairs.

Renee was too furious to speak and sank onto the couch, looking defeated.

Anne continued her relentless tirade, "Why? We thought she was dead! Mom, you were so sure she was gone. We were just waiting to find her body! Why is she still alive? How did she manage to survive everything we put her through?"

Renee stayed quiet for a while. A dark glint flashed in her eyes as she thought, "That nuisance is nothing more than an insect beneath my shoe. I can crush her easily. Clearly, I’ve been too lenient."

In the days that followed, Giselle engaged a lawyer to represent her in the case regarding the river crash.

Following a police investigation, the individual responsible that night was revealed to be a man in his 20s with a criminal history and no lawful employment. Regrettably, the perpetrator had already escaped the country using forged identification. While the police would continue their pursuit, making cross-border arrests presented significant difficulties. Furthermore, because Giselle had no noteworthy connections and had not experienced serious physical injuries, the police’s pursuit efforts understandably lacked urgency.

Giselle was well aware that the culprit was merely a hired assassin. Even if he were apprehended, he wouldn’t disclose the true mastermind who had orchestrated everything. A few years in prison would mean nothing to her. Even if Renee were to spend some time in jail, it wouldn’t matter much to Giselle. What she truly desired was much greater than simply seeing her imprisoned.

As her mind drifted, Zachary tempted her thoughts… the elderly woman…