But that was only what Janice thought of Leonard. In reality, Leonard was ruthless and cold-blooded. He was the mastermind behind the Rogers family massacre.
Afraid she might anger Xander, Ansel forcefully dragged her away.
Ansel turned to Janice and said sternly, “His Highness has already shown leniency in this case. If you keep this up, even you might be thrown into prison.”
Janice was a pampered noble heiress. She was utterly unprepared for such a harsh scene.
In an instant, she began trembling uncontrollably, looking utterly helpless and pitiful.
Unwilling to trouble her further, Ansel followed Xander into the residence.
The gates of Xander’s residence slammed shut, leaving Janice standing utterly alone outside, her eyes brimming with resentment and helplessness.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally got up and left.
Though the world was wide, she had nowhere left to go.
With her father imprisoned and the Beckham family estate seized, she found herself without even a place to stay.
Tears streamed down Janice’s face as she stared at the pitch-black sky. Suddenly, she thought of Athena.
Janice thought, "I have to find Athena. Surely Athena won’t turn me away in my hour of need."
Clutching at this newfound hope, Janice hurried toward Athena’s home.
Without warning, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Within moments, they turned into a steady drizzle.
With April approaching and everything coming back to life, this timely rain should have brought renewal to all living things.
Yet for Janice, it was nothing short of a living hell.
Her dress was quickly drenched. The icy fabric clung to her skin, leaving her shivering uncontrollably.
Stumbling unsteadily along the rain-slicked cobblestone path, Janice finally reached Athena’s doorstep.
As the gate came into view, a glimmer of hope lit up Janice’s eyes.
Janice rushed to the door and pounded on it desperately, crying out, “Open up. Please, open the door!”
The wind shrieked and the rain lashed down, quickly drowning out Janice’s cries.
After minutes, the gate finally creaked open!
Lance Lowe poked his head out while rubbing his bleary eyes.
But when he saw Janice, he was so terrified he nearly wet himself.
Janice’s hair hung in wild disarray, and her face was deathly pale. She looked like a vengeful spirit.
Before Lance could close the door, Janice hurried forward and called out, “Young man, I am Janice Beckham, daughter of the Federal Bureau Chief.
Chapter 305
Please, I must see the Viscountess.”
Lance heaved a sigh of relief, but his face quickly turned impatient. “Get out! Do you even know what time it is? How dare you come bothering the Viscountess at this hour?"
“I didn’t mean to bother you. I really have an emergency. Please, just let me see the Viscountess,” Janice pleaded desperately. In her panic, she yanked the hairpin from her hair and thrust it into Lance’s hand.
Lance pushed her away roughly and said, “The Viscountess won’t see you. Do you even know what kind of man your father truly is? He might well be involved in the Kurtis Perkins case. If that’s true, you’re the Viscountess’s enemy. What right do you have to show your face here? Get lost!”
Lance didn’t give Janice a chance to protest. He simply shoved her out and slammed the door in her face.
The rain poured harder, soaking Janice to the bone.
With her last glimmer of hope extinguished, despair filled her eyes.
She had tried every way she could think of, begged everyone she could turn to, but not a single soul would help her.
Janice staggered forward aimlessly, her vision blurred by tears and rain.
She finally collapsed before a compound wall, her strength completely spent.
Half-conscious, Janice felt strange hands clawing at her clothes.
Struggling to open her eyes, she saw several beggars leering at her with predatory grins.
“What are you doing? What do you want? Get away from me. Leave me alone?” Janice shrieked, thrashing and kicking frantically.
But those beggars weren’t about to let such a golden opportunity slip away. No matter how desperately Janice cried and screamed, they showed her no...
An hour later, Janice lay motionless on the ground.
Beneath her, soiled blood mingled with muddy water, slowly seeping into the earth.
Her eyes fixed on the sky, brimming with boundless hatred.
Her fingers dug deep into the mud, as if she could scour away her shame through sheer force of loathing.
“Who’s there?” A faint, hesitant female voice called out. Janice’s eyes flew open in shock. That voice was familiar to her.
She struggled to turn her head, only to see a woman slowly approaching while holding a light.
With tremendous effort, Janice extended a trembling hand toward the figure. A hoarse whisper escaped her throat. “Help me.”
She thought, ‘Now I have nothing left.
‘Athena did this to me.
I must stay alive in order to tear Athena apart.'
The woman approached and said with a terrified expression, “Janice, how could this happen to you?”
The woman turned out to be Willow.
Willow had just turned from the duke’s estate when she chanced upon Janice.
Twin trails of tears streamed from Janice’s eyes as she gasped weakly, “Willow, save me, please.”
Chapter 305
“Don’t be afraid, Janice. I’ll help you,” Willow said gently.
Willow shed her cloak and carefully wrapped it around Janice.
Supported by her maid, Willow gently helped Janice into the carriage.
Back at the Osborne family, Willow had the servants draw a hot bath for Janice.
She was about to summon the house physician, but Janice stopped her in desperation. “No, please don’t. If this gets out, how could I possibly face Irving with any dignity?"
Willow felt that a woman’s honor was more precious than life itself. She looked at Janice with sympathy and nodded. “Rest assured, Janice. Not a soul shall hear of this from me. I’ll take this secret to my grave.”
Meeting Willow’s genuine gaze, Janice suddenly broke down, tears streaming down her face.
Back when she was still the privileged daughter of the Federal Bureau Chief, Janice had been too arrogant to associate with someone like Willow.
Only now did Janice finally realize how badly she’d misjudged people.
She thought bitterly, ‘Athena is truly a viper in human form. How could I have been fooled by her for so long?'
“You saved my life today, and I swear I’ll repay this debt someday,” Janice said while clutching Willow’s hand desperately. “I was blind before. I misjudged your character.”
Willow lowered her head slightly while feigning embarrassment. She said, “Don’t blame yourself, Janice. Some people are just too good at putting on an act. I never imagined Athena could be so utterly heartless that she wouldn’t even see you. That’s simply cruel.”
Tears streamed down Janice’s face as she choked out, her voice trembling with hatred, “If Athena hadn’t been so utterly heartless, I wouldn’t have suffered this horrific fate. She’s the one to blame for everything. I swear, I’ll make her pay a thousandfold!”
Willow sighed, “It’s so strange. There are hardly ever any beggars around here. How could you be so incredibly unlucky to run into so many of them?”
At Willow’s sigh, Janice’s eyes snapped wide open.
Janice stared at Willow in shock, her eyes bloodshot with emotion. “I came straight from Athena’s residence. Who else could have known my whereabouts but her? There is no way she knew nothing about this. She must have orchestrated the whole thing!”
Janice gnashed her teeth in fury. She wished that she could tear Athena limb from limb.
Willow gasped in feigned horror. “No way. Even if Athena is that cruel, she wouldn’t go so far as to destroy a woman’s virtue. That’s practically pushing Janice..."
Janice gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. “Yes, I suppose only my death could ever quench the burning hatred in Athena’s heart.”
Willow gently soothed her, “Without concrete evidence, don’t let your mind race with wild thoughts. Just stay here for now. I'll take care of everything."
Chapter 306