Jacqueline's eyes widened as her lips trembled.
Rowena furrowed her brows and barked in displeasure, "Stephen!"
Stephen ignored her entirely. Instead, his sharp gaze never left Jacqueline. "You'll
also grovel before Tess and apologize."
His eyes were so piercing that it felt as though they were blades slicing
Jacqueline apart.
Jacqueline's complexion turned white as a sheet, and she turned to look at Rowena pitifully. Then, she started
sobbing. "Grandma..."
Rowena felt her heart ache at the sight. So, she cast a slightly reproachful look at Stephen. "Stephen, Jacqueline
has indeed made mistakes, especially with the engagement ceremony incident. | will punish her myself, but
choosing to expel her from the family? Don't you think you've gone too far?"
Tessa tugged her lips as a glint of mockery flashed in her eyes, but she remained silent.
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Caleb knew all the filthy details. So, he tugged Rowena gently and said sternly, "Mom, please."
Rowena had a weak heart. As such, the Jacobsons chose to hide Jacqueline's murderous deeds out of fear that
Rowena might collapse.
Meanwhile, Stephen was losing his patience. His expression was stony and severe. "| told you to beg for
forgiveness, Jacqueline. Did you not hear me?"
"How could the Jacobsons' heiress grovel before another?" Rowena exclaimed with her nostrils flaring in offense
while her chest heaved with anger. "Stephen, | already said I'll punish her! Why are you making things so difficult
for Jacqueline? She's your sister!"
"My sister, you say?" Stephen sneered. "She's no longer a Jacobson."
Rowena raised her voice as she questioned Stephen out of sheer rage, "How could you be so heartless? You used
to spoil Jacqueline. Why are you so determined to drive her out?"
Stephen narrowed his eyes, exuding a dangerous air as he retorted, "Grandma, Jacqueline covets me, her
brother. She has committed numerous crimes, including murder! Are you still going to defend her after knowing
all this?"
Stephen's words caught Rowena off guard. She turned white as a sheet, and her eyes were as wide as saucers.
"What did you just say?" she blurted in shock.
Caleb and Sophia becvisibly alarmed, fearing that Rowena might suffer from a heart attack.
Caleb hastily intervened, stopping Stephen from speaking further. "Stephen, that's enough." Then, he ordered
one of the staff members, "Please take my mother to her room."
Sophia had only heard about
Jacqueline's misdeeds, including her ties with Caleb's illegitimate son, James. However, talk of Jacqueline loving
Stephen romantically and her committing murder was news to her.
What was going on here? Did Jacqueline truly harbor such inappropriate feelings
for Stephen?
A maid stepped forward to support Rowena, saying, "Mrs. Jacobson Senior, please allowto help you upstairs."
"Leavebe I'm fine," Rowena
protested. Then, she turned to Stephen and demanded, "Stephen explain yourself. What do you mean Jacqueline
covets you? And what do you mean when you say she's committed murder?"
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Sophia looked at Jacqueline incredulously before asking sharply, "What's going on here?"
Jacquline had turned ashen as she shook uncontrollably. Her bloodless lips parted, and she stammered, "I...
You..."
Stephen's expression remained impassive as he said dispassionately, "Exactly as it sounds."
Frankly, Tessa didn't expect Stephen to expose Jacqueline's feelings for him in front of the entire family.
Rowena looked visibly distressed as she clutched her chest. She looked at Jacqueline with utmost
disappointment in her eyes. "Did you truly have such... such unspeakable thoughts about your brother About
Stephen? Did you really kill others? Y-You..."
Jacqueline wanted to deny all those accusations, but she couldn't.
She couldn't bring herself to say that she didn't love Stephen, nor could she lie about the fact that she had taken
lives.
Sophia could only glare at Jacqueline in the face of the latter's self-damning silence. In fact, Sophia was so angry
that she couldn't even string a coherent sentence together.
Caleb sighed heavily and finally said, "Stephen, let's table this discussion for now. You know your grandmother's
old now. Let's not upset her."