Chapter 732:

“That tramp Kallie is the reason my marriage is falling apart! Her kids are no good! Do you understand?” Cara shrieked. Elma flinched. Confusion and doubts swirled within her.

What Cara said didn’t seem right to Elma. She sensed something special between Kallie and Jake, as well as Jake’s clear disinterest and even disgust for Cara. Yet, if Jake didn’t love Cara, why couldn’t they just split up? Why did they have to stay together? Was this what marriage was all about?

Cara’s patience had reached its limit. “If you refuse to do as I say, someone will pay the price!” she snarled, switching on the camera.

Cara’s face, contorted with rage, filled the screen.

A wave of fear washed over Elma.

Cara turned the phone toward the basement stairs and began to descend.

Elma gasped. There, tied to a chair in the basement, was Clayton, struggling to break free. He’d clearly been struggling for some time. Exhausted, he lay slumped on the floor beside the overturned chair, drenched in sweat and utterly defeated.

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“Clayton!” Elma cried out, her voice filled with fear and worry. A cruel smile twisted Cara’s lips. “If you don’t do as I say, I’ll throw him into the ocean.”

Elma sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “Mom, he’s your brother! You can’t do this to him!”

Cara scoffed, amused by Elma’s desperate plea. “My brother?” she sneered. “He’s no brother of mine. Elma, you have five seconds to make up your mind.”

Elma hung her head as Cara counted down the seconds. She felt trapped. Clayton was her uncle, the only person besides Jake who truly cared for her. Clayton had always been there for her, protecting her from Cara’s cruelty. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being harmed. Cara was a woman of her word. If she said she would do something, she would.

“Mom, I will do as you say,” Elma whimpered, her voice choked with sobs. “Please don’t hurt Clayton. I’ll do whatever you want. Just please, don’t hurt him,” she begged.

Cara snorted, raising an eyebrow. “Then get to it,” she ordered.

She hung up the phone, cutting Elma off.

Clayton lay on the cold, damp floor of the basement, his mouth covered with duct tape. He could only make muffled noises. He glared at Cara, his eyes filled with a mixture of disappointment and pain. He seemed to be saying, “She’s your daughter, Cara. How can you be so merciless?”

Cara crossed her arms and sneered, “Look at you, starting to believe your own lies. We both know who Elma’s real mother is. I’ve taken care of Elma all these years. It’s time she repaid the favor.”

Cara glanced around the basement, ensuring nothing was amiss. Satisfied, she slammed the door shut and left Clayton alone in the darkness.

Cara had no idea that the moment she was gone, Clayton started to wriggle free from his restraints.

As the pampered heir to the Morgan family fortune, Clayton had never experienced such hardship and humiliation.

Clayton gritted his teeth, ignoring the stinging pain as his skin scraped against the rough floor. He inched forward with agonizing slowness. A distance he could normally cover in a few strides took him a grueling ten minutes to traverse.

Finally, he reached his destination. He used his head to nudge aside the clutter that blocked his path.

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