CHAPTER 782
Swain stood by the side, prepared to record her confession.
As the woman struggled to sit up by supporting herself with her trembling arms, she began to recount everything she knew.
“My real name is Tanya Rheed, and Gwendolyn knows me as a patient from Mr. Kieran’s Grand Valley Hospital. My family was poor and I had an unfortunate life. I even attempted to jump off the hospital’s rooftop to end my life. However, I encountered Gwendolyn then, and it was she who rescued me. Then, she took pity on me, encouraged me to seek treatment, and even paid for my medical bills. That’s how both of us got to know each other.”
Cedrick’s brows gradually furrowed as he listened quietly. “So, it’s you.”
He knew about the incident two years ago, for Gwendolyn had shared it with him.
The reason Gwendolyn went out of her way to care for Tanya was that the latter’s family situation reminded her of her own mother.
Her mother had ended up in the hospital and died on the account of her father’s mistress and the latter’s daughter, Evelyn.
Therefore, upon learning of Tanya’s predicament—her husband had cheated on her, threatened her not to accept treatment, and intended to divorce her. That was when Gwendolyn decided to lend her a hand.
She had found evidence of Tanya’s husband’s crimes and had him and his mistress sent to prison.
On top of that, she had hired a lawyer to ensure that the husband was left with nothing from the divorce, while Tanya would be given custody of the house and car.
After Tanya had recovered, she even went to Harris Group to express her gratitude toward Gwendolyn.
Thereafter, Cedrick heard that Tanya had gone overseas to move on from the trauma she suffered at the hands of her husband.
That was the last time Gwendolyn ever spoke of her.
“Despite how much she has done for you, you deserve no mercy for repaying her kindness by harming her.” This is from .
Cedrick clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his forearm bulged up, while his eyes brimmed with murderous intent.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Tanya didn’t dare look at him. “I… I didn’t want this to happen too. Considering how rich she was, I thought that helping me was just a snap of the fingers for her. A form of charity from the rich to the poor.”
The more she spoke, the more embarrassed she felt. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I’ve forgotten the mercy she showed me. I’m actually very grateful. It’s just that I was forced into this. I was really given no choice. The real reason I went overseas was that I was kidnapped. They ordered me to find a reason to keep in touch with Gwendolyn and forced me to undergo plastic surgery. This face has undergone more than a hundred operations before my boss was finally satisfied. After that, I was locked up and forced to learn everything about Gwendolyn, including her mannerisms and movements by watching video clips and interviews of her. If I didn’t do what I was told, I would be beaten so badly that I felt like I would die. However, if I did well, that man would be delighted and give me a lot of money. He would deposit it into my mother’s account in front of my eyes. As long as I followed his instructions, I didn’t have to suffer beatings and was even paid and fed. I had no choice and did it just to survive.”
At that moment, Tanya began to sob but didn’t even have the strength to wipe her tears away.
At that moment, Tanya began to sob but didn’t even have the strength to wipe her tears away.
Earlier, Swain had entered with someone who gave her an injection. The person even inserted a few needles into the acupoints of her body, causing her to be stricken by pain so excruciating that she felt as if her body was being torn apart.
A short while later, she looked up wearily and continued her story under the suffocating aura exuded by Cedrick.
“Eight days ago, that man learned of Gwendolyn’s itinerary and arranged for me to stop the car by the bridge. I was wearing a mask, a hat, and a wig, but Gwendolyn recognized me from my voice. I even showed her our chat window and requested her to give me a ride, to which she agreed. During the journey, she asked me how I was and we chatted for a long time—”
As Cedrick brushed his fingers across the surface of his watch, his eyes narrowed impatiently. “Get to the point.”
After a momentary hesitation, Tanya nodded obediently. “Once her car entered Orchidbay Tunnel, I took off my hat and mask according to the plan. When I revealed my new face to her, I could see the shock in her eyes through the rearview mirror.
However, before she had the chance to ask me anything, a speeding truck came at us from the opposite direction. In spite of that, Gwendolyn managed to avoid three to four trucks that subsequently pursued us with her subliminal driving skills. She even used her Bluetooth earpiece to call for help but couldn’t get through due to the signal interference. When I told her that she should stop the car and give herself up because she was surrounded and there was no escape, she refused to do so. It was then that we were hit by a truck which sent our car crashing down the valley…”
As Cedrick listened to Tanya describe the harrowing episode, his fists were tightly clenched, while the stinging pain that gripped his heart caused it to sink further.
“Go on…”
“The man had prepared his plan for a long time and had no second thoughts about it. Initially, everything went according to plan until… Gwendolyn fled.”
“Fled?” Cedrick was jolted by the revelation.
Tanya nodded. “I lost consciousness after we crashed into the valley. She was gone by the time I woke up, and my boss had been searching for a long time. The reason the matter was delayed for seven to eight days was because we were looking for Gwendolyn. My boss initially wanted to toy with you by forcing you to play a dangerous game by choosing between two Gwendolyns. However, when we didn’t find her and were pressured by your search, he had no choice but to get me to take her place.”
The more Tanya spoke, the more emotional she became. She then dragged herself forward by a few steps. “Mr. Jenson, this is all I know. I have never seen the face of the person responsible for this. All I know is that he likes to wear a black baseball cap and a trench coat. He also has a towering figure. I have no idea what his name is, let alone his background. Now that I’ve confessed everything and was forced into this, please stop torturing me. Just throw me into prison and leave me to my fate!”
Even if Cedrick released her, there was no way her boss would let her go. Faced with the prospect of certain death, she would rather go to prison. At the very least, she could still survive and be well-fed there.
With an emotionless expression, Cedrick gave Swain a look. Cognizant of his boss’ intentions, Swain showed Tanya the results of his investigation on a tablet.
“You have yet to explain everything, such as how you were kidnapped.”
“I…” Tanya turned pale when she saw the evidence on the tablet.
“You used drugs and got addicted. It was when you were trying to buy some that you got yourself kidnapped. My men have checked your mother’s account, and it showed that thirty million was transferred two years ago. It seems to me that was how much you were paid for the deal by Joe. To a humble family like yours, that amount was enough for you to betray your benefactor.”
“I… It isn’t… I…”
Tanya’s face had lost all color as she bungled her attempt to explain.
Although she had just revealed her identity a few minutes ago, Cedrick had managed to find out everything about her.
The shocking efficiency displayed left her with nothing to defend herself with.
Tears subsequently fell from her eyes, as if eliciting pity from Cedrick was her last resort.
Unfortunately, he didn’t even spare her a glance.
Upon learning that Gwendolyn had escaped, Cedrick managed to calm his nerve down.
He then continued asking, “Other than getting you to trick me and stop me from investigating him, did he assign you a mission related to Benny and Zendy?”