Chapter 888

 888:
Tears welled up in Linsey’s eyes. Her throat felt too tight to speak, but she forced herself to turn and look at Gorman, who stood several feet away. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
It took effort just to breathe, but finally, she rasped out the only words that could break through her pain. “Gorman, you’ve really gone too far.”
Gorman arched an eyebrow, a sly grin spreading as he glanced at Caylee, who hung her head like a wilting flower. Turning to Linsey, he said, “Linsey, you’re not seriously buying her story, are you? Did you forget what I told you yesterday? Caylee’s been quietly pocketing my cash.”
Caylee’s eyes shot wide with panic. “I didn’t lie!” she blurted, her voice trembling.
She turned to Linsey, her gaze pleading, desperate to claw her way out of the hole. “Linsey, I swear, everything I said is true!”
Gorman let out a soft, mocking chuckle, sauntering closer like a cat toying with its prey. “Caylee, what’s the point of digging in your heels? You agreed to be my messenger for your grandma’s medical bills. Remember last time? Zander grabbed Zenia and bolted because you spilled the beans about Collin, didn’t you?”
With that, he plopped onto the sofa, all ease and swagger, picking up a cup from the table and rolling it lazily in his hand. “If I’m guilty of anything, you’re just as deep in the mud, Caylee. An accomplice like you? Linsey wouldn’t trust you as far as she could throw you.”
Caylee’s face crumpled, despair washing over her like a cold tide. A bitter, self-mocking smile tugged at her lips. How could she even face Linsey now?
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She was Gorman’s accomplice, after all.
Linsey had known about her shady deals with Gorman for a while. No way would Linsey believe her anymore.
Caylee could almost see Linsey’s mind turning. Linsey might suspect she had coached those kids to say cruel things in front of Zenia, or worse, orchestrated this whole drama to plant seeds of doubt and sadness in Zenia’s heart.
Caylee opened her mouth, grasping for words to salvage herself. But Linsey’s voice cut through. “Gorman, do you get a kick out of stirring the pot?”
Gorman’s smug look faltered, his brows knitting together just enough to betray his surprise.
“You’re the one who set those kids up to bully Zenia, making her feel like she’s less than,” Linsey snapped.
The memory of Zenia’s tear-streaked face flashed in her mind, stabbing at her heart.
For four years, Linsey had poured her soul into raising those kids. Whatever other children had, she would move heaven and earth to give them the same.
Until today, the kids had never felt the sting of not having a dad.
But Gorman’s cruel stunt had cast a dark shadow over Zenia’s heart. Just as Linsey had always suspected, Gorman didn’t give a damn about her kids. He was nothing short of a devil in her eyes now.
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