725 Chapter 724
Oliver froze.
Old Mrs. Horton broke the silence. âWhen he was born, he was hooked up to tubes, lying in the ICU. After two months in the incubator, the day we finally brought him home, you tried to strangle him. You put your hands around his neck, then pressed a pillow to his face. Oliver, he was just a baby! How could you be so cruel?â
Oliverâs face twisted with anger. âThis is your fault! You kept getting in the way! Every time, you caught me before I could finish it. If you hadnât, things wouldnât be like this!â
Old Mrs. Horton sighed. âThatâs why I had to raise him myself. When he was five or six, I sent him to live in the country, but even then, you didnât stop. By the time you were twenty, you convinced your father to let you start at the company, then bribed people to hurt him. Thatâs why I had to send him overseas. And now, you think youâre the victim? What about Lewis? Wasnât he innocent? You were willing to hurt a child, your own brother! How do you expect me to feel about you?â
She glanced at his hands. âEvery time I see you, I think of that fourteen-year-old boy holding a pillow over a babyâs face. How am I supposed to love you after that?â
Oliverâs temper flared. âI told you, you made me do it! You were always taking his side! If you hadnât, I wouldnât have tried to kill him!â
Old Mrs. Horton let out a tired breath. âYouâve got it backward.â
Oliver blinked, confused. âWhat?â
âLewis had just come home from the hospital when you tried to hurt him. Thatâs when I started protecting him. You started this, Oliver. If you hadnât been so cruel, things couldâve been different. Like you said, no matter what happened between your parents or Lewisâs mom, you and Lewis were both innocent. As your grandmother, how could I not care about you?â
Her voice softened with sadness. âBut how can I care about someone who tried to murder his brother? How could I love you after that?â
She shook her head. âEvery time I see you, it makes me sick.â
Oliverâs face turned bright red, his chest heaving. He stormed forward and grabbed her arm. âYouâre talking nonsense. Say that one more time, I dare you!â
Old Mrs. Horton sighed, âIâm telling you, every time I look at your face, all I can think of is your deceitful and scheming ways. Oliver, you have a wicked heart.â
Oliverâs face flushed red, and he gripped her arm even tighter. âYou old hag, what are you saying? Shut up!â
Old Mrs. Horton sighed. âIâm just telling you the truth, the thing youâve been wanting to hear. Why are you so upset? Does your dad know how messed up youâve been since you were a kid?â
Oliver, on the edge of losing it, snarled, âShut up!â
âMaybe your dad doesnât know. If he did, he would feel so guilty for always spoiling you and ignoring Lewis.â
âI said shut up! Didnât you hear me?!â
Oliver yelled and shoved her hard.
Old Mrs. Horton stumbled back, and there was a sickening crack as something snapped.
She lay there on the floor, unable to move, looking up at Oliver with a faint smile.
âYou were never a good kid. You donât deserve anyoneâs kindness.â
âI told you to shut up!â
Oliver lunged at her again, hands tightening around her throat, completely losing control.
Old Mrs. Horton smiled faintly.
She had planned this all along.
As Erin had said, even if she didnât say anything or beg for mercy, once she was gone, Lewis would still be too soft to punish Oliver.
But now, knowing she was dying, she decided to take care of things for Lewis.
Oliver had been pretending to be the dutiful grandson for the last ten days, putting up with her torment, barely holding it together, all for the sake of the inheritance.
Mentally, he must have been hanging by a thread.
Now, with her final words, she pushed him over the edge. He couldnât handle it, especially after how she had treated him in the past few days. He must think he was finally going to get what he wantedâŠ
Instead, she insulted him.
Overcome with rage, he attacked a dying womanâjust as sheâd expected.
And once he laid hands on her, Lewis would have every reason to make him pay.
No more hesitation out of guilt.
This was her final gift to Lewis and his wife.
As her vision started to blur, a small smile crept onto her lips. Just then, the door burst open, and her grandsonâs voice rang out. âGrandma!â