Chapter 26
Dana looked down at him with eyes full of contempt.
‘You piece of trash.’
He was a scumbag who didn’t deviate from her expectations in the slightest.
If she had been defenseless and unaware, she would have been in serious trouble.
‘I’m glad I put a close watch on Alice.’
Thanks to that, she had obtained information that Alice was bringing Juan along even before he arrived.
Upon hearing the news, Dana predicted it.
A cornered Juan would undoubtedly come looking for her.
He was a man with nothing left to lose. Therefore, he would try to make one last gamble by any means necessary.
Specifically, with the love potion.
She thought the timing was perfect. Hadn’t Viego just returned from his business trip today?
This was an opportunity to send Juan flying in spectacular fashion.
And so, Dana acted.
“Everyone, go and rest early today. The atmosphere in the mansion has been bleak lately, so it must have been hard on you all, right?”
She ordered all the servants near her bedroom to leave early.
So that Juan could make it to her room without hindrance.
Then, she instructed the person assigned to the close surveillance to leak information to Juan.
The information that Alice had personally sold the Moonlight Flowers.
“My lady! Are you alright?!”
“Are you safe, my lady?!”
Servants and guards, having heard the gunshot late, came rushing in. Dana gave them a faint smile.
“I’m fine.”
“Are you truly alright, my lady?!”
“Who fired the gun?!”
“I am safe. As for who fired the shot…”
Dana turned her head and looked out the window.
Across the way, on the side of the mansion, was a distant window.
“I’m not quite sure myself.”
That was Viego Winzer’s bedroom.
His secretary had informed her that Viego had returned from his trip today and gone to bed early.
However, Dana knew.
She knew that her room was visible from Viego’s bedroom window.
Furthermore, she knew Viego was a light sleeper and would never miss such a commotion.
That was why she had thrown the window wide open and stood before it, waiting for Juan to threaten her. So that Viego would be the witness to this climax.
He would never tolerate a thug breaking into his mansion.
‘And Viego’s marksmanship has always been excellent.’
His bedroom window was still shrouded in darkness, so she couldn’t see anything. Yet, Dana was certain.
Viego Winzer was there right now.
“S-Sister?”
It was then.
“S-S-Sister. Are… are you okay?”
Alice approached, her face as white as a sheet. She was panting, tears streaming down her face as if she were in shock.
“How could this happen, hic, what do we do? Sister, are you hurt anywhere?”
Dana stared at Alice for a moment before smiling. Then, she threw out a pointed remark.
“Yes. It’s all thanks to you.”
At that moment, Alice flinched and looked at her. Dana simply kept smiling.
It would be troublesome if she got this scared already.
‘Your nightmare is just beginning, Alice.’
The Winzer mansion was turned upside down.
Juan Rolland. The man who had been kicked out of the Winzer mansion had broken in and threatened Danae Winzer.
Viego Winzer did not let this slide.
He immediately issued a strong protest to the Rolland family and declared that he would bring the case to a noble trial.
The Rolland family coughed up a massive amount of consolation money. And they kicked Juan Rolland out of the family.
In literal terms, they completely erased him from the family registry.
“Karl, please do something!”
Her precious younger brother had been reduced to a criminal. Sandra appealed to Karl through her tears.
“Sending him to trial is too much. Juan will surely be locked up in prison. Juan’s life will be over! That’s too cruel!”
“Cruel?”
“Yes! Even firing the gun was cruel. How could he do that? Juan lost his right arm!”
She wanted to protest with all her heart—but the sniper was Viego Winzer, the Head of this very family.
Because of that, Sandra could only suffer in silence.
Viego Winzer had precisely embedded two bullets in the exact same spot.
Even worse, he hit the vital point where the nerves of the right arm were concentrated, firing two shots in succession to ensure the bullets couldn’t be cleanly removed!
It was a malicious intent obvious to anyone.
A wicked intent to ruin Juan’s arm.
“Honestly, there was no need to use a gun! He could have sent people to stop him!”
“Get a grip, Sandra. Do you think Juan is the only one in trouble right now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I am the one who allowed Juan into the Winzer family. I am the one who entrusted him with the Moonlight Flower business. All because he was your brother.”
“Karl…”
“But that man tried to shoot and kill Dana, the Family Head’s sister. And Viego was the one who witnessed it.”
“S-Still.”
“Now that this disaster has happened, who do you think has to take responsibility?”
Sandra’s face turned pale.
Only then did she realize that her husband was cornered.
“W-We just need to find someone else to take the blame!”
The scales tipped instantly.
To Sandra, nothing was more important than Karl. Even if it was her own brother!
“There must be someone who let Juan into the mansion. We just have to catch that person and shift the responsibility!”
“I intend to do just that.”
Karl declared with a face as hard as alloy.
“Someone helped Juan Rolland break in. That person will have to bear all the responsibility for this matter.”
Then, he turned his head with a faint smile.
“So, Alice. If you know anything, please tell me.”
“…Yes.”
Alice, who had been listening in silence until now, could only force a quiet smile.
“I’ll do that.”
What should I do?
Alice bit her fingernails anxiously.
‘What if Uncle Juan wakes up?’
He was currently unconscious. It was because the injury to his arm was severe.
However, since they said his life wasn’t in danger, he would open his eyes before long.
When that happened, an interrogation would begin to find out who let him into the mansion.
‘What if Uncle tells them everything?’
Tears welled up from fear. Alice pressed her hands against her eyes and sobbed.
She had only let Uncle Juan into the house with good intentions.
She only wanted the family to reconcile, but that kind heart had become poison once again.
‘If only.’
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed her mind.
‘If only it’s revealed that Uncle Juan is the one who caused the price of Moonlight Flowers to crash.’
Then…
Wouldn’t my involvement be buried?
Yes, if that happens, no one might believe what Uncle says.
His claim that I secretly let him into the mansion might be dismissed as nonsense.
‘Yes. That’s the only way.’
She had to act before her uncle woke up. Alice immediately went to find Viego.
“Brother, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it.”
“About the person who sold the Moonlight Flowers for half price on the black market.”
At those words, Viego, who had been looking down at documents, raised his head.
Though she felt frozen to her toes by those green eyes that seemed to pierce through her soul.
“It was Uncle Juan.”
There was no turning back. Alice spoke with determination.
“Uncle Juan did that wicked thing.”
Yes, thinking about it, that was truly a bad thing to do.
Shouldn’t a person who did something bad be punished? Isn’t that the natural order of things?
Reporting such a person might be the most noble thing of all.
While she was thinking that.
“Who told you that?”
“P-Pardon?”
“I’m asking on what grounds you’re saying that.”
Alice caught her breath as if she had been caught off guard.
However, she didn’t have the luxury to think quickly under a gaze that seemed to rummage through her heart. And so.
“D-Dad told me.”
The truth slipped out of her mouth before she knew it.
“I heard Dad… talking to Mom.”
“…”
Viego set down his fountain pen. He laced his fingers together and stared at her.
“Louis.”
He summoned his secretary.
“Bring Vice Family Head Karl here.”
At that moment, a powerful sense of unease struck Alice.
Why Dad?
“B-Brother. You can just talk to me. I heard everything Mom and Dad were saying.”
“That’s enough from you. I’ll have to ask the Vice Family Head. Why he said such a thing. And.”
Viego said in a low voice.
“I need to know his reason for hiding it until now, despite knowing.”
Finally, Alice realized.
She realized that she had just made a very big mistake.
