CHAPTER 467: CHAPTER 467: SUSPICION

The presidential suite at the top of the hotel was supposed to be Rhonda Sullivan and Jack’s newlywed room, but at the moment, the two sat at opposite ends of a three-seater sofa. Rhonda stared blankly at the silent Jack, the oppressive atmosphere stifling her.

Rhonda didn’t know what had happened, but Jack’s expression frightened her. She wanted to ask him what was going on but didn’t dare, fearing she couldn’t handle his answer.

But the issue was unavoidable. Jack looked ahead and spoke first, "Why didn’t you tell me you have a history of mental illness?"

Rhonda felt a jolt of electricity through her body, "I... I’m fine now, my mental illness isn’t hereditary, I was harmed by someone, as long as I don’t take those medications, it’s okay." She moved a bit closer, holding his arm, and added weakly, "It won’t affect the child."

Jack pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment, not continuing with the question, "Today someone sent a USB to my parents; it contains a video of you having sexual transactions with other men."

Jack’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, each word he uttered was a struggle.

"If it was for business or career maybe I could forgive you, these events occurred before you knew me, a young woman managing such a large enterprise, I can imagine the difficulties. But I can’t imagine you doing such things just to have him help harm your sister..."

What hit him hardest was this; he suddenly felt he didn’t know Ruby Sullivan at all.

In a family like this, suppressing a sister using such filthy means was all for money. How could he marry a woman who would stop at nothing for financial gain?

Rhonda gradually released her grip on him, her eyes icy, "Do you know what she did to me? I was supposed to marry Ethan Sterling but she snatched him away. Because when she fell by accident I happened to be there, she blamed her miscarriage on me, forcing Ethan to send me to a psychiatric hospital. I survived because I was lucky!"

Jack was in disbelief, feeling each of her words challenged his worldview, leaving him unsure whom to trust.

Rhonda, now tearful, continued, "She wanted to control The Sullivan Group, sending our father, who’d had a stroke turning him into a vegetable, to Meridia and didn’t let me see him. Unfortunately, when dad woke up, he still entrusted me with The Sullivan Group. At the last party we met, she privately told me she could take you from me anytime..."

She covered her face, unable to speak anymore from the pain.

Jack was stunned, because the Wenny he saw and the woman described by Rhonda felt worlds apart. If Wenny was like she said, wouldn’t today’s wedding have been a joke? Why bother trying so hard to keep him?

"But she..."

"You can’t even imagine she could be this malicious?" Rhonda sneered, "Of course you can’t imagine, how could such a beautiful, talented Wenny treat her sister this way? If Ethan Sterling knew her heart was vicious would he still love her so? Men are visual creatures, they never know if a pretty woman’s heart is black or red."

Jack was at a loss for words, his mind a mess, exhaling sharply, "I want to calm down and also reassure my family. Let’s temporarily suspend the subsequent plans."

"Okay." Rhonda murmured in response, not saying more.

Jack left, his dejected figure seeming like an omen. Rhonda watched him leave, feeling herself grow colder, her flowing blood steadily losing vitality.

Rhonda sat dazed for a while, then calmly called her assistant Henry Linden, with thoughts similar to Ethan Sterling’s. They needed to trace the surveillance footage back to whoever delivered the USB.

*

Jack stood outside his parents’ room for a long time before making up his mind.

Regardless, Rhonda was the woman he loved; they were now legally married, even if he doubted her character. He didn’t want to end the marriage hastily.

But such words would be utterly absurd to his parents. In the future, they’d have to accept a grandson with lunatic blood? Plus, if such a video reached Ankoria, their whole family would become a laughing stock, something they would never allow.

His sister, K, who always sided with him, disagreed this time, "You haven’t seen the true face of that woman at all. Do you know who sent this USB? It’s her own sister! If it wasn’t out of utter hatred, why would she deliberately sabotage her sister’s wedding?"

"What?" Jack was shocked, "How do you know Wenny sent it?"

K found the parcel, showing the clear printed address and sender, no contact info was left, but there was a Chinese name, Ruby Sullivan, she’d checked it on her phone—it’s Wenny’s Chinese name.

Jack thought back to how Mr. and Mrs. Sterling insisted on keeping him, feeling it couldn’t have been Ruby’s doing, yet recalling Rhonda’s remarks about her sister only deepened his doubts.

K couldn’t accept such a scandalous woman as her sister-in-law, fearing it might affect her future marriage, so she stood her ground.

"Since you don’t believe it, you should call Wenny for confirmation." She said, taking out her phone.

Jack frowned, thinking this suggestion was sheer nonsense; even if Ruby sent it, why would she admit it?

But deep down he was suspicious too, Rhonda’s words didn’t add up, as he’d seen Ruby’s exclusive on VS, knowing that before age 23 Ruby was an unreasonably obese, ugly girl. If she could ’snatch’ Ethan from Ruby, perhaps this man never loved her from the start?

On the contrary, Rhonda’s actions seemed confusing, working with The Lawson Group, opening Miss.

K felt her brother was protecting that woman because he was deceived. Men are like that, never see the true nature of opportunists, so she directly dialed Wenny and put it on speaker.

Ruby was surprised receiving K’s call, as she also knew the parcel was sent in her name, and the courier company had no surveillance footage at their office. Sterling’s people were trying to retrieve surrounding road surveillance, the difficulty evident, as the courier company could provide only limited sender characteristics.

Ruby thought Rhonda would be the first to call believing she sent it, but Rhonda wasn’t naive enough to think it came from her.

So after hearing K’s question, Ruby felt a mix of humor and irony.

"Why would I send something like that to you? Indeed we have issues between us, but I sincerely hope she marries your brother."

K was stunned, she intended to find an ally, only to backstab in the process.

Jack grabbed the phone from her, turned off speaker, and asked, "Can you tell me what’s wrong between you and Rhonda?"