CHAPTER 531: HOW TO PUNISH?

Amelia had no idea what Selina was rambling about. "I’m asking why you’re here!"

Selina answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Since you claim to be Logan’s mother, and I am Logan’s wife, isn’t it only right that I accompany him to visit his ’mother’? What’s the problem?"

"You—!"

Amelia panicked. She cast a sharp glance at the people around her, signaling them to quickly drive Selina out. If Miss Paula were to see Selina later and lose interest in the marriage alliance, what then?

She had finally managed to connect with Duke William, gained the chance to push that eyesore Logan out, and secure the Duke’s support—a triple victory. She absolutely couldn’t let Selina ruin it.

But she couldn’t use that excuse to throw Selina out. Otherwise, Selina wouldn’t leave, and Logan wouldn’t agree to meet Miss Paula at all.

She had to come up with a compromise.

While Amelia was still trying to think, Selina suddenly tilted her head, her tone infuriatingly casual. "Is Mrs. Perry wondering how to get rid of me? Forget it. I’ve got plenty of free time lately, so I think I’ll stay at the Reid Family for a while."

Before Amelia could respond, Selina added, her words heavy with meaning:

"After all... Mrs. Perry must have heard already, the Morris Family didn’t fare too well against me. I turned them completely upside down. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, let me give you a little advice—don’t make me your enemy. Otherwise..."

Amelia nearly choked with fury. Selina was threatening her! Her meaning was clear: if Amelia crossed her, she’d be the next Joe.

"But really, Mrs. Perry, I don’t want unnecessary trouble. Wouldn’t it be better if we just minded our own business? If you want to play the loving-mother act, then go ahead and act. I don’t have the time to argue with you, not with matters at the Hill Family waiting for me."

At the mention of the Hill Family, Amelia’s expression stiffened.

"Oh? Mrs. Perry still doesn’t know much about the Hill Family?"

Selina suddenly smiled. "Hannah is from the Hill Family. But perhaps you didn’t know—she’s no longer an heir. Her father clawed his way up through disgraceful means, and now he’s been expelled by the Hill Family’s master and Mrs. Adams."

Amelia’s throat tightened, her body giving a small shudder. "I’m not interested in any of this."

"Not interested?" Selina tilted her head again. "I thought you and Hannah hit it off quite well, and that you’d be curious about these things."

"But you’d better keep your distance from Hannah. Don’t you wonder how her father, Matt, managed to take power in the first place? How could an adopted son surpass a biological one?"

Something in those words struck a nerve. Amelia’s voice rose unconsciously. "Matt may be adopted, but he was well-liked by his parents. If the old Hills wanted him to inherit, what’s wrong with that—"

"Ah, is that so? It seems Mrs. Perry just has a soft spot for adopted sons and daughters."

Selina’s tone grew sharper, meaningful. "But Great-grandfather Hill’s fondness for Matt had nothing to do with Matt being ’likeable.’ It was because..."

Selina noticed the visible flicker of tension on Amelia’s face.

Narrowing her eyes, her suspicion crystallized. She fixed Amelia with a steady gaze, enunciating each word. "It wasn’t because Matt was likable. It was because Great-grandfather Hill and his wife were being controlled by him."

Amelia’s body trembled before she forced herself still, trying hard to appear indifferent. "How could Matt control his adoptive parents? If they’d really been controlled, someone would have discovered it long ago—"

"Of course not by ordinary means," Selina cut her off coldly. "It was through drugs."

Selina fixed her eyes on Amelia, staring straight at her without a blink. "Mrs. Perry, have you ever heard of such a drug? Once taken, it can alter the victim’s very thoughts. Matt gave it to Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother Hill, which is why they suddenly adored this useless adopted son—why they were willing to sacrifice their own biological son’s life for him."

Amelia’s heart lurched. "Th-this..."

"I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s the truth. Surprising, yes. And before they died, Great-grandfather and Great-grandmother regained their clarity. Great-grandfather himself admitted it."

Of course, Great-grandfather Hill had never realized he’d been drugged. These were Selina’s own embellishments—slightly fabricated.

But Amelia’s eyes flickered again, her body trembling in terror.

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding wildly.

Had the Hill Family’s secret been discovered? If it had, then what about her... what would become of her?

No, she had to sever ties with the Hill Family while it was still in chaos. She couldn’t let anyone realize that she, too...

"Oh, and Mrs. Perry," Selina continued slowly, "the person who told me about the Hill Family also mentioned something amusing. They said the Perry Family has an adopted daughter too. Grandpa Perry killed his own daughter for her, even cast aside his sons. Everything was for the adopted daughter, to hand the entire Perry Family over to her."

"The life of a biological daughter, the inheritance rights of biological sons—none of it mattered. As long as the adopted daughter was happy, that was enough. So they were very curious—did Mrs. Perry also slip something into Grandpa Perry’s tea? Is that why he would rather kill his own daughter, just to clear your path—"

Amelia’s face twisted. "Lies! Utter lies—"

But before she could finish screaming, Selina spoke again, her tone deceptively mild. "Although, thinking about it again... the Hill Family’s drug isn’t exactly something just anyone could get their hands on. Maybe Mrs. Perry earned Grandpa Perry’s love by chance. Maybe it was just coincidence—not to be confused with Matt’s schemes."

Amelia’s breathing turned sharp and uneven. "You—you..."

"Hm?" Selina tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Why does Mrs. Perry look so frightened, so panicked? Look—you can barely breathe. Don’t tell me..."

Her voice suddenly hardened. "Don’t tell me I guessed right?"

—Don’t tell me you really did drug Grandpa Perry, and I’ve just exposed you?

"Shut up!" Amelia shrieked, her voice breaking. Realizing she had overreacted, she forced herself to calm down, arranging her face into one of exasperation, as though Selina were spouting nonsense. "These are just baseless guesses. How could you treat them as fact? Stop talking nonsense!"

Selina arched a brow. "Alright, I won’t say another word. But even if you can silence me, Mrs. Perry, you can’t silence everyone else."

Amelia ground her teeth silently.

"Big Brother, you’re back. I’m sorry—it’s all my fault..."

Just then, a sickly sweet male voice drifted over. Selina narrowed her eyes and turned, her gaze sharp. Sure enough, it was Owen, with an ordinary-looking woman at his side.

The woman was dressed lavishly. Selina felt she had seen her somewhere before but didn’t bother to think on it. Instead, she let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with mockery.

"As long as you know it’s your fault. By the way, Mrs. Perry, didn’t you just say you’ve reflected and that you’re Logan’s real mother, who would never wrong her own son? Then tell me..."

Selina tilted her head slightly. "When Owen framed Logan, spread lies, and nearly brought irreparable damage to the Reid Group—did you punish him? And if so, how?"