Chapter 11

Samson looked at William. His tone was gentle but carried a hint of anger. "Mr. Wilson, what do you mean by this?" "Do you need to stick your nose into my business, Mr. Lynch?" "Mr. Wilson, you and Linda aren't together anymore. You should have some self-respect, for both her sake and your own." William chuckled and ignored him. He had a dominating presence, especially with the chilling air emanating from him. His overpowering coldness pressured everyone around him. Arrogantly, he opened the passenger door. "Are you going to get out of the car yourself, or do I need to invite you out?" His tone was threatening, completely different from the gentleness from the night before. It seemed that gentleness was only reserved for that night. A chill swept over Linda. She sighed, wondering what had happened to William overnight. However, one thing she was clear of was that she could not drag Samson into this. This wasn't Novena, so it wasn't Samson's territory. If he were to confront William, it wouldn't end well for him. Linda unfastened her seatbelt, and William took one step back. "Linda!" Samson yelled anxiously. He could handle the security guards at the Wilson residence, but he couldn't single-handedly confront William's well-trained bodyguards. Linda smiled at him. "It's okay, Samson. I'll handle it." She turned to William and said, "Mr. Wilson, let him go first." "Come with me, and I'll let him go." William's demeanor remained unchanged. Linda couldn't understand how she fell in love with such a man. "Fine, I'll go with you. You can't go back on your word." "I'm not full of lies like you." Hearing his words, Linda felt heartbroken. She followed William into the black G-Class. As the car started, Linda saw Samson being released, and she relaxed. As long as no one else got involved, Linda didn't care what William did to her. Before Linda could ask what was going on, he grabbed her jaw. She widened her eyes, trying to push him away, but he pinned her arms above her head. Her voice trembled. "Last night, didn't we agree that we would have no more entanglements starting today? I'm leaving Osmo and will have nothing to do with you. I mean what I said. What are you doing now?" Instead of getting angry, William laughed, mocking her. "Are you really planning to start over in Novena, or are you just running away?" Linda was stunned for a few seconds. "What am I running away from? William, I don't get what you're saying." William took out a box. "Isn't this yours?" Inside the box was a bracelet he had bought for her from a business trip, which she treasured deeply and wore all the time. "It is, but you bought it. Since we're divorced, I naturally wouldn't wear it anymore. I left all the gifts you gave me in the Wilson residence," Linda said honestly. Cutting ties cleanly meant leaving nothing behind. Anything left behind would be a lingering attachment. So, she left nothing behind. "Linda, are you still pretending?" William's smile was sinister, and his gaze harsh. "Pretending?" Linda was caught off guard by his cold glare. Her heart felt like it was going to stop. "Do you know where this came from?" "I told you, I left everything at the Wilson residence. Mr. Wilson, it's your house. You can get it anytime you want." "The kidnappers demanded money from me but left this bracelet behind when they fled." Linda suddenly laughed out loud as she came to a realization. "So, are you suspecting that I'm the mastermind behind Mrs. Wilson's kidnapping?" She couldn't believe it. "This bracelet could belong to anyone, and it's not unique. I left my things at the Wilson residence, and anyone there could've taken it. How can you be sure that it was me? "No mastermind would be so stupid to leave behind incriminating evidence like this. Besides, I was practically with you all of last night. How could I have the time to commit the crime? "I was with you in the apartment, and I didn't even touch my phone. How could I have colluded with the kidnappers? "I only found out about Joanne's kidnapping when Ida called you. William, where did you get the idea that I was behind it? You even openly blocked my car like this. Do you hate me that much?" William laughed coldly and tightened his grip. "You specifically came to the company last night, pretending to have a farewell dinner just to use me as an alibi to clear your name, didn't you? Isn't surveillance footage more convincing than me?" Linda suddenly felt that her life was tragic. Because of her love for him and desire to leave her sad story with a happy ending, she had given up all her dignity. On that stormy night, she risked her illness to see him, hoping for a non-existent wedding anniversary to end their marriage nicely. But in his eyes, everything she did was despicable. To him, looking for him the night before was her attempt to create an alibi. She had given up everything for him. Because she couldn't let go of her love for him, she repeatedly sacrificed her dignity. Tears streamed down Linda's face. "I admit I hate her. She indirectly killed my child and caused our marriage to end. I hate her deeply. "But I love you. Joanne is the only family you have left in this world, and I could never do something like that. I couldn't harm her. "She shares your blood. I know the pain of losing a loved one, and I don't want you to lose the only relative you have." Because she loved him, she was even willing to let go of her resentment. William sneered, clearly not believing her. "Linda, you keep saying that you love me, but think about what you did. Did you really love me, or did you hurt me? Which actions of yours were respectable?" He leaned in closer to her. "Linda, are you sure you didn't do those things to make me hate you?" Facing William's hateful eyes and accusations, Linda's tears fell. She had never known that her actions, in his eyes, hurt him and made him hate her. Linda had explained countless times that many things weren't her doing and she had been framed, including how she ended up marrying him. She didn't need to use such degrading means. At that time, Wilson Group needed the Felix family's support. Their marriage was more of an alliance. She admitted she had tampered with his documents, but in the end, weren't he and Wilson Group the beneficiaries? Linda explained it over and over, but William never trusted her.