My Mother Killed Me For Her Stepdaughter novel Chapter 40

By the time Daniel rushed to the scene, Sophia had just finished playing the recordings. Daniel dropped to his knees in front of Claire's mansion, his eyes red with grief, his expression filled with pain.

"Claire, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault—I failed you as a brother-in-law."

Seeing Daniel, Sophia latched onto him like he was her lifeline, crying and sobbing hysterically.

"Mr. Parker, what are we going to do about the company? Ella sold it out from under us. How are we supposed to survive now? Claire was so good to her. Why would she do this?"

Hearing her words, Daniel stood and bowed deeply to her, guilt etched across his face.

"This is on me. Ella has always wanted to sell the company. She even arranged for me to join it so I could help her secretly transfer the assets. But Claire believed in me, trusted me—how could I ever betray her like that?"

"I've tried so many times to talk her out of it, to make her understand how much Claire has done for her. But she just laughed and said it was Claire's job to take care of her. In her eyes, Claire was nothing more than a walking ATM. We fought about it countless times. Once, she even told me I was just a distraction to her, one of many, and that if I didn't do as she said, she'd kick me out of her life and the company."

"For years, I endured all of this for the sake of the company and its employees. Every time Ella siphoned money from the business to fund her gambling or wild lifestyle, I covered it with my own salary. I couldn't stand by and watch everyone's hard work be destroyed."

"But in the end, she still managed to sell the company, and Claire, devastated beyond measure, chose to end her life. Ella, if you have even a shred of humanity left, come here and apologize to Claire right now."

It didn't take long for my personal details to be completely exposed. My name, address, and more were plastered across the screen as viewers frantically shared my information.

My phone, buried in my bag, didn't stop buzzing.

Everything from my past life was happening all over again—except this time, I felt no fear, no panic.

I checked my reflection in a compact mirror. My makeup was flawless. With a steady breath, I stepped boldly into the chaos unfolding at the scene.