Free Web NovelChapter 222: Judgement (3)
"Are you crazy? If you say anything you’re dead. Don’t you realize-"
"Yes," Mari stopped Cecilia from explaining the gravity of the situation. She had enough time to think about the consequences and long decided to receive her punishment. "You’re not looking out for my well-being right now. Just trying to save your neck."
Mari always hated the way Cecilia and Graham looked down on her, treating her less than a person. She hated them as much as she hated her parents who put her in this predicament because of the money they kept borrowing.
"Vincent, please keep your promise," Mari said.
"I will," Vincent promised. "Your siblings will be set free and taken care of. Your parents will be imprisoned and made to work on the walls."
Vincent had no problem fulfilling the one request Mari had. After all, her siblings were innocent in this as they had not met with Graham and Cecilia since they were not working. Mari’s parents, on the other hand, he viewed as failures when it came to parenting.
To keep collecting debt and have their oldest child made to work it off so that it wouldn’t affect her younger siblings in the future was selfish.
He learned those debts had nothing to do with taking care of their children but a gambling addiction the father had and the mother enabled it.
They tried pleading their case to Vincent after being imprisoned. Saying it was all for their children but they failed to realize Vincent set up many ways for those feeling they weren’t financially able to take care of their family to be supported. Mari’s parents never came to him.
Taking a deep breath first Mari then said, "I’m ready to tell everything I saw."
"You!" Cecilia glared at Mari. The girl was ungrateful to the very end not realizing that thanks to her and Graham offering her family money and food her siblings were able to enjoy another day of life without starving or without a home. "You owe us your life after what we had done for you."
"She doesn’t realize how her words are making her sound even more guilty. Not that her remaining silent would get her to walk away from her but her emotions will lead to something bigger getting revealed," Jane commented from the sidelines.
"That’s why he brought Mari out at this moment. He’s toying with Cecilia right now. He could’ve given her a judgement from the very beginning when he heard her confess the things she and others had done or discussed but it seems like Vincent wants to push her over the edge," said Derek.
"There’s no doubt she had a part to play in Aurora getting kidnapped and the reason the thieves had taken the necklace Vincent had given Aurora was to give it to Cecilia."
"She didn’t look too happy to see it on Aurora at my party," Victor popped up beside the couple. "My party was ruined before it started and I have never received many of my gifts."
"What on earth do you mean? I sent you snacks," Derek started to wonder if they got sent to the wrong address.
"That was my gift-"
"Excuse me. Some of us are trying to watch a trial so if you have nothing to contribute to what is going on please leave my side," Jane stopped the two from going any further in their conversation. Mari was now about to talk and she wished to hear every word spoken.
"My parents borrowed money from Graham and Cecilia Lawerence. Graham had spoken to my parents but Cecilia was the one to approach me, informing me of the debt my parents had. She then brought me to their house to talk about how my family would pay them back. At first, I said it was a problem for my parents but then..." Mari paused looking at Cecilia.
The memory of what happened that day was clear in her mind. "They threatened to harm one of my siblings if I didn’t do as they requested. To show me how easy it would be for them, they sent me home with a man who pointed out all the other people who were placed to kill anyone in an instant-"
"Lies! How are the people here supposed to know that this girl has not been paid off by someone to lie on me today? Everyone here knows the person I am!" Cecilia yelled to the crowd.
"Do you really want people to think about the type of person you are? How you have always looked down on those not wearing the same expensive clothes as you? How you belittle others because you married Graham? Do you really want them to think about that?" Vincent asked since it did not seem like a smart idea. "The people here are not only the ones you converse with."
Had she been a saint and had a good reputation with everyone present, maybe they would care to call Mari a liar. However, she was not a saint and her reputation had been damaged from the moment she messed around with Graham when he was married to a woman the community liked.
"I never really liked her."
"She only cared about material things."
Cecilia heard how the people were speaking about her now that Vincent had drawn attention to her character. If she wasn’t in this position right now they wouldn’t be saying these things. Everyone she came across loved to kiss up to her since she was Graham’s wife.
Was she supposed to be overly friendly to these people? They weren’t all her friends. She gave them enough attention being that she was Graham’s wife but they wanted to constantly talk to her about things she didn’t care about.
"Why does my personality matter when you all speak about Vincent’s! Remember, many of you refer to him as cruel, a brute, and even heartless," Cecilia recalled the words she heard from many people here.
"That is true," Derek agreed with her this one time.
"Don’t you dare only look at my personality! Many of you are changing your opinion of me just because I am standing trial. I have done nothing wrong to many of you. Is it such a bad thing to love material things?" Cecilia felt like she was losing her mind being judged by these people.
If given the chance to marry into riches they would act the same way she did. She was more than kind enough by acknowledging their presence.
"That one certainly backfired," Vincent wholeheartedly enjoyed the hole Cecilia kept digging herself in. If only his uncle could be here to make this even more entertaining. "Carry on."
"After I saw how easy it would be for them to harm my siblings, I realized it would be too risky to tell Vincent. What if they had another spy in Vincent’s home to know I said something? I was scared but I only thought of my siblings. Graham gave me poison and Cecilia gave me instructions of how to make Vincent consume it-"
"Lies! I had no parts of that!" Cecilia interrupted Mari once more. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Speak again and I shall cut out your tongue. That will be your first punishment. Position her head," Vincent instructed his men.
Right on queue, two men went behind Cecilia, roughly pulling her up to hold her head right where Vincent wanted her. Once held her face in place while the other held out her tongue.
"N-No," Cecilia tossed and turned to shake them off of her. She closed her eyes as tears formed. Where are her parents to at least vouch for her? Did they not care that their daughter could be killed at any moment?
"Be quiet if you do not wish to lose your tongue. I only need one word and I shall take your tongue," Vincent took out a sharp knife from the back of his left boot and went to Cecilia’s side. "Carry on Mari."
"Cecilia told me how to make Vincent consume it without being noticed. She said if I were to get caught they would abandon me but I always knew they would kill me afterward to bury this secret. Two days ago, I found Vincent passed out and decided to use the poison given to me. I wish to ask for forgiveness from everyone here," Mari started to sob.
"Kill her along with Cecilia!"
"What forgiveness when she tried to kill the alpha?"
"I know what I did was wrong but I thought only of my siblings as I love them dearly. I am not ashamed to say that I would do worse things if it means protecting them. My siblings have nothing to do with this so please do not treat them badly for what I have done. I-Is there more I need to say, Vincent?" Asked Mari.
"No, what you said has been more than enough. What you have just heard was the start of my decision to expose my enemies. Only one person has known wolfsbane does not affect me so I used this chance to pretend to be dying. Like a moth to the flame, my uncle came to see if his plans worked."
