THE BILLIONAIRE'S VENGEFUL WIFE RETURNS-Chapter 196: A HUGE CRIME & THE PUNISHEMENT FOR IT

A/N: This Chapter is dedicated to Dawn_Holmes_7985. Hi Dawn, thanks for the golden ticket.

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Everyone knew one unshakable truth, Alanis did not play when it came to his grandmother. As fragile and as stubborn as Charlotte was, she was his everything. The one person he cherished above all. He would do anything for her. Anything. Even killing someone.

As if Claudia hadn’t already wronged him enough, she had now sealed her fate by harming the one person he held dearest.

The room was suffocatingly silent. The tension was thick, suffused with the weight of an unspeakable mistake. Claudia’s entire being trembled with fear. She couldn’t escape this time, not like this, not when she hurt Charlotte like this.

Ava, who had been standing nearby, her hands trembling as she saw everything happen. She suddenly snapped into action and with a sharp gasp, she rushed down the stairs, dropping to her knees beside Charlotte’s limp body.

Her fingers hovered over the older woman’s wrist, checking for a pulse. "Grandma Charlotte?!" her voice cracked with panic.

The stillness was unbearable.

A trickle of blood trailed from Charlotte’s temple, pooling against the marble floor. Her body lay twisted at an unnatural angle.

Claudia’s breath hitched. She had only meant to push her aside, not... not this.

George swallowed hard, his eyes darting between Claudia and Charlotte’s lifeless form. They were in deep trouble now. Not even the devil could save them this time.

At that moment, a slow, deliberate creak echoed from above.

Harlow, frozen at the top of the stairs, stared at the scene with wide, horrified eyes.

And then, a voice, deep and cold as death itself, shattered the silence.

"What the hell happened here?"

The air turned ice-cold.

Every muscle in George and Claudia’s bodies stiffened.

Because that voice belonged to Alanis. He stood at the top of the stairs, his dark eyes locked onto them like a predator sizing up its prey. Cold. Calculating. Ready to bring destruction.

He had heard everything, George’s sharp insult while he spoke to Charlotte, Claudia’s arrogance, their desperate need to cover up their own mess. He had ignored it then. But this? They had hurt Harlow. And now, they had hurt his grandmother.

Oh, George and Claudia really had a death wish tonight.

"B... B... We... I—" George stammered, words tumbling from his mouth in a desperate attempt to explain. But there was no explanation. No excuse that could possibly save them now.

Alanis had stayed in bed longer than necessary, not because he was weak, but because he had wanted something for himself for once. He had imagined Harlow fussing over him, cooking for him, bathing him, caring for him, for the first time ever. That had been his silent reward for taking the punishment meant for her.

A week. Just one fine, long, romantic week with his woman.

And these two had ruined it. Again.

His gaze flickered downward, landing on Charlotte’s unmoving form. He smiled.

A slow, deliberate smile, his perfect white teeth flashing like the edge of a blade.

"Don’t touch her."

Ava, who had been reaching out to check Charlotte again, snatched her hands back immediately. She scrambled away, eyes darting between Alanis and the unconscious woman.

Without breaking his gaze from the scene, Alanis pulled out his phone, lifted it to his ear, and muttered something low and sharp. His words were brief. Precise. Deadly.

Then, he hung up.

And just like that, he walked past George and Claudia, as if they were nothing but air, his presence filling the room with an almost suffocating intensity.

Harlow moved too, almost unconsciously, her legs carrying her toward Charlotte even as her mind remained in shock. She couldn’t process anything.

All she knew was that the moment Alanis reached his grandmother, all hell was about to break loose.

Within minutes, an ambulance screeched to a stop in front of the villa, and nurses rushed out with a rolling stretcher. The doors flew open, and doctors hurried inside, their movements swift and urgent.

Elisa and Garth, who had been preparing for bed, heard the commotion and rushed out, curiosity and unease written across their faces.

Garth’s eyes flickered toward the ambulance, and for a moment, a hopeful thought crossed her mind, was Alanis finally dead?

If so, she would be the happiest woman on earth. His death would mean George could take over the company without any obstructions. Even if he wasn’t dead, she could finish the job calmly.

But then, her breath hitched.

Emerging from the villa, walking beside the nurses pushing the stretcher, was Alanis.

Alive.

Still standing.

Still breathing.

Still refusing to die.

Garth clenched her fists. How?

How?!

George had beaten him mercilessly, yet here he was, moving as if he had barely been touched.

Alanis remained silent, his face unreadable, but his fists were clenched tight. His mind held only one thought, his grandmother had to survive.

If Charlotte died tonight... then Garth or any member of their family wouldn’t live to tell the tale.

Without a word, Alanis climbed into the car, Harlow slipping in beside him. Their vehicle trailed the ambulance, its headlights cutting through the night.

Once the convoy had disappeared down the road, Elisa and Garth exchanged a look before crossing over to Alanis’s villa. They needed answers.

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Garth spotted a maid lingering in the hallway and wasted no time.

"Hey." She called out, making the young woman flinch. "What happened in there?"

The maid hesitated before answering. "Master George and Miss Claudia hurt Grandma Hamilton. Now she’s being rushed to the hospital."

Elisa’s eyes widened in horror. Claudia had hurt Charlotte? This was horrific, she had no idea why Claudia kept getting into trouble. Today had been really hectic and as if she’s not caused problems enough, she has hurt the head of the Hamilton family.

Garth inhaled sharply. "Where are George and Claudia now?"

"Still inside, madam," the maid answered before bowing and hurrying away.

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, none of them would have believed that Claudia, of all people, would dare lay a hand on Charlotte.

Inside, George paced anxiously while Claudia sat on the edge of the couch, her arms crossed.

"What do we do now? Alanis is never going to forgive us. Worse, he might kick us out of the family forever." George muttered, watching as the maids scrubbed away the last traces of Charlotte’s blood from the floor. His hands were clammy, his breathing uneven.

Hurting Charlotte was the worst crime anyone in the family could commit.

Claudia, however, only scoffed. "It was an accident." She said hating her luck already. She tries to fix her mistake yet everything she does pushes her further away from Alanis. At this point, she doubts they can ever be together again.

George shot her a look. "An accident? You pushed her!"

Claudia rolled her eyes. "Stop fussing. Be a man, George." She leaned forward, her tone sharp. "If that old woman dies, so be it. Alanis has no right to throw you out. You have just as much claim to this mansion as he does."

George swallowed hard, but Claudia wasn’t finished.

"Besides, we have bigger things to worry about. We still need to find that document." George couldn’t believe all this woman cared about was the documents even if they had done something truly bad.

Did she think her father would save her this time?

"Now hurry." Claudia hissed and he had no other option than to follow.

What they didn’t realize was that Ava had been listening the entire time.

From the shadows, she shook her head in disgust. "Still so insolent and stupid," she muttered under her breath.

Her eyes flickered toward the couch, where Harlow had carelessly dropped the document earlier. A heartbeat later, Ava strode over and snatched it up.

She knew exactly what to do with it. Without looking back, she turned on her heel and disappeared into her bedroom.

At the same time, Elisa and Garth stepped into the villa...