Chapter 296

Evelyn stepped through the iron gate, her gaze locking onto Winifred's panicked figure slumped against the wall.

"Your hired hand confessed everything," Evelyn stated coldly. "Still denying it?"

Winifred's hands trembled as she shook her head violently. "I swear, I've never seen that man before!"

A bitter laugh escaped Evelyn's lips. "Pray that Zoe survives this. You've tangled with forces far beyond your reach."

Winifred's blood ran cold. "Zoe... is Mrs. Goldmann?"

The realization hit like a freight train. All her past actions flashed before her eyes - each petty insult, every calculated slight. Had she been signing her own death warrant without knowing?

Chloe Lawson watched the color drain from Winifred's face with grim satisfaction. "Enjoy your stay. Mr. Goldmann will decide your fate personally."

"No! You have to believe me—" Winifred's desperate pleas echoed unanswered down the sterile hallway.

Across town, shadows danced across a dimly lit safehouse. Two figures sat across from each other at a scarred wooden table.

"The trail's clean?" The woman's voice held an edge of steel.

"Like it never happened." The man tapped his temple with a greasy smile. "My boys know how to scrub evidence."

A silver briefcase slid across the table. "Half a million. Disappear from Bassburgh for at least six months."

The man's tongue darted out to wet his lips as he grabbed the case. "Pleasure doing business."

When the door clicked shut behind him, the woman removed her mask, revealing chillingly beautiful features.

"Let's see divine intervention save her now," she murmured to the empty room.

Meanwhile, Nathan Goldmann hadn't left the hospital bedside in forty-eight hours. The rhythmic beeping of monitors had become his personal torture.

The door creaked open to reveal Mr. Goldmann Sr., his cane tapping against the linoleum. "No change?"

Nathan barely glanced up, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Professor Lennox says her vitals are stable, but..."

"Alfred's handling the children." The elder Goldmann placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "Focus on your wife."

Just then, Chloe burst in, her usual military crispness softened by relief. "Mr. Goldmann! She's waking up!"

Nathan was at the bedside in an instant, cradling Zoe's pale hand. Her eyelids fluttered like trapped butterflies before finally opening.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Chloe teased, though her eyes shone suspiciously bright.

Zoe's cracked lips parted. "How... long?"

"Two days," Nathan answered, his thumb tracing circles on her palm. "You gave us quite the scare."

Memories flooded back - the assessment, the sudden pain, the viper's gleaming scales. Zoe's breath hitched. "The snake—"

"Shh." Nathan pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "We'll handle everything. Just rest."

Outside the room, Chloe's expression turned grim. "Winifred's still refusing to confess, despite... persuasive methods."

For two days they'd kept Winifred in isolation - no food, no water, no sleep. Yet the woman clung to her innocence like a lifeline.

Nathan's jaw tightened, but before he could respond, a weak tug on his sleeve drew his attention. Zoe's eyes, though clouded with pain, burned with quiet intensity.

"Not... her," she whispered.

The revelation hung heavy in the sterile hospital air. If Winifred wasn't the mastermind, then someone far more dangerous still walked free.