Chapter 289

Emma stared at her. "What, you don't dare to drink?"

Isabella squeezed the tray, then suddenly let go.

The tray fell from the air, crashing to the ground. The tray flipped, two wine glasses shattered, and juice spilled everywhere.

Before Emma could react, Isabella shoved her hard and ran down the hallway.

Emma was pushed against the wall, and by the time she realized what had happened, Isabella had already disappeared.

When the study door opened, Charles stood in the doorway, surveying the mess on the floor. His gaze finally landed on Emma's face. "Did you dare to poison the juice?"

Emma's pupils contracted sharply, and she shook her head. "No, I didn't."

Before she could move, Charles strode over, grabbed her hair, and dragged her toward the bedroom.

Isabella hadn't run far when she heard Emma's screams. She paused, then turned back. As she passed one of the rooms, the door suddenly opened, and a hand pulled her inside.

Isabella's scream was muffled by a hand covering her mouth. She stared wide-eyed, gradually recognizing the person in front of her.

It was a man, dressed in a suit, wearing black headphones and a black mask, with only his eyes visible.

Isabella recognized him immediately. "Matthew?"

Seeing her calm down, Matthew slowly released his hand, then grabbed her hand and led her to the closet. It was only then that Isabella realized this was Matthew's bedroom.

In the closet, Matthew opened one of the wardrobes, pushed all the clothes aside, revealing a hidden door. He unlocked the door with a key, then bent down and crawled into the passage.

Isabella, though shocked and bewildered, followed him in without hesitation.

The corridor was so narrow that it could accommodate only a single person, and even then, provided they were not too corpulent, lest they find themselves wedged in. It was pitch-dark but, thankfully, not overly extended; Isabella had to maneuver for merely a handful of seconds before the exit presented itself.

At the exit, there was a pile of clothes, densely packed, blocking the view, with only faint light seeping through the gaps.

When Isabella emerged, Matthew reached out to pull her up.

Isabella looked around, thinking, 'Have we crawled from one closet into another?'

"Where are we?" Isabella asked softly.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside. Matthew quickly gestured for silence, and Isabella obediently closed her mouth.

A scream echoed, and Isabella could feel Matthew's body tremble.

She glanced at Matthew, the dim light and his mask obscuring her view of his expression, but the complex emotions still shone through his eyes. There was anger and pain.

Isabella recognized Emma's voice. Something crashed to the floor, blending with pleas for mercy.

"It wasn't me; I didn't poison you!

"Charles, you have to believe me, I didn't do it!"

The sound was now very close to the wardrobe. Isabella reached out and pulled aside the clothes, revealing a scene in the bedroom through a gap.

Charles had Emma's hair in his grip, standing in front of a cupboard, withdrawing an intramuscular syringe from a box, expelling air bubbles from it.

"Charles, please, no!" Emma's eyes widened at the sight of the syringe.

But it was no use. In a split second, Charles plunged the needle into her neck with precision. Her scream of agony turned into a muffled moan of helpless pain. Within seconds, she collapsed like a mass of mud, her hand still clutching his trouser leg in a vain attempt to stand. Then, with a hiss, she managed to say, "Charles, you'll never find peace!"

Charles kicked her away, kicking her like trash coldly. "This is your punishment. I told you not to make me angry. Stay here and reflect on your actions."

With that, he closed the safe, turned around, and left with a confident stride.

Isabella was stunned, her eyes wide as she watched this unfold. Even though she knew about Charles' abusive behavior, seeing him inject her with the syringe left her deeply shaken.

She thought, 'Charles, he's truly terrifying.'

Matthew pushed aside the clothes and stepped out of the wardrobe.

Isabella hesitated for a moment before hurrying after him. Emma, lying on the ground, saw them leave. When she caught sight of Matthew, her face flushed with embarrassment and shame.

"Matthew." Emma's voice was weak.

Isabella could see the shame in her eyes, likely as a mother; she didn't want Matthew to see her like this, so helpless and without dignity.

Matthew walked over, picked her up gently, and placed her in a chair.

He couldn't speak now; all he could do was communicate with Emma through his eyes.

"Matthew, is that you?" Emma's eyes were filled with tears.

Matthew took her hand, gently removed his mask, and guided Emma's hand to his cheek.

Tears streamed down Emma's face. "Matthew, how could you just run away? Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?"

Matthew shook his head, indicating that he was alright.

"Matthew, please listen to me. Go turn yourself in. You're still young, and you have a whole future ahead of you. I don't want to see you destroy it."

Matthew pressed his lips together and shook his head again.

Emma closed her eyes, realizing she couldn't persuade him. She turned to Isabella. "Bella."

Isabella stood nearby. "Mrs. Landon."

Seeing Isabella's attire, Emma understood what was going on. She said weakly, "Can you try to talk some sense into Matthew?"

Isabella stayed silent.

"Please, Bella, help me convince him. He's already made one mistake; he can't afford to make another."

Matthew gave Emma's hand one last squeeze before letting go. He then walked over to the safe and started working on unlocking it.

After several attempts, the combination still didn't work.

"Matthew, what are you doing?" Emma's voice trembled, but she was helpless to do anything.

Matthew stopped and looked back at Emma.

Realization crossed Emma's face, mixed with a trace of disappointment. "You came back for Isabella, didn't you? You're here to help her and Sebastian get the evidence?"

Matthew nodded.

Isabella looked at him in surprise. "Matthew."

Matthew glanced at her briefly before quickly averting his gaze.

For the first time, Isabella saw a glimpse of insecurity in him. It struck her heart, stirring an indescribable mix of emotions.