The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 196: Twisting The Knife

Chapter 196: Twisting The Knife

"Before we start," Rory hid the deep anger rising in her heart against Sidney with a pretty smile. "I want to ask, how are you doing, Sidney?" she asked tilting her head a little and her eyes softened with care.

This was the last chance she was giving Sidney to back off. If she is not taking it, she is going to ruin Sidney.

Sidney smiled with a slight nod. Her eyes reddened and she bit her lips. She looked uncomfortable a little as she bowed her head and fixed her skirt which didn’t need any fixing.

Good, Rory thought, it means that she is feeling guilty.

The lawyers took their seats beside their clients and they stayed silent as the women were giving their greetings. Their relationship is very complicated as everyone in the country knows. It was made complicated by the involvement of a monster.

But the undeniable fact is that one of these women saved the other from death.

But when she looked up, all Rory saw were dollar signs in her eyes. She had made her decision. That was good because Rory was not planning on sparing any grace.

Why should she respect someone who values money over relations?

In this debacle, Rory understood that Dorothy Roberts was the smartest person ever. Although she didn’t have access to the details like her grandmother did, Dorothy found that something is not right with Lennon and his wife just by her instinct. She tried her best to keep those two from the family.

Too bad she didn’t voice her instinct. And she was seen as some jealous wife who hated her husband’s illegitimate son. She did keep the secret that Lennon was not her husband’s son for a long time and let him stay in her home all because her husband wanted her to.

Rory cleared her throat. She is surrounded by strong and lovely women and grew up looking up at them. She can try to be strong, and brave like them.

"So and so... It’s hard and..." Sidney gulped. "You can’t blame me for this, Rory..." Sidney sighed and she teared up. "I thought I will have to deal with Liam alone and... You... You saved my life that day and... God! I don’t want to do this with you..." she bowed her head and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with the napkin.

Rory said nothing and stared at her. She had a feeling that feeling guilty is not going to change her mind at all. Sidney then looked up, sniffing. She rummaged through her purse and took out a makeup remover wipe and wiped her face.

As she wiped off the thick makeup on her face, Rory could see the scars of what she went through that night. It made her heart skip a beat as she had scars from that night too. Not as many as Sidney, of course, and not so glaring, but scars that were given by Lennon, nonetheless.

"You see this... this is what I will have to wake up to for the rest of my life. I could show you the scars in my heart if I could... Scars that were made by the years of abuses I faced at the hands of the monster... And now... he’s gone and still..."

Rory said nothing. She waited for Sidney to speak more. She still hasn’t revealed her interest in getting money from her.

"I lost my baby that day, Rory... You saw..." Sidney continued. Rory nodded sympathetically to allow her to continue.

"Five years, Rory... For more than five years I have been... He had taken everything from me. My beauty... He wanted me to look like you, you know..." she spared an accusing glance at Rory and for a moment Rory thought she saw hatred in them.

But she gave her a pass. Trauma induces a lot of emotions, hate being one of them. She knew it firsthand.

"He took all my money, and I am left with nothing. He had successfully separated me from a lot of my old acquaintances and friends. My family... they are not that rich, Rory, like yours... And I have a daughter to raise. You know what the Roberts name would bring us, Rory. No one wants to be anywhere near me. I get some support from the community. I can’t deny that but... Skyla, she is... too young and she does not understand what her father had done. She is asking for her father and... It’s hard for me to wake up each day and..."

With a sniff, Sidney looked at Rory. "I might hurt you by saying this but Liam... Some are saying that he grabbed whatever money he can spare from the company and stashed it elsewhere as LLC and even bought some stocks using some shell accounts, even before his arrest. Your husband was sure that he would be arrested, Rory. And he was always smart to ride on Lennon’s coattails and yet some say that his business was not all doing that great... That’s why he wanted to keep you away... to protect you... That’s why he wanted the divorce. Isn’t it?"

Sidney looked at Rory to see her expression. As Rory was donning a sympathetic expression, she continued with her complaints.

"It’s hard each day for me, Rory. I don’t know how to even provide for my daughter. I am getting support from some good hearts now, but how long will they give food to my daughter and me? I should find a way. You understand how hard it is to be a single mother, right? I can’t even wake up each day, Rory," Sidney covered her face and started to weep.

"I know it is hard, Sidney," Rory cast an understanding glance at her. She reached out her hand across the table and held Sidney’s hand. "It’s hard for me too. But I agree, you faced inhumane suffering from that..." She let out a loud exhale.

"And you had to keep his secrets... It must have been hard for you to come to terms that you married a monster, and he was out there killing innocent women, and yet you could do nothing at all! All you could do was watch him come and go and I can only imagine how you have felt with every missing report that was broadcasted wondering if your husband had to do with that disappearance..."

-----

Sidney stopped crying and looked at Rory. Her tears stopped falling and she sensed her lawyers tensing up a bit.

She didn’t know why Rory is bringing up that topic. She could only get away from facing any charges because of the trauma she faced. Some people on the internet were relentlessly blaming her for not exposing her husband earlier when she had all the proof.

What hacked her heart more was that those people compared her with Rory and said that Rory was much braver and smarter to go in without a plan and yet she could bring him out to justice.

Again, again... it’s happening again--her being compared with Aurora Roberts.

Sidney clenched her hands to balls. Nothing irks her more than getting compared with Rory. Everyone thinks that Rory is better. Even her monster of a husband found Rory more attractive.

That’s why she decided to make use of this chance to get better than Rory. To tell her story of abuse in the hands of an abusive psychopathic serial killer husband when she had everything better in her life in the past.

But even now, Rory is painting a picture that she was weak. How could she?

Rory smirked seeing Sidney helplessly staring at her. She could see that she was so mad to speak, and she continued.

Sidney had the right to hate her all she wants. But how dare she accuse her husband of stealing? Unacceptable!

But deep in her heart, Rory had a feeling that Sidney might be right. Liam might have stashed some cash elsewhere. He is not talking to her about it which was fine. But she didn’t believe that Liam stole Lennon’s money. He must have hidden his own money to which he was entitled.

And she hated it whenever Sidney talked as if Liam was entirely dependent on Lennon for his living. Lennon cannot hold a candle to Liam in any way. Liam is better as a person and as a businessman. There is no denying that.

"But it’s okay. We’ve exposed him, weren’t we? We did it!" Rory smiled. "We should be strong. Am I right? I am writing a lot, you know... to not forget every single detail that went on there. As I write and edit, I can see things from a different perspective, you know. And I’ve written my thoughts on everything that happened then and how my thoughts are changing as I heal... Sort of... Like a..."

"Journal?"

One of the lawyers from Sidney’s side asked.

Rory controlled her smile. She got their attention. That’s what she wanted. Now they know that she has a journal. And that journal can be released anytime if she wanted to.

The question now will be, which publication will get to publish her account of the events? If Rory decided to publish her side of the story around the same time as Sidney releases her story, it is not going to be hard to see whose account will sell more.

Maybe both will. But Rory knows that she has been portrayed as a ’hero’ ever since Mrs. Brown’s latest interview.