While Chloe was sealing her dark pact with Penelope, Marco was on his way to the state penitentiary. He had arranged a visit with Hector Cruz, a small-time thief now serving time for petty robbery. The man sat behind a glass partition, looking sullen and defeated. Marco spoke to him over a crackling telephone.
"Hector, I know you tampered with a car two weeks ago," Marco began, his voice devoid of emotion. "Someone paid you to do it."
Hector's eyes darted around the room, but he didn't try to deny it. "Yeah," he muttered, "a woman ordered me to."
"How did she look?" Marco asked, his eyes never leaving the man's face.
As Hector described her, Marco felt a chilling sense of recognition. He reached into his jacket and pulled out two printed photos, placing them flat against the glass. One was of Chloe, the other of Caroline. He held the phone up to the glass. "Which one is it?" he asked.
Without hesitation, Hector's finger tapped the photo of Chloe. "That one," he said. "The other woman was waiting in the car."
Marco now had all the evidence he needed. He ended the call, thanked the guard, and left the prison, his mind racing. The pieces of the puzzle were finally clicking into place. He pulled out his phone and dialled Damien's number. As he walked out into the sunlight, he delivered the news. "Sir, you're not going to believe this. It was her. Chloe Walker."
Damien then instructed Marco to give all the evidence to Detective Martin.
Penelope's phone buzzed with an incoming call from her private investigator. She answered with a sharp command. "Report."
The voice on the other end was succinct. "Mr. Sterling just arrived at the hospital."
Penelope's grip on the phone tightened. There was only one reason Damien would go to that hospital. He was there to see Sarah. A cold fury, fuelled by the lies Chloe had just sold her, surged through her. A little bit longer, she thought with a bitter satisfaction, and this bitch will disappear from Damien's life forever. A triumphant, yet malevolent, smile touched her lips.
Just then, the conference room door opened, and Sam walked in.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.
"I had a meeting," Penelope replied, her voice smooth and composed as she slipped her phone into her pocket.
"A meeting in the private conference room?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing. "Why don't I know anything about it?"
"It was with the person from the engagement planning company I hired," she said, her lie effortless.
Sam's expression softened slightly. "Oh, I see."
As Penelope started to leave, Sam reached out and took her hand. "Penny," he called sweetly, "are you sure you want to get engaged to a man who doesn't even like you?"
Penelope snatched her hand away as if his touch burned her. "I like him, and whether he likes me or not, he will marry me."
Sam let out a soft, sarcastic laugh. "You are out of your damn mind, Penelope. Can't you see his disgust towards you?"
She sneered at him, turned, and walked out of the room.
Sam sat down in a chair, his mind reeling. She's insane, just like the rest of the family. He was the only one of the rare members of the Wellington family who wasn't consumed by the pursuit of wealth, fake alliances, and power. He couldn't shake the feeling that Penelope was about to do something reckless and dangerous. He knew her loyalty to her parents, but he watched her grow up and protected her when she was a kid, so he couldn't just watch her ruin her own life like that. He hoped she would find a good man who loves her and have a happy family of her own...
Taking out his phone, he made a quick call. "Can you keep an eye on Penelope?" he said into the receiver before hanging up.
Marco arrived at the police station and was directed to a small, cluttered office where Detective Martin sat hunched over a pile of paperwork. The detective looked up, his expression weary but alert.
"Marco, what brings you back this time?" Detective Martin said, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk. "I've been thinking about you. How's Mr. Sterling doing?"
Marco placed a thick file on the desk. "He sends his greetings." The detective smiled. Marco continued, "All the evidence you need is in there, Detective. I have the video footage, a signed statement from the man who tampered with the brakes, and his positive identification of the person who hired him."
Detective Martin opened the file and began to review its contents. He read Hector's statement, studied the stills from the surveillance footage, and paused at the photos of Chloe and Caroline Walker. A grim look settled on his face. He leaned back in his chair, putting the pieces together.
"Alright," the detective said, closing the file. "So, this is the layout of the case: Caroline and Chloe Walker sold Sarah Walker to a casino owner named Louis Kang, to whom Chloe owed a couple of million dollars. Ethan Evans, the victim, found out and went to the hotel where the drugged Sarah was with Kang to rescue her. According to Kang, the two Walker women drugged Sarah and would receive the money after Sarah had slept with him. The two Walker women found out about Ethan's plan to rescue Sarah and sent Hector Cruz to cut his car's brakes outside the hotel. Ethan successfully fought Kang and his men, rescuing Sarah. However, on the way, the weather conditions were horrible with thunderstorms, heavy rain, and low visibility. His brakes weren't working, and he hit Mr. Sterling's car and then a tree, dying on the spot. Is that about right?"
Marco nodded once. "Yes, Detective. That's about right."
"I'll have a warrant out for the arrest of Chloe and Caroline Walker by the end of the day," Detective Martin stated. "They've got a lot to answer for. Thank Mr. Sterling in my name." Marco stood up, shook the detective's hand, thanked him, and left.