A Widow's Poison, A Wife's Rebellion novel Chapter 118

After years of intricate scheming, Starla had thought Harriet would hold out a little longer. It had only been a few hours since that afternoon's confrontation.

Molly opened the door, and Clyde stepped inside. Starla was already seated on the sofa, waiting.

“Ms. Lansbury,” Clyde began, his tone respectful. “I’ve been trying to call you, but you didn’t answer.”

Starla eyed him coldly but said nothing.

“Harriet would like to have a discussion with you,” Clyde continued. “I was hoping we could arrange a time…”

“A discussion? Wonderful,” Starla said with a saccharine smile. “Tell her she’s welcome to come to Petal Villa and talk to me herself.”

Clyde’s polite facade stiffened. Harriet had been severely injured at this very location earlier in the day and was now confined to a hospital bed, unable to move. Starla ordering her back here was a deliberate and calculated insult.

Though he was inwardly fuming, Clyde maintained his composure.

“She wants to talk to me, not the other way around,” Starla continued, pressing her advantage. “Or does she expect me to come running to her hospital bedside? I don’t recall needing anything from her that would warrant such a visit.”

Clyde’s expression tightened further. Starla was right—she held all the cards. Harriet was the one in desperate need. He knew Starla was fully aware of Harriet’s condition and was twisting the knife, but he had to try.

“Harriet is currently unable to move,” he said, his voice strained.

“So she really does expect me to present myself to her for this ‘talk’?” Starla scoffed, then added with chilling precision, “Does she not remember that I had just suffered a massive hemorrhage? A condition made worse because she forcibly dragged me around, delaying my medical treatment.”

She listed Harriet’s calamities one by one, each word hitting its mark with deadly accuracy.

Clyde’s face turned ashen. “So you admit it, Ms. Lansbury. This is all your doing. You burned down the Vista Bay mansion, and you sabotaged her operations in Yoran Country.”

“No, I didn’t burn it down,” Starla replied with a serene smile. “I don’t have that kind of power.” It was true; she hadn’t personally lit the match. But she knew exactly why Clyde was trying to bait her into a confession. As expected, her denial only made his expression darker.

“What’s the matter?” Starla taunted. “Still trying to pin a crime on me? It seems like a lot of trouble to go through. After all, for the past few years, I’ve just been a powerless wife living at the mercy of my in-laws. How could I possibly dare to commit arson?”

Clyde was seething. Powerless? This woman, who had single-handedly thrown the entire Yelchin family into turmoil, was anything but!