?<strong>Chapter 523:</strong>


    Mabel stood there, stunned for several moments, slowly processing what she’d just heard. Then, turning stiffly to face Glenda, who was continuously crying, Mabel’s voice quivered as she asked, “Did Dad really tell you to kill someone? Why did you listen to him? He didn’t want to do it himself, so he sent you? How could he?”


    Glenda, her hand over her mouth, shook her head in agony and managed to sob out her words, “No, I didn’t… I didn’t kill anyone. All I did was remove that old woman’s oxygen mask. She’s still alive.”


    Mabel was caught off guard. It appeared that her mom really had attempted murder, and the instigator was her own dad. She struggled toe to terms with this revtion. After a long pause, she pressed further, “Mom, why would you do that? Does Dad have something against that woman? Have you both lost your minds? Why would you do such a thing? Please, tell me!”


    Jayden let out augh andmented, “Your mom won’t disclose her reasons for her actions, nor your dad’s reasons for wanting that woman dead. So, she ended up staying with us for a few days.”


    Desperately, Mabel implored, “Mom, please stop crying. Do you want to be trapped here forever? Don’t you want to go back home? Don’t you want to live with us again?”


    But no matter how fervently Mabel pleaded, Glenda continued to weep, offering no words in response.


    Jayden watched the unfolding scene and remarked, “Your mom’s love for your dad is palpable. She probably wants to protect him from criminal involvement. What a touching love story! Sadly, it means you might lose her.”


    His words heightened Mabel’s anxiety. In her view, Lanny was nowhere near as important as Glenda. She would rather see Lanny behind bars than lose her mother.


    As Mabel pressed Glenda for answers, Elyse sensed there was a hidden secret involving both Glenda and Lanny. She tilted her head, whispering to Jayden, “They were desperate to eliminate Dorothy. There must be other motives. Look, Mabel has been questioning her for minutes, yet Glenda refuses to reveal anything.”


    Jayden leaned in, his gaze narrowing as he listened to Elyse. He responded to each of her statements with a nomittal grunt.


    Elyse continued, “Glenda knelt before me just now. I felt like she was trying to entrust her daughter to my care.”


    Jayden nodded in agreement. “It seems she’s ready to take the fall for Lanny. But it might not be just about her attempt to kill Dorothy. I guess Dorothy was aware of their secret, prompting them to want her dead.”


    Elyse scratched her head, puzzled. “What is this secret they’re hiding?”


    “Theymitted a murder. Dorothy knew about it, which is why they wanted her gone too,” Jayden exined calmly.


    Elyse, driven by curiosity, probed further, “Who did they kill? Dorothy never mentioned.”


    Jayden shook his head. “No, she never did.”


    Elyse’s curiosity deepened as she pondered what secret the Lloyd couple might be concealing—a secret they seemed determined not to reveal.


    At the same time, Glenda’s patience with Mabel’s incessant questions was wearing thin. Exasperated, she burst out, “I don’t know. Really, I don’t. Why don’t you ask your dad? He’s the one with all the answers. He’s the real schemer here, not me. I’m just the fall guy. Got it?”


    Mabel, frustrated and anxious, stamped her foot. “Mom, please! Just tell them what you know. I don’t want them locking you up. I want you to go back home with me.”


    Then, an idea struck her, and she turned to Elyse. “If I bring my dad here, will you let my mom go?”


    Jayden nodded affirmatively. “Sure. Bring your dad here to exin why he orchestrated that crime. I’m willing to help keep your mom out of prison, despite her involvement. After all, she’s stillplicit and could face charges.”


    Mabel was unsure of Lanny’s whereabouts but was convinced Glenda knew. Holding her mother’s hands tightly, she pleaded, “Mom, you have to know where Dad could be hiding, right? Help us find him, confess what you’ve done, and you won’t have to go to jail.”


    Glenda, biting her lower lip, remained silent.


    Observing her mother’s reaction, Mabel felt a wave of desperation. “Why are you so determined to cover for him? Are you really ready to throw away your life? To give up on me?”


    Glenda, growing weary of hearing the same arguments, felt her irritation rise. With a firm push that left Mabel stunned, she said wearily, “I need to think about it.”


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