Chapter 437: Have I Ever Wronged You?
Down in the basement, Pedro was only given one meal a day. No matter how much he begged, pleaded, or groveled, the Mendoza family remained unmoved-they refused to let him out.
His hatred toward Benjamin had long since reached its boiling point.
If it hadn't been for Benjamin's manipulation and betrayal, Pedro wouldn't be rotting in this windowless hell.
Now, his only hope rested on one thing: that Adeline would be rescued safe and sound.
If she returned alive and unharmed, maybe-just maybe-the Mendoza family would show mercy, for the sake of their past connections with the Livingstons.
But if Adeline never made it home... he was finished.
Just then, he heard the basement door creak open.
Pedro stiffened.
He didn't know what time it was down here-
there was no way to tell-but he remembered someone had just brought him food not long ago.
He thought, "Why would they be back so soon? Could it be... they are finally letting me out?"
A beam of light cut down from above.
Pedro looked up, hope flaring in his chest.
But it wasn't one of the Mendoza servants.
It was Alberto.
He stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, staring down at Pedro with chilling disdain.
"Alberto!" Pedro called out quickly, trying to sound friendly.
But the warmth that Alberto had once shown him was gone. His expression now was carved from stone, cold and unreadable.
Pedro shrank back, his head lowering instinctively. He didn't dare meet Alberto's gaze.
Alberto loved his sister deeply. Everyone knew that. So Pedro could only imagine how much he must hate him right now.
"Get up," Alberto said flatly: "You're coming with me."
With that, he turned and walked away, not even sparing him another glance.
Pedro froze for a second, unsure if he'd heard correctly. But when the words sank in, a wave of exhilaration surged through him.
He was being taken out? It meant-finally-he could leave this suffocating basement.
Pedro had never experienced such humiliation before in his life. At this point, he didn't even care what awaited him outside. He just wanted out.
Starved and weakened from days of confinement, his legs trembled as he tried to stand, but he forced himself upright and staggered toward the light.
When he stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air, his chest expanded with relief. Freedom. He'd almost forgotten what it tasted like.
That sense of release, however, was short-lived.
Not far ahead, Alberto stood with a cold
expression, his eyes locked on Pedro like a blade.
"Alberto," Pedro said with a sheepish grin.
"So... where are we going?"
"Adeline wants to see you," Alberto replied curtly.
"Adeline's back?" Pedro lit up. "She-Adeline-"
"Call her Miss Mendoza," Alberto snapped, his voice tinged with fury.
Pedro had no right to speak of her with such casual familiarity.
"I... l'understand," Pedro stammered. "So... is Miss Mendoza alright? She's not hurt, is she?"
If Adeline was unharmed, then there was still hope. They might still let him go home.
Alberto didn't bother answering. He simply said, "Follow me."
Two guards stood nearby, their eyes locked on Pedro like predators watching prey.
Pedro dared not flee. He quietly followed Alberto down the hall, flanked on both sides.
They entered the living room moments later.
And there she was. Adeline sat on the sofa, calmly sipping red tea.
She looked exactly as he remembered -beautiful, poised, and now, thankfully, seemingly unharmed.
The knot in Pedro's chest loosened slightly. She was safe. That had to count for something.
If she hadn't made it back alive, the Mendoza family would've torn him apart by now.
But then his gaze shifted. Harrison sat beside her.
And across the room stood Isaac and Gracie.
Seeing all of them in one place, staring directly at him, Pedro felt a chill crawl up his spine. It was like stepping into a courtroom-he wasn't a guest.
He was the defendant. No one spoke.
Pedro frantically tried to figure out what to say.
He thought of those online videos where people apologized publicly. Maybe he could try that.
So, he took a few steps closer to Adeline and donned to his knees with a dramatic thud
dropped to his knees with a dramatic thud.
The sound startled Adeline slightly.
"Adeline," Pedro choked out, tears brimming in his eyes. "It's all my fault. I was deceived by Benjamin-I betrayed you. I'm so, so sorry. Thank God you made it home safe. If anything had happened to you, I... I'd never be able to live with myself."
His voice cracked, thick with forced remorse.
If Adeline had been watching this on TV, she might've been moved by the performance.
Unfortunately for Pedro, this wasn't fiction.
She was the one he had betrayed.
So his crocodile tears didn't move her in the slightest.
"That's enough," she said flatly. "Save your fake tears for someone who cares."
Pedro coughed hard, caught off guard.
Adeline waited for him to finish coughing, then looked him dead in the eye. "Pedro, have I ever wronged you?"
"What?" Pedro blinked, "I... I don't understand..."
"Answer her," Harrison cut in coldly,
The weight of Harrison's voice made Pedro's chest tighten.
"N... No," Pedro stammered, "Of course not.
Adeline, you were always my friend. Why would 1 hold a grudge against you?"
"Then why?" Adeline asked, her tone calm but unyielding. "Why would you help Benjamin harm me?"
At the mention of this, Isaac clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He looked ready to lunge forward and beat Pedro right then and there.
Gracie gently held him back. She wanted to hit him too-but not yet.
Their daughter was asking questions. And she deserved answers first.
"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Pedro cried out in desperation. "Benjamin tricked me. I didn't know he was going to take you away. If I'd known, I swear I would've stopped him!"
"Really?" Adeline said with a faint smile. "So let's go over this. Who suggested throwing that party to lure me in? Who invited me to the Livingston estate under false pretenses? Who arranged for the maid to lead me into the garden? If Benjamin hadn't tricked you-if he hadn't taken me away by force—what was your plan?"
Pedro's hands began to shake.
"What would you have done... if he hadn't acted first?" she pressed, her voice still calm, but every word sharper than the last.
Pedro couldn't answer because the truth was... he had the same intentions as Benjamin.
He had wanted to trap her, to imprison her, and after that... things only got darker in his mind.
If he spoke out his thoughts, the Mendoza family would rip him apart without hesitation.
"You don't dare answer, do you?" Adeline said, tilting her head with a soft smile.
"That's fine. “ He had wanted to trap her, to imprison her, and after that... things only got darker in his mind.
If he spoke out his thoughts, the Mendoza family would rip him apart without hesitation.
"You don't dare answer, do you?" Adeline said, tilting her head with a soft smile.
"That's fine. I get the picture."
"No, wait!" Pedro scrambled to salvage the moment. "Adeline, I only did it because I liked you too much. I just wanted a chance to get closer to you..."
Pedro's throat closed up. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It felt like every organ in his body had frozen solid.
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