When I Flash-Married a Billionaire, My Ex Went on a Hunger Strike novel Chapter 41

Adora let out a slow, deliberate smile before making her move.

"Ruby, if you admit that you were the one who conspired with those traffickers to have me kidnapped all those years ago, I’ll help you find your precious love token. How about that?"

Only Ruby understood the true meaning behind her words.

In other words, Adora was saying, “Confess to what you did, and I’ll give back what you planted on me.”

It was both a threat and an offer.

Ruby’s face drained of color.

Panic and rage mixed in her expression, her voice trembling as she stammered, "Sister, I… I don’t understand what you’re saying… I’ve explained this so many times.

“I never knew any traffickers, let alone worked with them. You keep accusing me like this. It’s completely unfair!"

Peter was still unwilling to give up.

He tilted his head, scanning the room for any possible hiding places.

Hearing his sister’s distressed defense, he immediately jumped to her aid.

"Adora, this is insane! How could you accuse Ruby of something so vile? Why would she ever do that?

“She’s always been the obedient one, following you around like a shadow, looking up to you, protecting you—there’s no way she would ever pull something that monstrous!"

Adora’s expression remained unshaken.

"That’s exactly why. Because she was always in my shadow. Never as good, never as bright, always ignored, always second-best.

“It drove her to jealousy, to resentment, until she finally decided the only way to step into the light was to get rid of me."

Her voice was firm, unwavering.

But the faces around her were anything but convinced.

The Matthews family stared at her, their expressions cold and disapproving.

Adora let out a sharp laugh, her eyes glinting with disdain.

"She thought that without me, she’d finally get the attention she craved. That she’d be the one everyone admired and bask in the same glory I once had, adored by every wealthy heir in the city."

She scoffed. "But an imitation will never outshine the real thing. I was gone for three years, and what did she achieve?"

Adora’s lips curled in mock pity. "Nothing. Not a damn thing."

"No! That’s not true!" Ruby snapped, her voice breaking.

Tears streamed down her face as she dissolved into hysterics. "You’re wrong, Adora! I never framed you! I never wanted to replace you!"

"I haven’t done anything, yet I’m the one being condemned. Tell me, who exactly is your real daughter?"

Lilian stiffened, her guilt flashing for a brief moment before she quickly averted her gaze.

Meanwhile, Ruby clung to her mother, gasping between sobs, her entire body trembling as though she might collapse at any second.

Lilian’s heart ached at the sight, her hands gently rubbing Ruby’s back in comfort.

With a long sigh, she murmured, "Let’s just drop it, Ruby. Tonight ends here. Come on, let’s go."

"But Mom, my necklace…" Ruby’s voice broke as she choked back another sob, unwilling to let it go.

She couldn’t.

No matter what, she had to force Adora to reveal where the necklace was.

She refused to be made a fool of and let her precious token from Eugene disappear without a trace.

Lilian frowned, hesitating, her expression torn.

Before she could respond, Adora’s voice cut through the air—calm, detached, but ice-cold.

"You’re looking for this, aren’t you?"