Back at the Stans' mansion, Clarinda came back sprinting as if something was chasing her. Her mother, who had just come from the kitchen, was scared and dropped everything she was carrying. She clutched her chest and took a deep breath to steady herself, seeing the flustered look in her daughter's eyes. After steadying her breath, she touched her hands and guided her to sit at the kitchen chair and asked, "What is wrong? Why are you running like that? You almost gave me a heart attack."
Clarinda drank the milk handed to her and said, " Mom, you won't believe what I heard today, Havila is married." Mrs Stans once again had a racing heart. She asked what she deemed important, "Married to who? Why don't we know anything? She never invited us to her wedding." Clarinda wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, " They have not done a wedding yet, but I'm positive because her best friend and my boyfriend are twins. They were talking in her bedroom, and I eavesdropped; here, I even recorded them."
She then played the recording, and they heard the twins' voices arguing over Havila. Madam Stans was also shocked and afraid too. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "So that bitch assumed you as if she didn't recognize you? At least you can now blackmail her to support you, now that the engagement she is hiding is known to you. When she is kicked out, you will have your freedom once you marry Georgia."
They suddenly heard a sad voice beside them, "Who do you want to blackmail?" It was Mr Stans voice. They jumped in fear, and Clarinda fell from the top of the table; her phone fell down and shattered into pieces. Too bad she had not backed up the recording. Mrs Stans, sensing danger, immediately changed the topic and said, "Honey, do you know that your niece is married?
Mr Stans wasn't shocked at all, even though he wasn't expecting it. He only said, "Typical of her, she is exactly like my sister. Forget and move on. But, who is she married to?" Mrs Stans scoffed and responded, "A mystery man, nobody knows yet. Maybe it's some old man, that's why she is hiding it from us." Mr Stans saw her attitude and asked her directly, " Do you still expect her to involve us in her matters after everything we did to her? We are as good as dead to her now. I know her very well."
Clarinda wanted to play a filial daughter card, so she went over and consoled her father. She said, " Daddy, don't be sad, maybe sister didn't mean it, she forgot about it, and will instead invite us to her wedding if she ever does one." Mr Stans heart cooled from her daughter's consolation, so he said, "Don't worry, I'll find time and talk to her." Mrs Stans asked in disdain, " Why? Anything you need from her? She hid everything from us. We don't even know the real her. All this time she lived with us, but she did things secretly, which only means she didn't trust us from the beginning, and that cancels all the wrongs we did to her."
What they didn't know was that Havila had planned on telling them everything on her birthday dinner, but after that incident, she changed her mind and left without talking. Clarinda probed her dad if maybe he was hiding some things from them, so she asked, "Daddy, did you know that she worked for the state?" Mr Stans shook his head and said, " I only know that she is a criminal psychologist and that's all. She is qualified, though, so it is not a shocker that she is working for the states."
Madam Stans humped at her husband's favorable comment and said, " Then you don't know your niece at all. She solved the suicide case that happened years ago, and all the criminals were arrested last week. She is also the one who helped solve both ours and Georgia's family company problems." Mr Stans wasn't shocked anymore, as he always knew Havila was an intelligent child and even more gifted compared to his sister. He knew she was destined for greatness.
Maybe she inherited the other half of her intelligence from her father, but that was a mystery. His sister never told him who the man was. She only said that the man had another family, and that is why she left after finding out. He recovered from reminiscing and said, "It's fine, fine, I will give her a call and invite her over on the weekend, then we can all sit down as a family and talk." He had started regretting why he moved with the flow of his wife and daughter and hurt his niece.
Clarinda, on hearing his statement, pouted and said, I don't think she will bother to come. Her friend said that her husband is wealthy, but she is wealthier. Why would she come back to our 'humble home'? Maybe she was planning all this all along. How did she get married that fast, unless she cheated first and used betrayal as an excuse to cut ties with us and run to her man?" On hearing her statement, they were both convinced and swore to investigate her secretly. Will they be able to do that without Havila's knowledge? The answer is a big no.
Mr Stans excused himself and went to his study to make a call to his private investigator. He really wanted to understand Havila further because it turned out they knew nothing about her. He was not doing it for any ulterior motive but to make sure she was completely taken care of, as he knew Havila would never receive any help from any of them after their betrayal. He could only help her in the shadows in the future if she encountered any challenges.
He really loved his younger sister, and he vowed to protect her only child. What came over him after his wife saw the inheritance and convinced him, he himself did not understand. He was aware he was not the type to lust after others' property, as he could make his own money. He can't completely remember when he signed the documents that gave him the power of attorney and transferred everything to his name. He was muddleheaded that day after drinking at a business banquet when his wife convinced him.
After an intense bed battle, he signed the papers, and that is how they stole everything from Havila. Too bad it is already late, and Havila found out before he gave them back to her. His guilt towards the promise he made to his sister made him write a will to divide his property equally between Clarinda and Havila in case something happened to him. He still kept it a secret from his wife because, judging by her character, it would taint their relationship. After finding out everything about Havila, he planned to take his wife on a vacation and tell her everything.
The private investigator checked the background and did not find anything, so he requested a week to finish the task. He switched off his phone and looked at their childhood picture with his sister. He stroked it and kept it safe in the drawers.