Nevertheless, Fanya really didn't have the patience to wait for Erica.

“Then I'll get to the point. Give the box to me!"

Matthew did not object, and the guard came over to the conference table. With considerable care, he placed the box on the opposite end, two or three meters away from the Campbell family.

The box itself was covered with a layer of black cloth, and it was quite impossible to see what was inside.

Glancing at the box, Matthew said nothing.

Fanya minced no words, speaking with barely-contained fury.

“Erica has bribed our maid to sneak in and put a snake on my daughter's bed. Do you know that, Matthew?"

"So there's a snake in the box, is there? How bold Erica is!" Matthew thought to himself.

“Do you have any evidence for this accusation,

Fanya?" he asked indifferently.

“Of course we do. The maid has already admitted that she had received one hundred thousand dollars in cash from Erica. She's outside in the lobby. If you don't believe me, Matthew, we can bring her in and hear it from her personally."

Matthew was a man who would defend his wife, whether or not this incident was all her fault.

"My wife is a weak young woman," he protested, drawing out the words.

“It's very hard for me to imagine her doing something as devious as this. Not to mention, the difficulties she would have in practically carrying it out. There might be some misunderstanding!"

Paige was stunned to hear how good her boss was at turning black into white.

Two days ago, Matthew had asked her to investigate Erica's one hundred thousand dollars and to find out where it had been spent. She'd found out that it had been given to the maid of the Campbell family. As for what the maid had done for such a sum, Matthew didn't ask Paige to investigate. Of course, the Campbell family's visit today gave him enough to guess what had happened.

But he admitted to nothing.

Phoebe, on the other hand, did not feel inclined toward restraint. She had kept silence for a long time, only to find that Matthew had been protecting Erica all the while.

"Matthew, it's all true!" she blurted.

“Erica not only killed my child, but also wanted to kill me too! I don't even dare to go to bed at night."

Indeed, the discovery of the snake on Phoebe's bed had left her traumatized. Every night since then, she'd had a maid search her room from top to bottom to make sure there were no snakes anywhere.

But whenever she managed to sleep, her dreams were full of the vile creatures.

The mere thought of them sent shivers down her spine.

Matthew cast a sharp glance her way, and his voice turned low and dangerous.

"If I hear you blame Erica again for your child's death, you will regret it."