"Tellif you're willing to talk terms then," Howard replied.
Howard seemed very sure of himself, and this made Pearl think he knew a lot more than they expected.
"Mister Howard, out of respect for you, I'd like to ask if you think Winona will be happy if | end up with her?" Richard asked.
"Do you think she's happy now?" Howard seemed upset at the mention of Winona. With his long life experience, how could he not know what had
happened? "I watched Winona grow up, so how could she do something like that with a man on her wedding day? And you just happen to be there to
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtcatch her. Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?"
Thinking that these two people before him worked together to hurt his granddaughter, all he wanted to do was tear them into pieces.
"So, you think | planned all this?" Richard replied calmly, as if he had nothing to do with it.
Howard was momentarily thrown off by Richard's calm demeanor. "There's no point in pretending now. Winona's nis ruined, and you should own
up to it."
Richard, unfazed, responded, "That's her problem. Why am | to blame?"
"You have no choice, Richard Waldorf," Howard said, leaning back, his presence dominating. "It seems you'd do anything for Pearl. Why not now?"
Pearl couldn't stay silent anymore. "Why are you threatening Richard? This is about me." She was cold yet calm. "That person just gave birth to me
and nothing more. Do you really think I'd trade something for her life?"
Pearl was clear that if it was someone she truly cared about, she might consider it, but not for someone who had no role in her life.
"I didn't think you'd be so heartless," Howard said, his chuckle lacking any warmth. "This is a trade. | can tell you more if you're interested, but | want
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmsomething in return. If you don't care about your mother's life or death, then it doesn't concern you."
At the mention of life or death, Pearl felt uneasy. "What do you mean by that?"
"Remember the new experiment | mentioned?" Howard brought up a topic he had discussed with Pearl during her tat Jesselton Manor.
"You mean the human trial?" Pearl was shocked. Howard had talked about this experiment that required a person with unique biological
characteristics. He had initially said it was too cruel to proceed with and mentioned the rarity of finding a suitable subject.
"It turns out your mother was a perfect match for my experiment." Howard shook his head slightly, still looking confident.