She reached into her bag, brought out her phone, and displayed the call log to him.
After a thorough explanation, Mekhiâs anger appeared to subside somewhat.
Sally feigned confusion.
âWhy would you accuse me of stealing the earrings? Did something happen?â
Mekhiâs gaze darkened as he said, âLucinda has alleged that you stole her earrings.
She and Sonny combed through the entire house and took Noelle with them.
â
Sally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, but she quickly adopted a facade of surprise and inquired, âHow could they take Noelle away like that? Wasnât that trespassing? And why did Lucinda claim her earrings were stolen? She personally gave them to me!â
Mekhi offered no further explanation and merely cast a cold glance at his innocent and guileless sister.
âStay clear of Lucinda.
Donât let her exploit you again.
Youâre no longer a child.
Trust no one but your family,â he warned.
âI understand,â she replied softly and timidly, eyeing the cane in his hand.
âCould you please put that down? Itâs frighteningâ¦â
Mekhi ruffled her hair and said, âItâs late.
Go get some rest.
â
Sally nodded obediently and walked out of the room.
Even as she walked away, her body still trembled.
She heaved a sigh of relief and patted her chest to steady herself.
Her deepest wish was for Noelle to leave permanently and never to return to this house.
The thought of seeing Noelle within these walls filled her with resentment.
Inside the room, Mekhi carefully placed the cane back inside a long box.
As he pondered how Lucinda had manipulated Sally to take Noelle away, a sinister glare filled his eyes.
The following day, at the N&L Fairy Land.
Cyrus, who had not slept a wink throughout the night, sat vigilantly by Noelleâs bedside.
The doctor had examined her and discovered her weakened state.
Two tranquilizer injections had subdued her, preventing her from Losing control, but they also kept her asleep throughout the night.
Cyrus had bandaged the wounds on her wrists.
Staring at her pale face, he gripped her hand tightly.
Regret weighed heavily on him, realizing that persuading her to claim her identity as a Shaw had been a grave mistake.
No matter what he did now, it seemed insufficient to compensate for the suffering she had endured.
He was prepared to accept any punishment when she regained her sanity.
Cyrusâ eyes were red, and his heart ached.
He was filled with sorrow.