Chapter 432

Julie’s words had indeed served as a reminder for Grannie Anita. The old woman’s eyes were cold as ice, as if they could transform into icicles to pierce through Anastasia.

“I’ll be damned if that girl gets to plant her seed in the Salstrom family,” Grannie Anita spat out. Her voice was filled with ire. “Herman might be blind, but I’m not. If he won’t believe that she’s carrying a bastard, then it’s up to me to deal with it.”

Julie’s heart skipped a beat at her words. “Grandma, did you tell Herman that Anastasia’s baby might not be his?”

“Yes,” Grannie Anita replied. Her anger was still palpable. “I’m so furious that Herman wouldn’t believe me, and he decided to send me off to the countryside.”

Julie’s mind raced. She had thought Grannie Anita was sent away because of some hotel scheme.

“Grandma, why would you say that?” Julie panicked. “You’ve basically alerted her!”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Grannie Anita retorted, not understanding Julie’s concern. “If she did it, why couldn’t I speak out? I want Herman to see Anastasia’s true nature. I’ll even openly admit that I hired a private investigator.”

Julie was fuming inside. Grannie Anita was clearly too hasty. There was nothing they could do now but to act quickly.

“So Grandma, how do you plan to deal with Anastasia next?” Julie asked.

“Don’t you worry about that, Julie, Grannie Anita replied confidently. “I have a plan.”

Julie was eager to sit back and watch the drama unfold. She put a lot of effort into making Grannie Anita believe that Anastasia was cheating on Herman. To avoid arousing suspicion from Herman, she had to execute her plan flawlessly. Julie hired a seasoned thief to rummage through Herman’s yard, making sure to do it when he wasn’t around.

Julie bribed the private detective recommended by Grannie Anita to gather information about Anastasia’s whereabouts and arranged for the thief and Anastasia to be captured together in a photograph. She carefully staged the scene and captured the perfect angle.

The thief and the private detective had no communication between them, and the thief had no knowledge of Julie’s true intentions. Even if the scheme was exposed one day, no matter how Herman investigated, it would only lead to the conclusion that the thief was there to steal, and the private detective was hired by Grannie Anita.

The thief didn’t know Anastasia at all. The private detective was simply taking photos, and the photos captured the truth. As for the angles of the pictures and how Grannie Anita would interpret them, that was up to her.

Julie’s purpose in setting up this scheme was to make Grannie Anita believe that Anastasia was having an affair, not to show Herman any evidence.

Now that Herman knows about Grannie Anita hiring a private detective, he would surely start investigating. In that case, it was crucial to prompt Grannie Anita to take action as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Anastasia was sitting alone on the balcony of her home in Southridge Estates, feeling uneasy. She had just finished freshening up and was enjoying the breeze when she felt an ominous twitch in her eyelid, as if something was about to happen.

“Mom, can you tell me a story?” Pattie came in with a book.

Getting a grip on herself, Anastasia called Pattie to her side and asked, “Where’s your dad?”

“Dad is in the study, on the phone.” Pattie sat next to Anastasia and opened the book. “Let’s read the story of Snow White.”

Anastasia chuckled, “I thought you didn’t like this story? You even commented that Snow White was silly.”

“Well, it can serve as a cautionary tale,” Pattie responded with a smile. “The story of Snow White teaches us that sometimes, being too kind can be a bad thing.”

Anastasia felt a jolt at her heart. Such words coming from the mouth of a five-year-old felt particularly striking.

“Alright, let me tell you the story…” Anastasia calmed her nerves and started narrating the tale to Pattie.

After putting Pattie to bed, Anastasia checked the time. It was already ten at night and Herman was still busy in his study.

Wearing her robe, Anastasia went to find Herman. She stopped at the door of his study when she heard him on the phone.

“Look deeper into the private investigator Grandma hired,” Herman was saying. “Don’t alert them, though. We don’t want to scare them off. Yes, dig into Chad as well. He’s been acting fishy…”

Chad was the man who had been sneaking into their yard, the suspicious man mentioned by Katie, and the same man who Herman had previously identified as a common burglar.

Anastasia listened from the doorway, only half understanding what was going on. What did Grannie Anita’s hiring a private investigator have to do with anything? Anastasia was unaware of Grannie Anita’s actions.

Herman’s voice continued, “This is more complicated than it seems. It seems like a setup within a setup. Chad and the private investigator don’t know each other, yet he’s been caught on camera multiple times. Too coincidental. Who has Grannie Anita been hanging out with lately? Check on Julie’s whereabouts too…”