Chapter 1371 - 1311: Interrogation

At the critical moment, Charlene betrayed the Queen Mother, planning to wash her own hands of it and save her own neck.

Once the crime of harming the Queen was nailed down, it would mean a sentence of hanging.

But Charlene underestimated the power of Adrian Desmond’s intelligence network; everything Charlene had done, Kiya already knew.

There was no way Kiya would let anyone who hurt Paige Desmond off the hook.

"Shut up!" Kiya said through gritted teeth.

Charlene shut her mouth immediately, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing Kiya lose his temper, Gavin hurriedly had someone drag the suicidal Charlene out, so Kiya wouldn’t have to see her again.

She really was courting death. No matter how bad the Queen Mother was, she was still Kiya’s mother. For Charlene to push everything onto the Queen Mother was basically slapping Kiya in the face. What’s more, Kiya already knew all the things Charlene had done.

After dealing with Charlene, Kiya went to the Queen Mother’s bedchamber.

Ever since Paige Desmond had been taken away by Adrian Desmond, Kiya’s face had been dark and stormy, never brightening once.

...

People are always in high spirits when good things happen; the Queen Mother knew Paige Desmond was about to die, and with her mood lifted, she actually managed to walk with a cane.

The Queen Mother was dressed in a high-end gold silk gown, the diamonds set into it glittering brightly. When she was young, she’d been quite a beauty, and she’d taken meticulous care of herself. With her makeup done today, she looked both noble and beautiful.

"Kiya, you’re back..." the Queen Mother greeted him warmly, her smile gentle.

Looking at that smile, Kiya simply couldn’t believe this woman had gone after Paige Desmond. Just how much did she hate Paige Desmond, to actually want her dead.

All those questions clogged in Kiya’s throat; he couldn’t force the words out.

"What happened to your face? Who hit you?" The Queen Mother looked at the bruises on Kiya’s face and asked, distressed.

Kiya said nothing.

The Queen Mother called out, "Gavin, come in here!"

Gavin heard her from outside, but didn’t go in. At a time like this, whoever stepped forward would be cannon fodder.

"Adrian Desmond hit me."

"Why did he hit you?" The Queen Mother disliked Paige Desmond, and she had no fondness for Paige Desmond’s arrogant older brother either.

"Because I almost got Paige killed." Kiya’s voice was cold and flat.

"As expected of someone with no parents to teach them manners!

Paige Desmond has no upbringing, and her brother’s no good either. Paige’s car accident has nothing to do with you—what right does he have to lay a hand on you?

We absolutely must not keep indulging that pair of siblings!

Later, I’m going straight to the Supreme Court to sue him. I’m going to have Adrian Desmond thrown in prison!" the Queen Mother said angrily.

This was her precious son, the one she held in the very center of her heart; how could Adrian Desmond possibly lay a hand on Kiya.

Kiya still said nothing, just stood there with that icy, distant air. The Queen Mother’s heart ached at the sight,

"Look at how skinny you’ve gotten lately. From now on you eat here with me and take proper care of yourself. You’ve wasted away like this—other people may not feel sorry for you, but I do..."

"..."

"Child, what are you standing there dazed for? Hurry up and come eat. I’ve been waiting for you forever; the dishes are already cold." The Queen Mother called him over warmly, not mentioning Paige Desmond’s car accident again.

Kiya felt like he’d gone back to his childhood. No matter how his mother treated others, she’d always been good to him, shielding him, raising him.

He’d just never imagined that one day, his own mother would lay hands on the woman he loved.

"Paige Desmond was in a car accident. She almost died..." Kiya had no interest in playing out some warm, filial mother-and-son scene with the Queen Mother; he took the initiative to bring up Paige Desmond’s accident.

The Queen Mother’s expression froze, and the smile on her face could no longer be maintained. She looked at Kiya and asked, "What are you telling me that for? I’m disabled myself—do you expect me to go take care of her?

Right now I can barely look after myself. Not adding to your trouble is already the best I can do."

"Mother, I know everything." Kiya laid his cards on the table; he desperately wanted to know why she’d done it.

The Queen Mother’s face didn’t change as she asked, "And what exactly do you ’know’?"

"I know that the Driver Orville Blackburn is your man." Kiya didn’t spell everything out, but he knew the Queen Mother understood.

Yet the Queen Mother flatly refused to admit anything. "Orville Blackburn? Who is that? I don’t know this person."

"Mother, I’m your son. Can’t you tell me one single truthful thing?"

The Queen Mother glared at her son and shot back, "The truth? Kiya, what ’truth’ is it you want me to say?"

Things had reached this point, and she still refused to admit it. Kiya spelled it out: "I know it all. You sent Orville Blackburn to deliberately run Paige down with his car..."

"..."

"Mother, you tried to kill Paige!"

"Ha! Do you have any proof?" The Queen Mother refused to admit it to the bitter end, her attitude outrageously arrogant.

"Mother, if I didn’t have proof, I wouldn’t have believed you capable of doing something so cruel."

Looking at his mother, Kiya’s eyes reddened. He spoke in agony. "Mother, if it were anyone else doing this, it wouldn’t hurt me this much. Why did it have to be you?

How am I supposed to face Paige in the future?

How am I supposed to face my two children?"

He’d never imagined that the conflict between his mother and Paige had escalated to a life-or-death struggle. He’d thought women were just petty and fussy, that at most they’d argue and squabble.

"That Dylan is not your flesh and blood at all!" the Queen Mother shouted, beside herself. "That little girl looks nothing like you. You think I don’t know whose child she is?"

Kiya clenched his fists and said, enunciating each word, "Dylan and Ella are both my children!"

"Kiya, just how muddleheaded are you going to get? At the press conference, that woman’s video of her sleeping with another man was exposed. Even if you don’t believe what I say, are you not going to believe your own eyes?"

"I believe my heart! Paige Desmond is not that kind of person! She just wanted to divorce me, that’s why she deliberately made that fake video..."

"Enough!" The Queen Mother wouldn’t let him go on. She jabbed a furious finger at her son, who’d clearly lost his mind, disappointment etched on her face. "You’re just like your father! The moment you meet a pretty woman, all your reason goes out the window."

Kiya didn’t want to argue this point with the Queen Mother. Paige Desmond was his wife; it was enough that he knew her worth.

"I worked myself to the bone raising you, and for the sake of one woman, this is how you treat me? Kiya, if I’d known you would turn out like this, I should have strangled you at birth!"

"Mother, I’ll only ask you one thing. Do you or do you not admit that you ordered Orville Blackburn to ram Paige’s car?"

Of course the Queen Mother wouldn’t admit it. If she did, the bond between mother and son would shatter completely.

For the sake of that woman Paige, the Queen Mother had no intention of losing her son Kiya.

Right now she was just hoping Paige would hurry up and die.

As long as that woman was dead, with time, Kiya would eventually forget her.

"I don’t know who told you that I ordered Orville Blackburn to hit Paige’s car. Believe it or don’t, I’m telling you this: I don’t know any Orville Blackburn. Paige was hit and killed by that car because she did evil, and even the True Lord Anna couldn’t bear to watch anymore, so He..."