The Return Of the Invincible Heiress
Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Chapter 274

"Aren’t you supposed to have a lot of time, Mrs. Carter?" Avery deliberately provoked her. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave without any hands?"

"You..." Farrah was furious, wanting to curse, but was silenced by Alexander’s piercing gaze.

Avery’s gaze swept across the faces of the people in front of her.

Finally, her gaze landed on Nicolas’s face as she spoke slowly and deliberately, "The answer is to prevent Mr. Carter from leaving, or rather, to avoid leaving Mr. Carter."

Other than Alexander, everyone else was filled with curiosity and suspicion.

Startled, they all turned to look at Nicolas in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Nicolas clearly didn’t like this conclusion. He put down his coffee and stared seriously at Avery, his tone sharp. "Lockwood, please make yourself clear."

Avery said calmly, "The culprit drugged you to keep you from leaving and prevent you from enjoying yourself too much with your lovers outside."

Nicolas and the others were once again shocked by her conclusion.

Loreen gasped. "You mean the person drugging my dad has a crush on him and used such twisted methods to keep him at home?"

"You can say that." Avery looked straight at Nicolas. "If Mrs. Maggie divorced you, she’d leave the Carter family, and the culprit would also be forced to leave, never to see you again. So, the culprit made sure Mrs. Maggie could never divorce you. After you married Mrs. Farrah, instead of resenting or being jealous of her, the culprit knew that she would only keep you in the Carter family more often," Avery explained calmly. "That’s why the culprit never harmed or held any grudge against her."

Several of them gasped softly, instinctively turning their gaze toward Adele.

Adele sat quietly as always, her hands resting neatly on her knees, with her eyes lowered. She appeared calm and disciplined, sitting properly without a hint of emotion.

Upon hearing this, she remained composed, showing no reaction.

Farrah sneered. "The murderer you’re talking about can’t be this old woman, right?"

Avery did not respond to the question. She stated, "The murderer doesn’t want to marry Mr. Carter or gain his love. It’s somewhat similar to a platonic love. What she desires is to see him every day and live like a normal family. If we must explain it—she never showed any affection for Mr. Carter and had no intimate contact or behavior with him, which allowed her motives to remain well hidden."

Everyone looked at Adele in unison.

Nicolas frowned deeply, instinctively leaning back in his chair as if trying to create distance between himself and Adele, who sat diagonally across from him.

Farrah laughed dismissively, tapping her foot on the ground. "It’s no wonder that Maggie has been gone for years and her child doesn’t live here anymore, yet this old woman still won’t leave. It turns out she just can’t bear to part with Nicolas."

Adele kept her head down, remaining silent. Only her body trembled slightly, leaving others uncertain about her feelings.

Avery ignored Farrah and continued in a calm tone, "After confirming the murderer’s motive, we can speculate the murderer’s identity. This person must know the secret behind Mrs. Maggie’s decision to divorce. Even if Mrs. Maggie tried to keep her intention hidden, she likely noticed it. She might have attempted to persuade Mrs. Maggie not to go through with the divorce, but when that failed, she chose to make Mrs. Maggie disappear. After Mrs. Maggie’s death, she remained in the Carter family, living with Mr. Nicolas." It was clear who she was referring to as the murderer.

"Your reasoning has flaws," Nicolas frowned, visibly uncomfortable as he countered. "I’ve only been frequently ill or faced accidents in the last five or six years. Before that, I was doing perfectly fine. If the murderer is as you say, why did she wait until the last five or six years to act against me?"

"I’ve pondered that question as well," Avery replied. "One principle of detective reasoning is that if you can’t determine who the real murderer is, you can start by assuming someone is the murderer and then work backward from that conclusion to deduce the murderer’s motives, methods, and behavior. I’m assuming that Adele is the murderer. So, why did she wait until the last five or six years to drug you?"

She stared at Adele, her expression neutral and devoid of emotion.

"First of all, she fell ill right after Mrs. Maggie’s incident and spent several years recovering. Secondly, Mr. Alexander and his sister have been investigating this case for years, and Adele was also on the list of suspects. She had to remain hidden and low-key, unable to do anything.

"Furthermore, after Mrs. Maggie’s death, Mr. Nicolas had to manage household affairs and prepare to marry a new wife, spending more time at home. This allowed Adele to feel emotionally and psychologically fulfilled. In the end, after Mr. Alexander and his sister had been investigating for over a decade without finding any new clues, they began to ease their efforts.

"As a result, Adele was no longer under such close scrutiny. At this time, Mr. Nicolas was also tired of his second wife and was increasingly looking for lovers outside, rarely coming home. This made Adele unable to tolerate it any longer."

Nicolas’s frown deepened as he listened, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

Farrah revealed that mocking and mean smile again.

Avery continued, "Adele has been living in a wealthy family since she came to the Carter family at the age of 16. She certainly doesn’t lack money, connections, or insight, and since no one suspects her, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to drug the food at the Carter family. Additionally, Mr. Nicolas has never hidden his romantic affairs, so if Adele wants to track him and his mistress to seize the opportunity, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Of course, there are times when she might fail or be unable to act, but it wouldn’t prevent Mr. Nicolas from going on a trip at all. Because of this, her suspicions are better concealed."

Upon hearing this, everyone sneered.

Lockwood’s analysis was indeed reasonable, and Adele completely fit the analysis, making it hard for anyone to find flaws. Everyone then turned their gaze toward Adele, their eyes filled with mockery, disgust, and shock.

Adele finally looked up, her face pale, her gaze sorrowful, and her voice trembling. "Are you... suspecting me?"

"Yes," Avery said calmly. "You are the real culprit behind the murder of Mrs. Maggie and the one who has drugged Mr. Nicolas multiple times."

"All of this is just... your speculation," Adele said with tears in her eyes. "Where’s the evidence?"

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