Survey Results（2）

After thoroughly reviewing the portion of the investigative report concerning Joseph and formulating countermeasures based on the clues it contained, Emma shifted her focus to the files concerning the other household servants.

Detective Rick's report revealed a particularly shocking discovery: Alice, the servant responsible for taking care of Emma's mother, was found to have a familial connection to Mia Armstrong. Further investigation uncovered that Alice was Mia's distant cousin by marriage. Additionally, in recent years, William had been sending frequent and substantial financial transfers to Alice.

Emma was momentarily stunned. The realization dawned on her: William had been using Alice as a conduit to financially support Mia Armstrong, Olivia Brown, and Logan Brown. Every transaction was quietly and discreetly funneled through Alice as an intermediary. Memories began flooding back—one in particular stood out. During a New Year's celebration, Emma's mother had asked William why he provided Alice with such generous private bonuses. At the time, William had gazed affectionately at her mother and explained that it was because Alice took exceptional care of her daily needs. As a husband, he said, his work commitments often kept him too busy to be by her side, and he wanted to express his gratitude for Alice's hard work through monetary means.

However, the truth uncovered by Detective Rick's investigation painted a far more disgusting and infuriating picture. The revelation made Emma feel a surge of nausea mingled with rage. Her eyes burned red with anger, and her hands clenched into fists as though this physical tension was the only thing preventing her emotions from erupting uncontrollably. Suddenly, unable to restrain herself, Emma slammed her fist onto the desk with a loud thud. A furious, venomous whisper escaped her lips:

"Alice, you ungrateful traitor! Mother has treated you with so much kindness and trust over the years, and this is how you repay her?"

Her mind spiraled into chaos, and in a flash, Emma realized the full extent of William's deceit. When her mother had first been hiring a servant to care for her, it was William who had emphatically recommended Alice. He had showered Alice with praise, calling her meticulous, considerate, and claiming that her personality was so similar to Sophia's that she would undoubtedly be a perfect fit for the role. Now, Emma saw the truth. William's glowing endorsement of Alice had nothing to do with her qualifications or a genuine concern for her mother's well-being. It was all part of a carefully crafted scheme.

Emma couldn't help but question whether her mother's growing dependence on William over the years had also been the result of calculated manipulation by William and Alice. Her mother, once a brilliant and carefree artist with extraordinary talent, had been an accomplished figure in the art world. She had poured herself into her gallery and her artistic pursuits with passion and dedication. Yet, in recent years, she had gradually abandoned her interests and career, choosing instead to focus all her emotional energy on William.

Her mother no longer tended to her gallery with the same care or enthusiasm as she once did. She rarely created new works of art and only visited the gallery sporadically. Most of her time was consumed by mundane tasks that she carried out with Alice: preparing elaborate dinners for William, selecting his outfits, or organizing his daily needs. Her life seemed to revolve entirely around William, leaving no room for her own passions or personal fulfillment.

The more Emma thought about it, the heavier her heart grew. She couldn't ignore the possibility that this drastic transformation in her mother's behavior was the result of William and Alice's psychological manipulation. Their careful orchestration had gradually eroded her mother's sense of self, reducing her to someone whose entire world revolved solely around William.

Emma's chest tightened painfully as a vivid memory surfaced. She remembered her past life, the day her mother discovered William's betrayal. The shock and despair had shattered her mother's spirit, leaving her unable to withstand the devastating blow. The memory was like a knife twisting in Emma's heart, and tears blurred her vision as an overwhelming wave of sorrow and fury consumed her.

"William, Alice—you both deserve to suffer for what you've done!" she cried out, her voice trembling with a mix of grief and rage.

After a long bout of sobbing, Emma wiped her tears and took a deep, steadying breath. A fierce resolve began to solidify within her. She couldn't allow this situation to continue. The first step, she decided, was to remove Alice from her mother's life as quickly as possible. Alice had to go, and the toxic influence she and William had exerted over her mother needed to be eradicated before any more damage could be done.

With that determination burning in her chest, Emma vowed to protect her mother from further harm and to dismantle the insidious web of control that William and Alice had so carefully woven around them.