As she read the contents on the phone, she felt more and more horror stricken. Once again she had underestimated Shawn. She had thought that as long as she kept herself hidden, she and Ella would be safe. But now she knew that this would not be possible. He had now resorted to murder and she could already see the threat he had placed there. As the article came to it's conclusion there was a quote from her sister about how her step sister was afraid that she was going to be her next victim. From this alone, she knew that Shawn was letting her know that if she did not come out of hiding then he would kill Xue Mian Mian next.
She looked at up and started at Matt Long who was looking at her with suspicious eyes. What was she going to do now? Incapable of rational thought, she stupidly blurted, "You know I did not go and kill her. I was right here with you! And she was the one who helped me escape back then! Why would she blackmail me? She knew that Ella was in danger. And I had no money to give her. My bank accounts were all frozen and even if they had been working, I would not have dared to access the money, for fear of being discovered!"
Matt turned over a chair and sat casually with his arms over the back and asked, "I am once again asking only one thing- Miss Xue. Please explain what is going on. And this time, from the beginning. Only then will I not report you."
Qian Qian sighed and tried to formulate her answer. She knew that now there was no way to avoid this.
Rubbing her head, she began in a monotone," First I want you to know that I am the rightful and legal guardian to Ella. She is not my daughter but my half sister. I was my father's illegitimate daughter. One he had no knowledge of. Meanwhile his second daughter was the rightful Miss Xue. However, my father hated his wife and when he was finally able to get rid of her, he also took Mian Mian's rightful place and made me the first daughter. As a result this caused a major rift between him and her making them drift apart. Anyways to avoid the disaster, I stayed away from her a few years before settling back in this country. Stupidly, I assumed that because they had ended their relationship, all was well in my world. At the same time, my father had also started a new life with his long time friend and associate. And this we were all living in harmony. During this period, I met someone and got engaged. Everything was going great in our family. Mian Mian was working with me as a model while my fiance was helping me by acting my agent. My father had a new daughter he could dote on and I had a stepmother who was like a friend. But then disaster struck. My father and his wife died in a car accident. As if my father had already predicted this, he had a will in place. He had placed his daughter Xue Min in my care as well as officially registered my name in the family register. All his property had been divided equally among his daughters. Once again, life was slowly back on track and I and my fiance started to prepare for out marriage. He did not want me to work and anyways I wanted to devote my time in taking care of Ella so I was planning to retire anyways. I just wanted to try for the International Photography Award. Anyway that is when I uncovered a plot...Shawn and Mian Mian were plotting against me. Mian Mian had never thought me of a sister and had been planning to throw me out and make a spectacle of me. They wanted to discredit me and then file a case against me to take guardianship of Ella. And once I was submerged in scandals of a broken engagement, illegitimacy, and plagiarism, they would have forced me to sign over the guardianship. Once I found this, I gathered evidence against them. But before I had much time, Shawn and Mian Mian suddenly changed their plans. They were planning to take Ella away first.
At that point, I did not understand what to do and could only run away with the evidence to think and gather my thoughts."
Finally, Qian Qian looked up at Matt with slightly vulnerable eyes and her eyes begged him to understand.
But Matt sat there expressionlessly. In the same tone that she had narrated the story, he asked," It has taken you so long to think and gather your thoughts?"