?Chapter 2290


    As soon as Wilma uttered those words, the air inside the heated car turned icy, like the bitter cold of winter.


    Be and Steven exchanged a startled nce, both hearts racing.


    Be quickly asked, "Wilma, what do you mean by ''mental issues"?"


    Wilma''s face twitched slightly, as if recalling something deeply unsettling.


    She took a shaky breath before speaking. Tve worked for the Salvador family for nearly 30 years now, mostly at the Tideview Manor. Other than the head butler and Chairman Salvador''s secretary Paul, not many servants have been there as long as I have.


    "When I first joined the Salvador household, I was assigned to serve Chairman Salvador''s wife and Young Master Grant. But I wasn''t their personal maid. I was just part of the staff doingundry and other menial tasks. I wasn''t trusted with things like serving tea or handling delicate chores.


    "At first, I thought Madam Salvador looked down on me because I came from a poor vige and was clumsy. Butter, I realized that all of Madam Salvador''s daily needs were managed by her own trusted people- servants she brought from the Fowler household, her maternal family. It was almost impossible for any of the Salvador family''s regr staff to get close to her."


    Steven asked, puzzled, "Why was that? Did Madam Salvador have something to hide from the rest of the family?"


    "Could it be that Madam Salvador really did have a mental illness?" Be recalled her and her brothers'' earlier suspicions, her eyes darkening.


    Wilma furrowed her brow, tightening it with unease. "To be exact, Madam Salvador waspletely insane!" Be and Steven were both shocked. "Insane?!"


    "Though Madam Salvador had dedicated caretakers and lived alone in the separate vi at the back of Tideview Manor, over time, rumors began to spread. There was no way to keep it hidden forever. The worst incident was when she lost control and attacked a maid bringing her food-biting off a piece of the woman''s face. The maid was covered in blood. It was terrifying!"


    Steven was dumbfounded. "That''s no longer human.... That''s..."


    He did not finish the sentence, unable to say the words aloud.


    "That''s a severe mental illness," Be said, sighing in frustration. "Madam Salvador must have lost all sense of reality, experiencing hallucinations and delusions, along with violent impulses. She couldn''t control herself anymore."


    Hearing this, Be felt a deep sorrow. It made sense now why Grant''s mother had spiraled into madness, abandoned by her husband, and eventually ended her life in such a tragic way.


    "I signed a confidentiality agreement about all this, and Madam Salvador has been gone for years now. I had nned to take this secret to my grave."


    Wilma squeezed Be''s fingers, her face lined with concern. "But now, I have to tell you everything I know! I believe Young Master Grant inherited his mother''s mental issues. Although he seems normal on the outside, he harbors a violent streak, worse than his mother!"


    Be''s face grew serious. She gently ced her hand on Wilma''s tense back. "Wilma, what exactly do you know?"


    Wilma''s face turned pale as she was pulled back into a bloody, horrific memory. "This was over 20 years ago... Young Master Grant had only been living in the Salvador household for a short time. It was my turn to serve dinner at the separate vi where Madam Salvador lived.*


    Her expression twisted with horror. "I saw it with my own eyes... Young Master Grant... He was torturing a stray cat in the back courtyard! He was stabbing the poor thing''s body with a knife andughing hysterically! I''ll never forget that smile. It was the most terrifying thing I''ve ever seen in my life!"


    Steven shivered. The very thought of the scene sent chills down his spine.


    Be''s heart clenched tightly. ''Grant tortured animals?''


    If Wilma had not told her this herself, she would never have been able to reconcile this image of a cruel, heartless monster with the refined, elegant man she knew.


    "He tortured more than just that one animal at Tideview Manor," Wilma continued. "The head housekeeper would often find bloodied remains of cats and dogs buried in the garden. Not only did Grant kill them, but he dismembered them too!"N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Her eyes were wide with lingering fear. "Young Madam, tell me, can any sane person do something like that? How could he be capable of such cruelty?"


    Be''s brows furrowed deeply, her lips pressed tightly together as she sank into a troubled silence.