The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1766

Janielle's eyes were devoid of life. Her hand fell limply to her side when she saw Tracy safe and unharmed.

She remained in this state when she was brought back for investigation. She refused to speak or even defend herself—it was as if she had already died inside.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" Wynter brought in two boxed meals, one for herself and the other pushed toward Janielle. However, Janielle didn't move, her gaze blank.

Wynter spun the boxed meal around and placed the utensils in front of Janielle again. The meal looked appetizing, with meat, vegetables, and sweet shrimp.

Janielle's lips curled into a mocking smile. She had loved sweet shrimp before she got married, but she never ate them again after being with Malcolm.

After all, every extra bite of food came at the cost of her dignity. Her mother-in-law would practically calculate her daily grocery expenses.

Janielle's eyes flickered toward Wynter, and there was still undiminished hatred. "I don't know how you found me, but I won't tell you anything unless Tracy dies."

"Making her die isn't hard." Wynter wiped her hands with a wet wipe and looked up. "But is she the only one you want dead? What about your mother-in-law? Shouldn't you hate her more?"

Janielle froze. "You—"

"You'll be sentenced to death too if they die. What about your daughter? What will happen to her?" Wynter's voice was calm. "A mother who's a murderer, and the victim being her own father—what future will she have?"

Janielle trembled, and it was clear she was filled with unbearable pain. "She has no future now, either. It would be better if we all die. At least no one will force her to raise a half-brother when she grows up!"

Janielle took a deep breath. "The Dwain family is inherently patriarchal. You mentioned my mother-in-law..." She scoffed before continuing, "That is a grandmother who calls her granddaughter a 'money-losing burden.'

"Tracy is pregnant, and Malcolm is already planning to marry her. Yet, you ask if my daughter has a future. No one will hold a university professor accountable."

Janielle clenched her fists. "Even illegitimate children have inheritance rights. Even if Malcolm keeps this relationship hidden for his career's sake, my daughter will still be the one who suffers in the end."

Wynter listened quietly, not interrupting Janielle's outpouring.

"Do you think I haven't tried to find a way?" Janielle started crying. "Everyone says I don't deserve him. He's a university professor, and it's normal for a man to find someone younger. I am at fault for not being able to keep him. That's how everyone sees me.

"You're so young and beautiful. You'll never understand what it's like to live through days that are worse than death."

Janielle's agitated emotions slowly calmed down. "I'm already this useless. I'll bear the consequences of my own actions. Killing them is the only thing I can do for my daughter."

Wynter's gaze on her was calm. "Is killing them really enough?"

The investigators watching the monitor froze, not daring to swallow their food after hearing this.

"Isn't... Isn't this question crossing a line?" one of them asked.

As soon as he finished asking, his eyes met Dalton's gaze. He immediately corrected himself awkwardly, "No, it's fine. This is just normal questioning."

Dalton's presence was too overwhelming. The small monitoring room wasn't really where he should have been. But with the death countdown still active, a call had come from above, stating that everything was to be handed over to the Yarwood family without any mistakes.

This online suicide case, which they thought had been solved, was only just beginning. They weren't sure what charges Janielle would face.

One of the investigators tentatively asked, "The victim has finished her statement. Should we let her go home?"

He was asking Dalton, who remained expressionless. "Ask your lead investigator."

The investigator gritted his teeth, pushed the door open, and walked in while Janielle was deep in thought.

"The victim's family is here. Shouldn't we—"

Before he could finish, Wynter chuckled and spoke coldly. "Victim? Who?"

The investigator glanced at Janielle and lowered his voice. "Tracy. Her parents are here."

"Oh?" Wynter had been hungry ever since taking over this formation. She hadn't even touched her food yet but could only set it aside. "Let me make this clear. She's not a victim. She's the mistress who interfered in someone else's relationship."

The investigator was speechless. Janielle's back stiffened, too, and she looked at Wynter in disbelief.

The investigator clenched his teeth and said in one breath, "Well, according to the usual procedure, we should at least release her since her parents are here—"

"Do you want to release her?" Wynter glanced sideways at him. "The case is complex. Will you take responsibility if she leaks information after being released?"

The investigator was a little taken aback. That wasn't what he meant.

Wynter seemed to be pondering something before standing up. "Her parents should know what kind of person she is."

"Huh?"

Wynter tilted her chin toward Janielle. "Eat something first. You can't get revenge on an empty stomach."

Janielle was feeling a mix of complicated emotions. She even felt like she was dreaming. She thought everything was over after being caught and had never imagined that someone would talk to her about revenge.

Janielle looked again at the stunningly beautiful woman, only catching a glimpse of Wynter's back—her long hair reaching her slender waist, yet her posture was so upright it seemed she could carry the weight of everything.

For the first time, Janielle felt that someone truly had her back.

…

The commotion continued.

"Where's my daughter? How is my daughter?" It was Tracy's mother, Joleen Kassy, tugging at one of the investigators' hands. "She called me, saying someone was trying to kill her!"

Any mother would worry about her child in a situation like this.

The case was supposed to be completely confidential. But perhaps because someone at the school had committed suicide, Tracy had been on high alert. When she sensed something was wrong, she dialed Joleen's number.

Now that Joleen was here, she was bound to ask questions. She continued to shout, "Where's the killer? My daughter said you caught the killer! Where is she? A murderer like that deserves the death penalty!"

Wynter's voice cut through. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Your daughter is sitting safely inside. Stop calling her a murderer."

"Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to speak here?" Joleen was genuinely frantic.

The investigator cleared his throat. "This is our lead investigator."

Joleen's expression changed instantly, disbelief written all over her face. She couldn't believe that there would be a lead investigator this young.

They couldn't understand why Dalton was here and why he was protecting a cultivator. Rumors had it that he absolutely despised grand masters from the mountains.

They had finally caught a whiff of opportunity, thinking they could infiltrate her soul through the Sacrificial Human Formation, but they never expected to encounter him. They didn't dare utter his name, afraid of accidentally invoking his wrath.

Wynter also sensed Dalton's presence. She was no stranger to his scent, but the sudden tranquility he brought allowed her mind to settle.

She felt his palm's warmth, as if everything she loathed was pushed away, leaving only the faint winter pine fragrance that seemed to grow on high mountain peaks, refreshing and invigorating.

Wynter stood quietly for a moment before gently pulling his hand away. "I'm fine now."

Dalton seemed displeased. He glanced at Joleen before saying coldly, "You can file a complaint, and we can also expose your daughter as a mistress. We can tell everyone—her classmates, your colleagues, and your entire social circle—how you encouraged her to seduce older men for money."

Joleen's face turned pale. "Are you even public servants? How could you threaten a victim like this?"

"No, we're not." Dalton chuckled softly. "Hence, we can threaten you however we like. You can sue us, too, but don't play the victim. Your daughter owes a lot in reparations. After all, she's been a mistress for years, and her reputation is ruined.

"That bastard in her belly might not even be Malcolm's. Janielle might be easy to bully, but others aren't. For instance, the officer's wife from her last affair—she won't let your daughter off easily."

Joleen never expected them to know so much. She remembered the warning from the officer's wife. She had told them that she would make sure they paid dearly if she and Tracy didn't change their ways. "You... you..."

"Evil people will face their judgment," Dalton said, stepping past her. He didn't let go of Wynter's wrist.

Tracy wouldn't be successfully bailed out. Wynter would make sure of it. Others might not know, but he did. However, he couldn't help but wonder what she had heard earlier to make her behave like that.

Dalton's grip tightened, his gaze darkening.

Wynter had already regained her composure. She looked at Dalton's side profile, raising an eyebrow slightly but saying nothing more.

The voices she had heard earlier felt too real, not like mere illusions conjured out of thin air.

According to the Sacrificial Human Formation's nature, she would be subjected to a trial of the heart once she bore the karmic consequences. This meant that everything she had just experienced was something she had lived through, perhaps even her own inner demons.

For so many years, Wynter had never felt as compelled as she did now to uncover what she had experienced in her past life. Though she had some vague guesses, the heaviness in her chest made her want to know more.

Had she been searching for them all this time? Where had she looked? Why was there no memory of it at all?

Wynter's gaze darkened, and a sudden emptiness made her crave food intensely. In the past, she would have used the purple energy from Dalton to suppress it when this happened. But today, she didn't want to suppress them anymore.

She wondered if the Sacrificial Human Formation could draw out her deepest memories. If so, then she had to personally venture into this formation.

Wynter silently pulled her hand away from Dalton's grip and looked up. "We need to move faster. The people behind Janielle shouldn't be reacting too much now. I need to use her identity. Stay here and keep watch for me."

"Are you attending the holy prayer?" Dalton's gaze fell on her, his eyes an endless abyss of darkness. "The Sacrificial Human Formation will completely take you as its offering if you go. What will you do then?"

Wynter chuckled lightly. "I have my ways to get out."

If it really came to that, she would just slash through this so-called Sacrificial Human Formation with her sword.

She had to find the answers she was searching for. She refused to believe what the voices had said. Had all those people really perished?