Chapter 587

The air in the Valentine living room was so thick with tension it felt heavy enough to wring water from.

Mr. Valentine and his wife sat rigidly on the sofa, their gazes fixed on Susan Langley and her brother.

Their faces were etched with utter disbelief.

Had they just heard that correctly?

Susan's brother dared to threaten the Valentine family in that tone?

Mr. Valentine slowly turned to Susan, his voice low and hoarse. "Is this your position as well?"

Susan immediately shook her head. "Of course not."

Mr. Valentine felt a flicker of relief.

But the next moment, Susan's words pierced his eardrums like ice picks. "Half his life isn't enough. I want his whole life! Five billion, not a cent less. Otherwise... I'll go out and tell every reporter that Mr. Valentine is terminally ill and doesn't have long to live."

The news of Mr. Valentine's poisoning had been tightly sealed.

He was the helmsman of the Valentine family. If rumors of his critical condition leaked, the Valentine Group's stock price would immediately crash.

Moreover, he was only poisoned, not suffering from an incurable disease...

Mr. Valentine trembled with rage, his pointing finger shaking.

Mrs. Valentine abruptly stood up. "Don't go too far!"

Susan sighed softly. "How is this going too far? If only Preston would marry me, none of this would have happened. He's the one who broke the engagement first."

She feigned a pitiful appearance on the surface, but inside, her heart pounded like a drum.

The Fox had poisoned her. She needed to take the antidote every month to stay alive.

If she failed her mission, she could forget about getting the antidote.

She had infiltrated the Valentine family as a mole to stir up trouble.

The Fox's latest order was to marry Preston Valentine, drive a wedge between the Valentine brothers, turn them against Grace Valentine, completely dismantle the Valentine family's power, and prevent them from becoming Grace's support.

But the Valentine brothers' trust in their sister was practically unshakable.

She had tried to sow discord countless times, both overtly and covertly, without a single success.

She could only fall back on her secondary plan: marry into the Valentine family first.

She never expected that at the final moment, Preston would actually call off the wedding!

How could this be?

In a few days, it would be a new month. Without the antidote, she would die a miserable death from the poison!

At this thought, Susan's eyes instantly reddened. She fell to her knees with a thud before Mr. Valentine. "Uncle, I don't really want the money... I just want Preston to change his mind. Can you go talk to him? Please don't let that vixen Joanna Sterling steal his soul..."

Having just been threatened, and now seeing her like this, Mr. Valentine's brow furrowed deeply. He turned to the butler. "Where is Preston?"

The butler stole a glance at Susan and answered in a low voice. "In his bedroom upstairs... sleeping."

Mr. Valentine looked at Susan, his tone softening slightly. "Susan, is there some misunderstanding? You see, he's clearly sleeping. What vixen are you talking about?"

But Susan stared fixedly at the butler. "Where's Joanna Sterling?"

The butler looked at Mr. Valentine.

Mr. Valentine urged him. "Speak!"

The butler cleared his throat. "She... is also in Young Master Preston's room. Asleep."

"What?!"

Mr. Valentine shot to his feet, his face ashen. "That bastard! He actually dared to cheat?"

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge upstairs. "Susan, don't worry. I'll go drag him down and give him a beating right now!"

But Mrs. Valentine reached out to stop him. "What's the rush? Let's get the facts straight first."

Mr. Valentine's chest heaved violently, his anger almost erupting.

Mrs. Valentine turned to Susan, her gaze sharp. "Why did Preston suddenly want to break off the engagement?"

Susan's eyes darted away.

Mrs. Valentine directly ordered the butler. "You tell us."

The butler hadn't been present at the scene today, but he had reviewed the surveillance footage afterward and saw everything clearly.

He glanced at Susan and recounted the events truthfully.

When he heard that Susan had tried to drown Joanna Sterling, Mr. Valentine stared in shock, his eyes wide.

Mrs. Valentine frowned tightly, scolding sternly. "The children raised by our Valentine family, no matter how precious, never harm the innocent! Miss Langley, for you to do such a thing and then smear Preston's name is utterly shameless!"

Mr. Valentine's face also darkened. "All because of jealousy? Because Preston was a little nice to Joanna Sterling, you wanted to silence her? Miss Langley, are you truly jealous, or... are you trying to use someone else to do your dirty work?"

He emphasized the last four words heavily.

Susan was stunned. "What... what do you mean?"

"The real culprit who poisoned my third brother still hasn't been caught. If Joanna Sterling died, coupled with your and the Sterlingny's testimonies, the 'culprit' would be 'caught,' while the true mastermind could escape scot-free."

Mr. Valentine was no fool. He instantly pieced together the scheme.

He stared intently at Susan. "So, Miss Langley, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Susan panicked. "Uncle, you suspect me too? I really was just jealous..."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly stood up, her entire demeanor shifting dramatically. "The Valentine family must give me an answer today! Otherwise, I won't leave! Back then, I risked my life for Preston. How could I possibly do anything to harm the Valentine family?"

Hearing this, Mr. Valentine was taken aback.

That's right.

Susan had once risked her life to save Preston. Why would she harm the Valentine family?

Just as this thought surfaced, Preston's icy voice suddenly came from upstairs.

"Risked your life for me?"

Preston descended the stairs step by step, his eyes like frozen steel.

He stopped in front of Susan, looking down at her from his height. "Susan Langley, was it really you who saved me back then?"