Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

"The maid heard a silence. After that, I saw ..." Jasper's voice trailed off, and his chest heaved. His eyes were bloodshot, and his
nostrils flared.
His palms sweated and trembled in Alyssa's grip as he revisited the scene of his mother's fatal fall.
For the first time, he learned about the dull thud produced by a body hitting the ground. He swore he could even hear the sounds
of Anne's bones breaking.
He had merely taken a glimpse of the scene, but the trauma that came with it would haunt him for the rest of his life.
"Stop it, Jasper. Stop ..." Alyssa hugged him tightly, wanting to be one with him. Jasper did not cry, but she started sobbing. Her
tears stained his white shirt.
"It's fine. I am vengeful, but I won't be blinded by hate. I'm not going to break down," Jasper remarked as a newfound light
entered his eyes.
His attitude softened as he wiped away her tears with his rough dingers. "I'm strong because you're by my side. Lyse, you have
no idea how much you mean to me. You've given me the courage to carry on. Otherwise, I would have succumbed to despair."
Silas and Cyrus finally realized that Cyrus was right. Alyssa was the reason that kept Jasper going.
When Alyssa and Jasper calmed down, Cyrus asked with a frown, "The silence and Madam Anne's fall happened at the same
time. Could that indirectly prove Sophia's involvement? She was the only one present in the room."
Silas joined Cyrus in analyzing the facts. "You mentioned that Madam Anne's relationship with Mr. Javier had improved. When
she caught Sophia tampering with her medication, she appeared furious. That doesn't align with typical behavior for a suicidal

person.
"While we lacked solid evidence, things seem to be pointing at Sophia. Madam Anne was likely pushed off the building by her."
While patting Alyssa on the back, Jasper explained, "According to the maid, she saw Sophia fleeing the bedroom in panic, and
they collided. Sophia threatened her not to say a word and paid her a good amount of hush money so that she wouldn't have to
work for the family anymore.
"The maid wasn't even motivated by the money. She was mostly worried about Sophia's retaliation.
That's why she took the money and kept her silence."
"She's a key witness. You have to protect her well," Cyrus warned Jasper sternly.
Silas seethed with anger. "The priority now is to get Sophia charged with drug offenses and keep her behind bars while we
gather evidence of premeditated murder."
Alyssa finally realized the reason Jasper didn't get Sophia arrested on charges of abetting murder. Given that he only had one
shot, he wanted to arrest Sophia with irrefutable evidence.
"Jasper, about that evidence you mentioned?" Alyssa's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Jasper's eyes darkened. He put a hand around her waist and brushed his lips against her ear. "I'll tell you all about it when we're
alone."
At the same time, things were intense at The Millennium. Carl and Amber waited outside the basement and listened to the
agonizing screams from within. Amber appeared unfazed, while Carl was visibly distressed.

He commented, "You're quite something, aren't you? How do you stay composed amid those screams? I've seldom encountered
a woman as tough as you, except for Ms. Alyssa," Carl remarked.
She smirked. "Sharing her looks is pathetic enough. Can't I even have a personality of my own?"
"Gosh, I didn't mean that ..." Carl was interrupted as the basement door swung open.
Jameson appeared in a blood-stained silk shirt, his upper torso covered in blood.