The Contract Bride of Mr. Reid-Chapter 227: Trust test

When Gina heard his helpless tone, her stomach knotted. She wanted to do something to help him and prove herself not useless.

"Tell me, how I can help you," she insisted. "I can do anything. Just give me a chance."

Theodore held her gaze. The determination in her eyes was what he wanted to see. But he shook his head and said with despair, "No, this isn’t something you can fix. These problems are too deep. I’ll handle them on my own."

His words hurt her ego. Gina grew desperate to prove herself worthy of his trust. "I love you, Theo. I’ll do anything for you. Just let me help."

"Really?" he asked with skepticism. "You would do anything?"

"Yes." She nodded firmly. "For you, I can even go against my father or anyone else. Just say the word. I am ready to help you."

Theodore was satisfied to hear it. That was what he wanted from her. "Are you sure?" he asked, still pretending to be skeptical. "Can you go against your loved ones for me? Even if it means hurting them?"

"Since I was a child, I’ve always wanted one thing – to be your wife," she asserted. "To marry you and to be with you, I can do anything."

"What if I ask you never to trust Claudia and Franklin?" he asked, his gaze turning sharper.

Gina paused for a while, weighing his words. She was indeed close to Claudia and considered her as her mother, but she was well too aware of Theodore’s hostility toward his stepmother. However, she would choose Theodore over Claudia if the situation demanded her to choose anyone of them.

She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in resolution. "Then I’ll listen to you. You are what that matters to me, not Claudia or Franklin. If you ask me to cut all ties with them, I’ll never talk to them."

But Theodore wasn’t done yet. He needed to push her a little further. "I can also ask you to cut ties with your father. Can you do that for me?"

That was it. Theodore was sure that Gina would do anything he asked her to do. He finally smiled; his eyes gleaming with cunningness.

"You can have faith in me," Gina added. "I won’t deceive you like Bella did." She was desperate to prove that she was better than Bella.

Theodore was pleased with her words. He could put his faith in her but didn’t show any excitement. Instead, his expression hardened. "If you go back against your word, you will lose me forever," he warned her.

"I promise I’ll never let you down," she assured him. "Tell me, what is disturbing you?"

Theodore’s jaw set in a grim line as he started, "Claudia and Franklin are plotting against me to take over the business and the family fortune. If they succeed in their plan, they will ruin me, and you will have no place in the family."

Gina felt shock waves hitting her in waves, her expression freezing. The realization dawned upon her. This was the actual reason Theodore hated Claudia and Franklin.

"She deliberately got close to my dad," Theodore continued, "and ruined his marriage. Her intention is clear from the start – to take over the family fortune. Franklin was already three when Dad brought him home, claiming that it was his and Claudia’s son. But Grandpa never believed it even though Claudia presented the paternity test report. And later his suspicion was confirmed."

Gina grew even more serious, her eyes narrowing at the implications of his words. "What does that mean?" She was curious and anxious at the same time.

Theodore hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to reveal the secret to her or not. But to win her trust completely and to make her work for him, he had to gamble.

"Before the accident, I did the paternity test of Franklin. The result showed he wasn’t blood-related to the Reids."

"What?" A surprised gasp escaped her mouth. "He is not one of the Reids! Claudia lied all those years!"

Theodore nodded. "Yes, she lied – she deliberately lied and told my father that Franklin was his son. She trapped him and married into this family."

His mind drifted to the past as he recalled the incident. "That night, I received a call from the hospital, informing me about the test result. I was shocked and immediately left the farmhouse, abandoning the work there. But I had the accident and fell into a coma."

His fists tightened on the table as he was sure Franklin and Claudia had tampered with his car and caused the accident.

"It was also a part of their plan," he hissed dangerously. "After Dad, I’m the only one who stands in their way of reaching their goal. They want to make me disappear. That accident was preplanned. My car was tampered with. But sadly, I don’t have any proof against them."

Gina’s heart sank as the revelation sank in. Hatred replaced the love she had harbored for Claudia. She used to think her a mother figure, but after hearing all this, she thought Claudia was a witch, who could do anything to get Reid’s property. This very thought filled her heart with resentment.

"When I woke up from the coma, I went to find the report," Theodore continued with a grim tone. "But there was nothing. They simply denied the test. I even asked Gary to look into this, but he couldn’t find anything. Everything was deleted while I was in a coma for six months."

"Holy shit!" Gina muttered. "This is all their conspiracy. They might have known somehow that you were running the paternity test and that’s why they wanted to kill you. Oh my God! They are so cruel! I never thought that Claudia could hurt anybody. She is so loving and caring. I always thought you were too harsh with her. But I now know why you don’t like her at all."

She scrunched up her face in loathing and anger. "I regret not seeing through her real color. But I know everything. I’ll fight against them, help you expose them, and punish them. I’ll tell my father everything about Claudia’s conspiracy. He’ll definitely help us."

"No, you won’t say anything to your father," Theodore interjected instantly. He didn’t trust her father either. Keith was quite close to Claudia, always helping her whenever she needed. That man could be her partner in crime.

"Why? He can help us," Gina pressed.

"Right now, I don’t want to involve more people," Theodore said solemnly. "Claudia is a cunning woman. I don’t want her to suspect that I’ve been gathering evidence against her. The fewer people involved, the better. Besides, she can hurt those who are against her. I don’t want your father to fall into trouble unnecessarily."

He said that only to make Gina believe that he cared about her and her father. His words worked on Gina magically.

"I understand," she said regretfully. "But how are we going to expose them?" She was worried and anxious.

"Claudia has a video of me torturing O’Neil," Theodore started with a calculative tone. "That night, I was mad. O’Neil almost killed Bella. I was furious and wanted to punish him. But I didn’t know Claudia had someone following me and filmed the whole incident secretly. She is now threatening me to hand over the footage to the cops."

Gina gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "The cops are looking for O’Neil everywhere," she exclaimed in shock. "If they get the footage, they will think you did something to him to make him disappear."

"Exactly." Theodore gave a curt nod. "As long as she has the footage, she will force me to do anything. She can even make me sign everything in her name."

"No, I won’t let her force you anymore. Tell me, what I should do?" Gina squared her shoulders, ready to do anything.

"You are close to Claudia," Theodore said. "You can easily find the video. The rest I’ll do."

Gina nodded resolutely. "Done...I’ll find that footage anyhow. I won’t let them blackmail you anymore."