Chapter 323
Dominick warned her to stay put, but Stephanie pushed past him and left.
When she returned to Room 402, the door was wide open. She stepped inside and found
Curious, she went to 502 to check but he wasn’t there to
tub.
d that Dominick had already left
Just then, her phone rang again from her coat pocket. Stephanie answered cautiously, “Why did you give me this USB drive!”
You sound tense. Did something happen?” It was Molly on the phone. Stephanie paused, realizing she had become overly anxious.
She opened her palm, revealing the small black USB drive, her gaze growing more serious. Molly, noticing her silence, asked with concern, “Did you run into someone!
Snapping back to reality, Stephanie casually explained. “I met a strange man earlier. He called me ‘dear‘ out of nowhere. I’m an only child, so it felt suspicious like he was a bad person
“There are all sorts of scammers these days. Be careful,” Molly advised promptly,
Stephanie was distracted. The man didn’t seem like a scammer, and his Aurithian was not fluent. Judging by his appearance and attire, he seemed Olaran. His aloof demeanor suggested he was above lying
The more she thought about it, the faster her heart raced as she stared at the USB drive in her hand.
“Stephanie, actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you today.” Molly’s voice sounded hesitant and conflicted. She did not notice Stephanie’s distraction. She slowly began to share some important news with her friend. “L..I’m now with Scott.”
“Did he pick on you?” Stephanie responded automatically.
“No.” Molly replied nervously, as if she had done something wrong and whispered. “I’m at the city.
city hall
“What?” Preoccupied with her thoughts, Stephanie didn’t catch her soft words.
On the other end, the background noise was loud and bustling. Scott’s voice came through. “Andy is calling. Do you want to talk to him?”
Then Molly’s panicked shout “No, don’t tell him.”“
“Molly, what’s with that attitude? Are you having second thoughts?” Scott sounded displeased. They continued their conversation in low voices, which Stephanie couldn’t quite make out. Shonly after, it seemed like Molly accidentally ended the call.
Stephanie returned to her apartment, alone again, surrounded by the same cold silence,
Without a computer in her apartment, she couldn’t immediately access the data on the USB drive. She casually placed it on the TV stand, then picked up her phone to order takeout. As she did her thoughts drifted back to Dominick, and her mood became increasingly unsettled.
“He knows he will lose control every time he sees her, yet he still insists on approaching”
The entrance to the high–end private boxing club displayed a ‘Closed‘ sign. Inside, a few staff members gathered at the bar in the entertainment area, eagerly gossiping about their boss.
The club’s top shooting coach handed a large mug of cold beer to a woman before him, laughing heartily and asked curiously, “Lucy, I heard you
went to scare Ms. Reed!”
William, don’t pin this on me,” Lucy said, taking a hearty gulp of the Dodton beer and raising her voice to explain seriously, I was just following orders to threaten her into participating in the Group’s ad campaign and to keep her away from other men. Do you think I enjoy doing these stupid things? It’s all because of Do
“Shush,” the shooting coach, William, suddenly gave Lucy a knowing look, signaling her to keep quiet.
Being sharp and quick–witted, Lucy immediately put on her usual aloof expression and continued drinking as if nothing had happened.
At the same time, a tall bodyguard in a black uniform approached from the main entrance. “Mr. Wellington is here. He wants to see Lucy now,”
Lucy raised her eyebrows at William and mouthed silently. “I haven’t completed my
y task.”
“Where is the USB drive?” The cold voice, accompanied by heavy footsteps, approached them step by step.
Lucy’s face twisted in frustration while William whispered, “Good luck.”
“Boss, I heard you weren’t feeling well. Didn’t you just get off the plane last night? Why didn’t you get some rest!” She put down the large glas of beer, turned around, and smiled casually, trying to speak lightly.
11:33 AM O
Chapter 323
Dominick stood about three feet away from her, expressionless.
Lucy’s smile faltered. Even a fool could see he was in a terrible mood.
Willam, the amiable shooting coach from Aurorastra, saw that their boss was about to lose his temper and quickly tried to defuse the situation. “Mr. Wellington, I wanted to report that Ms. Reed’s shooting and boxing practice has been excellent…
“Don’t mention her to mer Dominick, expressionless a moment ago, was suddenly raging with fury.
Lucy and William exchanged glances. Great, they had really set him off now.
“Where is the USB drive?” Dominick’s face darkened, his voice calm yet issuing a final ultimatum. “I told you last time if you can’t find it, you might aswell disappear with it.”
“I never said I couldn’t find it.” Lucy retorted, standing her ground despite knowing how ruthless Dominick could be with incompetent
subordinates.
“Boss, we can discuss the USB drive later. Let me update you on Oscar first Lucy continued.
Oscar Pearson was a beautiful man with striking blue eyes to Lucy, but he was an important figure to Dominick.
“Oscar has been investigating our operations. Following your instructions, I led him abroad to get him out of our way. But I soon realized he went to the Aurorastra for reasons unrelated to my setup. He had other business there, Lucy explained
Oscar was a formidable opponent she had crossed paths with several times. She always thought she had won each encounter, but the reality said otherwise.
“He uncovered information about you, including your time in the Aurorastra, your brain surgery, and the feud between the Wellington and Reed families, Lucy said.
She paused. They all knew that if Oscar discovered these facts, it wouldn’t be long before Stephanie found out
“It looks like Ms. Reed will have even more reasons to hate you” Lucy added daringly.
William’s expression grew tense. He and Lucy had faced many dangers together, and he worried their boss might vent his fury on her
Dominick indeed looked grim, but fortunately, he was known for separating personal and professional matters. Lucy, seemingly unfazed, shrugged. “Okay, that’s all on Oscar. Now, about the USB drive”
The USB drive was something Lucy couldn’t produce.
found a woman for you, Lucy said calmly, striding towards the storage room as if to bring someone out
Seeing her playful expression, William was anxious. He followed and grabbed her arm whispering a warning. “Lucy, don’t play games in front of him Anger him, and you’ll regret it.”
“Not everyone can provoke Dominick Lucy wasn’t worried and replied with a mocking smile, “Only those he truly cares about can make him genuinely angry” Her tone held a hint of self–mockery-
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare touch his precious,” she said, dragging a woman out from a private room. She removed the black blindfold covering
the woman’s eyes.
“Ms. Isaac, it’s time to return what you took from our boss, Lucy said, addressing the woman.
Hayley was terrified. She had been spending the weekend at home when someone suddenly broke in, forcibly taking her away.
Looking around in panic at the familiar club and the man sitting in the booth across from her, she was too shocked to speak
Dominick furrowed his brow slightly, seemingly surprised that Lucy had brought Hayley there.
“On the day Oscar took Matthew from the hospital, Matthew secretly hid the USB drive in a corner of the hospital. Afterward, I repeatedly checked the surveillance videos from that area and noticed that Ms. Isaac happened to be at the hospital during that same period. Her expression at the time looked like she had found a hot potato, Lucy said, her voice flat and her sharp gaze fixed on Hayley. “Ms. luar, I bet you’ve already watched the surgery video on the USB drive.”
Hayley’s face was a picture of panic and distress.
“Where is the USB driver Dominick, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
Hayley had never experienced such an interrogation or seen Dominick so cold and ruthless. His gaze was even more severe and unforgiving than when he was at the company
Lucy glanced at Hayley, thinking this ordinary woman was probably scared out of her wits. Their boss had never been benevolent.
11:33 AMI
Chapter 323
“Ms. Isaac, please
use return our USB drive immediately,” Lucy said. She was in a good mood and tried to help Hayley by casing the tension.
However, Hayley seemed truly paralyzed with fear. She stared blankly at the unfamiliar Dominick, her mind stuck,
Suddenly, she remembered something Jessica had said, “Dominick has a habit of hiding the things he loves most. He won’t share them with
anyone.
“You think he is lenient with you? That’s just indifference. Only the things he truly cares about will affect his emotions.”
“Do you really think he could forget her over a mere brain surgery?”
Hayley was rigid, her mind frozen with fear, She had seen the video on the USB drive. It was footage of Stephanie’s C–section after the car accident.
Lucy grew impatient with Hayley’s silence and urged, “Is the USB drive still in your possession? Before I came to your house. I found that your place had already been ransacked.”
Hayley didn’t respond to her. Instead, she looked at Dominick’s stern face in terror, her lips trembling uncontrollably. “Dominick, you…you never lost your memory. That video on the USB drive… It was you who swapped the twins.”