Chapter 542

Chapter 542

The name Missy hit Elsie's ears, and her heart sank.

So it was her.

No wonder.

"I just wanted to grab an opportunity. What right do you have to ruin me?"

Jacob shouted so hard the veins on his neck bulged out.

"You were good to me? You just wanted me to be your money-making tool for life!"

Elsie stepped forward, shielding the trembling Aline behind her.

Her voice was soft, yet it made Jacob instinctively shut his mouth.

"What did Missy promise you to make you so eager to be used by her?"

Jacob met her gaze, feeling guilty inside, but still trying to act tough.

"This is my own business, none of your concern!"

After shouting, he pushed through the crowd of onlookers and ran off without looking back.

"Bastard! Come back here!"

Aline wanted to chase after him, but Elsie held her back firmly.

"Let him go."

All of Aline's strength drained away. She held her forehead, trying hard to calm herself down.

"I'll have the studio's lawyer prepare a termination letter later. I don't want, and can't handle, an artist like this."

She'd already been through so much, Larry had been taken away to who‑knows‑where, and now she'd gotten this earful from Jacob. Aline sat silently in the passenger seat, and at some point, she fell asleep from exhaustion.

Even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed, dried tear stains still on her face.

Elsie stared at her haggard face, feeling a heavy weight in her chest.

Larry's fate was uncertain.

Jacob had turned on them.

Aline was about to break down.

When had someone so strong ever cried like this?

She couldn't wait any longer. Elsie picked up her phone, her finger hovering for a long time over the name she knew by heart.

Finally, she didn't call, but sent a message instead.

[Where are you.]

The reply came almost instantly.

[Next to your villa.]

Elsie looked up, peering through the car window ahead.

Sure enough, in the shadow under a streetlight not far away, a shiny black Bentley was parked.

She got out of the car, gently closed the door, and walked toward that car.

The window rolled down, revealing Ronald's face, half in light, half in shadow.

"I'll take you to find him."

He spoke first, his voice low.

"Ronald," Elsie stood outside the car, the night wind blowing her hair, "don't think this will change anything between us."

"I don't think so."

Ronald's answer surprised her.

"Larry is my cousin. I'm helping you this time because I care about family."

There was an emotion in his words she couldn't understand.

"Get in the car."

He said.

"The Borgia Mansion—you can't get in without me."

Elsie looked back at Aline sleeping restlessly in her own car.

She had no choice.

She opened the door and got in.

The car door closed, as if separating two worlds.

Inside the Bentley, it was so quiet they could hear each other breathing.

Elsie turned her head to watch the night scenery sliding backward outside the window. The city's neon lights were gradually left behind, replaced by the heavy darkness of the suburbs.

"The Borgia Mansion security are retired special forces, breaking in won't work." Ronald broke the silence, his voice calmly stating a fact.

Elsie didn't respond.

He continued, "Mrs. Borgia is serious this time. Larry's phone and all other communication devices have been confiscated."

The car turned a corner and slowly stopped in front of a heavily guarded estate gate.

Ronald didn't get out, just rolled down the window and said something brief to the security captain who came over.

The man glanced at Elsie in the car, then straightened up and waved them through.

The car drove in smoothly and stopped in front of a villa.

"I had someone open the side door. His room is on the second floor, first one on the left." Ronald unbuckled his seatbelt. "You have fifteen minutes."

Elsie glanced at him, that glance containing no emotion, as if he were just a functional driver.

She pushed open the door and walked straight toward the side entrance.

Everything went unbelievably smoothly.

Larry was lying weakly on the bed. When he saw her come in, a glimmer of light finally appeared in his eyes.

"Elsie..."

"Aline is waiting for you outside." Elsie got straight to the point. "I had someone distract your mother's attention. Leave now."

She helped Larry up, practically supporting half his body weight on herself, and quickly went downstairs.

An inconspicuous black sedan was parked by the tree-lined path outside the estate. Aline suddenly pushed open the car door and rushed out, throwing her arms around Larry, tears instantly flooding out.

Elsie watched them embrace, placed Larry's hand in Aline's, and turned to leave.

Back in the Bentley, she fastened her seatbelt.

"Back to the city."

Ronald started the car but drove in the opposite direction from the city.

"Where are you going?" Elsie's voice turned cold.

"Taking you somewhere."

"Ronald, I've achieved my goal. Your transaction should be over too."

He didn't answer, just focused on driving, the speed getting faster and faster.

An hour later, the car stopped in front of a glass villa standing on a cliff, with the black ocean churning white waves below.

This place...

Elsie's heart sank.

The exterior of this house looked exactly like the villa they used to live in.

When did he build such a house?

When Elsie married Ronald, she'd had countless expectations, fantasizing about them raising children together in the villa, growing old together.

But reality ultimately went against those ideals.

Seeing her expression, Ronald understood.

"I thought you'd forgotten." Ronald got out and opened the car door for her.

"I did forget." Elsie stepped out expressionlessly. "You're the one with too good a memory."

The villa was brightly lit, spotless, with a candlelit dinner freshly prepared on the long dining table.

"Mr. York has put in so much effort." Elsie said, looking around, her tone full of sarcasm. "Too bad I'm not interested in playing out some undying love story with you here."

"Are you that eager to get back to Bruce?" Ronald's face also turned cold as he stepped closer.

"That's none of your business."

"Elsie!" He suddenly grabbed her wrist, gripping so hard it felt like he'd crush her bones. "We're not finished yet!"

"We're finished long ago." Elsie shook off his hand. "When you chose to believe Missy, when I signed the divorce papers—that's when it ended."

Her words were like a knife, stabbing precisely into his heart.

Ronald's chest heaved violently. He stared at her completely calm face, and an uncontrollable rage burned away all his rationality.

He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her without warning.