Chapter 197

Chapter 197

A flash of rage crossed Sloane's eyes, but the moment she looked up, she swallowed it all down.

She lowered her gaze, lashes trembling faintly. When she raised her head again, tears had already welled up in her eyes.

"Mrs. Perkins, how could I have known things would turn out this way?"

Emma's fury didn't diminish one bit at Sloane's tears.

She'd just received word that Matthew was awake.

It was already hard enough trying to pull strings behind his back.

Now with Sloane's father's suicide, countless eyes would be watching her. How was she supposed to arrange the embryo transfer without anyone noticing?

What a useless ally—more trouble than she's worth!

"No one will find out, I promise. Please trust me." Sloane bit her lip, her voice carrying a cautious, almost pleading note as she tried to reassure Emma.

Emma studied her—even after being slapped, the girl showed no anger or resentment. Some of Emma's rage finally subsided.

At the end of the day, Sloane's physical condition was still viable.

During the previous medical exam, Sloane had handed over her frozen eggs as well, which had significantly sped up the process.

And she'd always been careful. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be discovered.

Still, Emma knew deep down that she was really taking out her frustration with Matthew on Sloane.

She thought as much, but her expression remained stern—she wanted to make sure Sloane understood her place.

"I have plenty of Matthew's sperm anyway. If you fail, I'll just find another woman! You'd better figure it out yourself!"

Sloane nodded repeatedly, keeping her eyes lowered as Emma left the living room with an air of arrogance.

The footsteps gradually faded.

Sloane sat motionless on the couch, her fingernails digging deep into her palms, yet she seemed to feel no pain.

What did Emma take her for? A breeding tool?

Hatred and murderous intent churned inside her, impossible to suppress.

Just then, Emma's butler appeared.

"Miss, please come with me. Madam has asked me to see you out."

Sloane had entered through the side door, and naturally, she'd leave the same way.

She pressed a hand to her stomach and looked at the butler apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm having some discomfort with my period. Could I use the restroom first?"

The male butler's face flushed. Unable to refuse, he pointed her toward the bathroom and waited where he stood.

After apologizing again, Sloane walked in that direction.

Once she rounded the corner and was certain the butler couldn't see her, she didn't go to the bathroom.

Instead, she turned toward a different room.

It was Emma's home office.

The door was unlocked, the lights off. By the faint glow filtering in from the hallway, she could make out shelves lined with books and scattered documents on the desk.

A cold smile curved her lips as she pulled something from her pocket, her gloved fingers gripping it firmly.

Casually, she pulled a book from the shelf, slipped the object inside, and silently left.

Passing the bathroom, she deliberately turned on the faucet to wet her hands before reappearing in front of the butler.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all." The butler nodded and led her out of the villa.

The night air was cold. Sloane slid into her car, and the moment she closed the door, a cold smile slipped across her lips.

If Emma refused to act like a human being, then she couldn't blame Sloane for framing her.

Emma was meticulous—not only had she summoned Sloane late at night, but she'd also turned off all the surveillance cameras in advance.

Her trip to the office had gone completely unnoticed.

In the end, Emma had no one to blame but herself. She'd lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot.

……

The next morning.

Matthew's attending physician rushed to the hospital room first thing, his expression grave.

Evelyn's heart sank when she saw the doctor's serious face.

"Doctor, is something wrong with Matthew?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and pulled a CT scan from his bag, his tone tinged with both helplessness and urgency.

"I heard the patient held a meeting in his room yesterday? I strongly advise against any such activity in the near future."

"This is his brain CT. You can see there are still some bruising spots."

"The patient needs rest right now. He can't afford to overwork himself."

Matthew kept his eyes lowered, his expression unreadable, radiating an aura that kept people at arm's length.

The doctor felt somewhat uncomfortable under the pressure of his presence, but he pressed on anyway.

"It's not enough for just us doctors to say no—we need the patient and his family to cooperate as well."

"Thank you, Doctor. We'll definitely cooperate!" Evelyn looked at the doctor gratefully, her tone sincere.

After the doctor left, Evelyn turned to Matthew with a stern expression, her brow furrowed tightly. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard." Matthew muttered.

"No more meetings for the next few days! You need to rest and recover properly."

"Okay." Matthew nodded helplessly.

He felt like he was becoming more and more henpecked, but strangely enough, he didn't mind the feeling at all.

That morning, Evelyn had scheduled a meeting with Mira and the others. Not wanting to disturb Matthew's rest in the hospital room, she went to the lounge instead.

The meeting had just ended, and she was about to head back when she ran into Kate in the hallway.

Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise.

He looked scruffy, like he hadn't shaved in days.

His hair had grown past his eyes, and he was dressed entirely in dark, rumpled clothes. Heavy bags hung under his eyes, and he looked thoroughly worn out.

Evelyn couldn't help but sigh. She was genuinely worried about her brother's future.

"Caleb and I found the person who hired the hitman!"

But Kate ignored Evelyn's concerned gaze, grabbing her hand excitedly as he spoke.

Evelyn froze, instinctively glancing around before pulling Kate into the lounge.

After closing the door, she lowered her voice. "Who is it?"

Kate pulled out a tablet and brought up a map to show Evelyn.

"Because the transaction was anonymous, we haven't traced the person's specific identity yet."

"But we found the phone number used for the transaction and tracked the signal's location."

"Caleb and I had been monitoring this signal, but it had been dormant for a long time. Then last night, it appeared again."

"The signal was weak, but we caught it."

"It's in City A! In a villa on the outskirts! Look, right here."

Evelyn looked down, and her expression changed instantly.

Seeing Evelyn's reaction, Kate frowned as well.

"Do you know where this is? Do you know this person?"

Evelyn clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.

She took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "There's someone… my mother in name only lives there."

She didn't say the name, but Kate read volumes in her expression.

It wasn't just anger. There was also a kind of indescribable disappointment.

Evelyn fell silent for a moment, then seemed to remember something. Her expression turned serious as she gave Kate careful instructions. "Kate, you and Caleb have done an incredible job."

"But for certain reasons, I need to ask you not to reveal that we've found the culprit yet. Don't even tell Mrs. Gray."

"And please let Caleb know as well, okay?"