Chapter 66

"Sylvia, what's wrong? You look so serious." Rhea noticed something was off with her daughter and asked with concern.

"It's nothing, Mom. I've probably just been sitting too long, my back's a bit sore." Sylvia covered it up smoothly, then turned to Hayden with a gentle, reassuring tone. "Dad, business situations change constantly. Don't stress yourself out over this. Leave it to my brother and me to investigate - we'll find a solution."

After lunch, Sylvia excused herself to rest and returned to her room alone.

As soon as she closed the door, the warmth on her face vanished, replaced by calm composure.

She leaned against the headboard, pulled out her phone, and scrolled through her contacts to find a number she hadn't called in a long time.

It was a senior due diligence colleague she'd worked with before in business circles, known as "Joe." He had extensive connections and specialized in tracking fund flows and backgrounds of major companies.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up.

"Sylvia? What a surprise! What made you think of me today?" Joe's cheerful voice came through the receiver.

"Joe, I need an urgent favor." Sylvia skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point, giving him the name of the investment firm involved in the Spencer Group acquisition. "Help me dig into this company's background, especially their actual controlling shareholders. The sooner the better."

Joe heard the gravity in her tone and immediately dropped his casual manner. "Got it. Wait for my call."

Joe was incredibly efficient. In less than two hours, an encrypted background investigation file arrived on Sylvia's phone.

Then Joe called.

"Sylvia, I've got it. This investment firm's funding chain loops through several offshore accounts - very well hidden. But I had someone check the underlying documents, and the ultimate controlling party is the Johnson Group." Joe's voice on the other end carried a note of seriousness. "To be precise, it's Lynn, the Johnson family's heiress, operating behind the scenes."

So it was her after all.

She really wasn't just a secretary like she appeared on the surface.

Sylvia lowered her lashes, a bone-chilling coldness flashing in her eyes.

"Sylvia, take my advice." Joe reminded her earnestly, his tone full of concern. "Ms. Johnson is a difficult woman to deal with. She's the Johnson family's only heiress, spoiled since childhood - arrogant and domineering, acting on whims without considering consequences. In this circle, she's always been aggressive and never allows anyone to cross her. If you have any personal grudge with her, don't go head-to-head. People who've crossed her never end well."

"I understand. Thanks, Joe. I owe you one." Sylvia thanked him gratefully, then shifted the topic to another request. "By the way, Joe, do you have Victor's private contact information?"

Joe readily agreed. "Yeah, I'll send it to you."

After hanging up, Sylvia clutched her phone tightly, falling into deep thought.

She really couldn't understand why Lynn would go to such lengths behind the scenes to target the Spencer Family.

She'd already made it clear to Lucas that she would sign the divorce papers after giving birth, and had even voluntarily moved out of the Smith Manor to make room for them.

Lynn already had all of Lucas's favoritism and protection - why did she still need to destroy the Spencer Family completely?

Was it because of that chance encounter at the restaurant, triggering her twisted jealousy and desire for revenge? Or did she simply want to use this condescending approach to assert her victor's privilege over the soon-to-be-divorced legal wife?

Whatever the reason, Sylvia was very clear about one thing - she absolutely couldn't go to Lucas about this.

Given Lucas's boundless indulgence of Lynn, if she went to confront him, not only would he not believe her, he'd think she was being unreasonable and maliciously slandering Lynn.

Then, to protect his "beloved," Lucas might personally use the Smith Group's resources to suppress the Spencer Group.

If it came to that, the Spencer Family would face true catastrophe.

She had to solve this herself and lift this heavy burden from her father's shoulders.

And Victor was the key to solving this problem.

Though Victor supported Lynn, he was a rational businessman with a much more stable approach than Lynn. Perhaps she could find room for negotiation with him.

Having made up her mind, Sylvia got up and left her room, knocking on Vincent's door.

She told Vincent everything she'd discovered and her plans for the future, holding nothing back.

"Lynn? How can she be so vicious!" After hearing everything, Vincent's usually gentle face showed undisguised anger, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. "The Spencer Group acquisition represents half of Dad's life's work and is the Spencer Group's only hope for recovery, and she's using it to vent her personal grudges!"

"Vincent, calm down first." Sylvia steadied him calmly, her eyes clear and resolute. "Don't tell Dad about this yet. His health isn't good - he can't handle this kind of shock. I'll find a way to negotiate with Victor."

Vincent looked at his sister's prominently swollen belly, his eyes full of heartache and guilt. "You're pregnant and still have to deal with these troubles. Sylvia, if you need me, I'll step in for you anytime. Worst case, we won't sell - I can support you all."

"I know, but I need to figure out their cards first. I'll be careful, don't worry." Sylvia gave him a reassuring look.

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Sylvia had Vincent bring copies of all the Spencer Group documents submitted for review to her room.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtain onto the desk. Sylvia put on blue-light blocking glasses and, red pen in hand, went through the thick financial statements and asset evaluation reports page by page, word by word.

She had been Amelia's star student and had participated in due diligence for many large projects - analyzing complex business data was second nature to her.

Her late-pregnancy body wasn't comfortable. Sitting for long periods made her back ache, and the baby in her belly occasionally kicked, protesting her exhaustion.

But Sylvia just gently rubbed her belly to soothe the baby, her eyes never leaving the pages.

An entire morning of checking.

Near noon, Sylvia finally took off her glasses and rubbed her tired brow.

The documents were perfect. Clear accounts, quality assets, no legitimate flaws to pick at. The other party's so-called "reassessment" was a completely fabricated, malicious delay - an obstacle Lynn had set up using her capital privilege.

With this confidence, Sylvia picked up her phone, took a deep breath, and dialed the number Joe had given her.