Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Lisa's heart lurched. "What do you mean?"

"If I go down, you're coming with me." Michael's words dripped with menace. "Tonight, we broke into that complex and cut Jasmine's brake line. Attempted murder. I kept backup evidence of everything. If you don't help me, I'm going straight to the police and turning you in along with me. Attempted murder. Think you'll walk away clean?"

The threat hit Lisa like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing her defiance.

Her face went pale. Panic clawed at her chest.

Lisa was counting on Grace's ten-million-dollar payout to turn her life around. She'd been planning to divorce Michael and start fresh. She absolutely could not afford a criminal charge right now.

If she went to prison, all her plans would go up in smoke.

After weighing her options, Lisa forced herself to swallow her rage. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Fine. You win. I'll help you. But the divorce is non-negotiable. We're drafting the agreement tonight, and the asset division goes my way. You don't get to haggle."

Michael, seeing her cave, smirked with dark satisfaction. He agreed without hesitation.

Lisa spent the entire night hammering out the property division with Michael.

By the time everything was settled, dawn had broken. As soon as business hours started, Lisa sent Grace a message informing her that the brake line had been cut and the plan was proceeding smoothly.

Moments later, Grace transferred two hundred thousand dollars.

When the notification popped up, Lisa's brow furrowed sharply. Days of pent-up fury exploded. She immediately called Grace, her tone sharp with accusation. "We agreed on ten million dollars. Why did you only send me two hundred thousand? Grace, what the hell is this?"

On the other end, Grace's voice was calm, lazy, and commanding, completely unfazed by Lisa's anger. "Why the rush? Jasmine hasn't gotten in the car yet. The accident hasn't happened. The job's not done. Two hundred thousand is your advance. The rest comes later."

"That's not what you said before!" Lisa's anger surged. "You promised full payment once the job was done. Now you're going back on your word. Are you scamming me?"

Grace's amusement turned cold. Her tone carried a naked warning. "Lisa, watch your tone. Right now, 'you' need 'me', not the other way around. If you keep throwing a tantrum, you won't see another penny of that balance."

The humiliation of being cornered made Lisa's blood boil.

She knew now that her beloved daughter had played her. Grace had never intended to pay the full ten million.

Lisa decided to drop the pretense entirely. Her voice turned icy with threat. "Grace, don't push me too far. Don't forget—you're the one who planned this whole thing. If you dare to withhold the rest of the money, I'll go straight to the police and confess everything. Let's see who ends up worse off!"

But Grace didn't panic. In fact, she laughed mockingly. "Go ahead. We're in this together. If I go down, you're not escaping legal consequences either. I gave the orders, sure, but 'you're' the one who carried out the crime. Your charges are way worse than mine. I've got a legal team to protect me. What about you? Can you even afford that kind of lawyer? You think turning me in will get you off the hook? Mom, don't be so naive."

The words hit like a slap of reality.

Lisa's body went cold. She finally realized that from the moment she'd accepted this job, she'd walked straight into Grace's trap. There was no way out.

After hanging up, Lisa's chest heaved violently. She was choking on rage and frustration with nowhere to vent it.

She refused to be controlled by Grace like this. She refused to walk away with a measly two hundred thousand dollars after all this work, while carrying the risk of criminal exposure.

After a brief moment of thought, a vicious glint flashed in Lisa's eyes. She settled on a new plan.

If Grace wouldn't cooperate, she'd pressure someone else.

Jean.

As Grace's partner in crime, Jean's hands were just as dirty. And she had plenty of vulnerabilities.

Lisa immediately gathered all the evidence she'd kept and headed straight for Jean's villa.

When Jean learned that Lisa had come to visit, alarm bells went off in her head.

A visit at this hour meant trouble. And after seeing Grace's true colors, Jean was certain Lisa was up to no good.

The two women met in the living room. The atmosphere was tense and hostile.

Jean spoke first, her tone distant and cold. "I don't think we know each other that well. What do you want?"

Lisa didn't bother with pleasantries. She got straight to the point. "I'll make this simple. Lend me ten million dollars. I need it by tonight. Not a penny less."

Jean's expression darkened. She refused without hesitation. "Why the hell would I lend you money? Who do you think you are? If you need cash, go bother Grace. Don't waste my time."

"I already tried her." Lisa let out a cold laugh. Slowly, she pulled out her phone and opened a collection of audio recordings, photos, and other incriminating evidence. She held it up for Jean to see.

This was all documentation of the underhanded tactics Jean had used in the past to help Neville climb the ladder.

"Jean, what do you think would happen to Neville's public image if I posted this online?" Lisa smiled sweetly at Jean. "I seem to recall Mr. Cooper has more than one son, doesn't he?"

Jean's pupils contracted sharply. Her entire demeanor turned glacial. "How did you get this? What the hell do you want?"

The moment the words left her mouth, realization dawned.

No one but Grace could have accessed this confidential evidence and leaked it to Lisa.

In the end, it had all been Grace pulling the strings from the shadows, using everyone as pawns.

Just as Lisa was about to press her advantage, Jean's private phone rang.

Jean glanced at the caller ID and walked off to the side, phone in hand.

The contact name belonged to the private investigator she'd hired at great expense to dig into Jasmine's background.

"Jean, no worries. Take your call. We can continue after." Lisa was confident she had the upper hand.

Jean shot her a glare, suppressing her anger, and answered the call with a furrowed brow.

"Mrs. Cooper, hello. I've completed the full investigation into Jasmine that you commissioned. No detail was overlooked. I've compiled all relevant documents and evidence and sent them to your private email. You can review them at your convenience."

Jean froze for a moment. Then she said simply, "Alright."

On impulse, she opened the email attachment right then and there.

When she saw what was inside, Jean's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

This was news explosive enough to rock the entire city.

Lisa, watching Jean's unreadable expression, grew impatient. "Are you done yet? I'm waiting for your answer!"

But instead of responding, Jean set down her phone and strode toward her, fury written all over her face.

Lisa was about to demand what Jean thought she was doing when Jean's hand came down hard across her face.

"You filthy liar! How dare you deceive us!"