Chapter 175

In a top-tier apartment in the city center, Grace's fingers repeatedly swiped across her phone screen, her expression terrifyingly dark.

Nearly a week had passed since she'd ordered Melina to contact someone. Over the past few days, Grace had realized with alarm that Melina had gone completely silent. Her phone was perpetually unreachable.

Grace's agitation coiled around her heart like vines. The unease inside her grew stronger by the hour.

She had no patience to keep waiting passively. Gritting her teeth, she dialed Gerald's number. Gerald was Melina's lover—there was no way he didn't know where she was.

The call connected. Grace's tone was laced with hostility, cutting straight to the point. "Gerald, where's Melina? I haven't been able to reach her since this afternoon."

There was a two-second pause on the other end. Gerald's voice was flat, tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Ms. Lane, there's no point looking for her anymore. Melina liquidated all her assets three days ago and left the country. She's in New Zealand now."

"What did you say?" Grace's pupils contracted sharply. Fury exploded in her chest. Her voice shot up. "She left the country without telling me? Without a single word?"

"That's right." Gerald was blunt. "Before she left, she had someone pass along a message to me. She's completely withdrawing from all circles in City A. She's planning to find someone decent to settle down with. She even gave me hush money."

"That bitch! A pack of ungrateful wolves!" Grace could no longer contain her emotions. She cursed loudly. "I gave her resources, gave her a platform, treated her well—and at the critical moment, she just runs and leaves me to clean up the mess alone!"

After the rage came a deeper wave of panic.

Melina's escape meant Grace had lost her only channel to the underground network.

Lisa and Michael in prison were two ticking time bombs, ready to blow up and drag her down with them at any moment.

Grace forcibly suppressed her fury. Her tone turned vicious as she issued an order to Gerald. "Since Melina's unreliable, this job falls to you. I don't care what connections you use or what it costs—I want Lisa and Michael in that prison silenced. Permanently."

Gerald's heart lurched at her words. He immediately wanted to refuse.

He operated in the gray market purely for profit. He never got involved in murder cases. Grace had clearly become obsessed and unhinged, acting without any moral boundaries. Getting tangled up with her would only bring disaster.

Gerald deflected evasively. "Ms. Lane, prison security is tight. There are cameras everywhere. The difficulty is too high, the risk too great. I can't give you a direct answer. I can only ask around and see if anyone under me is willing to take the job."

The taiji-style evasion was blatant deflection, and Grace saw right through it.

She let out a cold laugh, her tone icy. "Gerald, don't patronize me. You know perfectly well you have no intention of helping me."

Gerald continued playing dumb. "I'm just being honest. Please understand my position, Ms. Lane."

After a tense standoff, Grace realized he had no intention of risking his neck for her. Pressing him further would only backfire. She bit down hard and spat, "Get lost."

The line went dead. The dial tone was especially grating.

Grace hurled her phone onto the coffee table. The expensive device shattered instantly.

In the span of a single day, Melina had betrayed her, Gerald had brushed her off, and all her confidants had proven unreliable. Add to that the ever-present threat of Louisa's potential recovery, and the mounting pressure left Grace tasting isolation for the first time.

Everyone was turning their backs on her. Everyone was waiting to watch her fall.

Grace had no desire to stay in the apartment. She drove straight to the Lane Group, planning to retreat to her office and calmly reassess the situation. But the moment she stepped into the building, she sensed something was off.

Employees passing by deliberately avoided her gaze. They huddled together in whispered conversations, their looks furtive and strange, dripping with mockery and schadenfreude.

On any other day, Grace would have exploded in public and demanded accountability. But right now, her mind was in turmoil. She couldn't be bothered with the petty behavior of low-level staff. She strode quickly into her top-floor executive office, her face dark.

She locked the door behind her and opened the top financial news headline. The next second, a scarlet rage consumed every ounce of her rationality.

The top trending story across the entire internet was an official announcement from Neville, CEO of PrimeUniverse Holdings. The content was simple and direct: he publicly confirmed his relationship with Jasmine and announced their engagement date. A grand engagement banquet would be held in half a month, open to the public, with invitations extended to all media outlets and business colleagues.

Attached below the post was a photo of the two of them standing side by side—a perfect match, unbearably glaring.

"Neville!"

Grace's voice cracked into a snarl. Her chest heaved violently. Her hands gripped the mouse so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Everyone in City A knew that Neville had previously been forced into an arranged marriage—with Grace as the intended bride.

Now, Neville was publicly announcing his relationship with Jasmine and hosting a lavish engagement party. It was tantamount to slapping Grace in the face in front of the entire business world, trampling her dignity in the most humiliating way possible.

This wasn't just a public relationship announcement. It was a signal Neville was sending to the world—he was openly backing Jasmine and positioning himself as Grace's enemy.

Grace paced back and forth in her office, her mind racing through calculations. She knew Jasmine's true identity better than anyone. She also knew that once Louisa fully recovered, the first thing she'd do was expose the truth and restore Jasmine's rightful status.

Now that Neville was publicly supporting Jasmine, he'd effectively wrapped her in the strongest protective shell imaginable. With PrimeUniverse Holdings backing her and Louisa's testimony to corroborate everything, Grace—the imposter—would be cast into the abyss in an instant, left with nothing.

She couldn't just sit and wait for death.

Absolutely not.

Grace stopped abruptly. A vicious, murderous glint flashed in her eyes. If threats kept piling up endlessly, then she'd cut them off at the root. As long as Jasmine was dead, all the problems would be solved.

Time flowed slowly. Days passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside a hospital room at City Central Hospital, Jean and Louisa chatted and laughed together.

Thanks to a specialized rehabilitation plan and Jean's meticulous care, Louisa's physical recovery had far exceeded everyone's expectations. Her speech had been partially restored—she could now articulate short sentences coherently. Her limbs could move slightly as well, though her nerves hadn't fully healed yet, so she didn't yet meet the criteria for discharge.

Jean stayed in the room to keep Louisa company while remaining vigilant against the attending physician leaking information and watching out for any moves Grace might make. Jean and Louisa had set aside all past grievances and were getting along well.

One afternoon, Jean gently wiped the back of Louisa's hand while sharing some outside news with a smile. "Lou, let me tell you some happy news. Nev officially announced it online—he and Jasmine have set an engagement date. They're holding an engagement banquet in half a month."

At the mention of Jasmine, Louisa's eyes instantly filled with warm tenderness.

She was already desperate to make up for the more than twenty years she'd lost with her daughter.

Louisa moved her dry lips. Her speech was slow but resolute. She enunciated clearly. "I want to attend the engagement party."

Jean's hand paused. She instinctively tried to dissuade her. "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. The doctor doesn't recommend you go out. How about I send them your blessings on your behalf?"

"No." Louisa's attitude was firm. Her eyes held an unyielding determination. "Jasmine's engagement party—I have to be there in person."