Chapter 180

Chapter 180

The prison interior was heavily guarded—high walls, iron mesh, enclosed and oppressive on all sides. The visitation room was separated by thick tempered glass, the atmosphere cold and deathly still.

When Lisa saw through the glass who had come to visit, she froze completely. She never imagined that Neville, the man who controlled PrimeUniverse Holdings, would make a special trip to the prison to see her.

After a brief moment of shock, Lisa picked up the phone, her tone bitter and laced with venom. "Mr. Cooper's so busy running an empire—what brings you to a place like this to see a convict like me?"

Neville's tone was indifferent. "I'm just curious. You gave everything, gambled your entire fortune to support Grace, and ended up behind bars. Meanwhile, she's out there living free. How does that feel?"

Those words struck precisely at the rawest wound in Lisa's heart. She instantly lost control, grinding her teeth. "I was blind! From beginning to end, I misjudged that ungrateful snake!"

At this moment, Lisa had no trace of maternal affection left for Grace—only hatred carved deep into her bones.

A calculating glint flashed through Neville's eyes. His expression remained neutral as he deliberately fanned the flames, stoking the fury in Lisa's heart. "You don't know yet, do you? Grace recently liquidated all her stock holdings, cashing out hundreds of billions in assets. Now she's got money and time. She spends every day at high-end clubs, living the high life."

"Hundreds of billions?!"

Lisa's pupils contracted sharply. Rage exploded in her chest, her emotions spiraling completely out of control. "Why?! What gives her the right to live so comfortably? Why does a murderer get to walk free!"

Murderer. The word rang clearly in Neville's ears.

Neville leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp as a hawk's. "You said Grace has blood on her hands? What do you mean?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lisa's eyes flashed with alarm. She clamped her mouth shut, regret flickering across her face. She went silent, refusing to respond no matter how much Neville pressed.

Neville had already figured out her greedy, selfish nature. Unhurried, he threw out an irresistibly tempting offer. "Lisa, I'm giving you a chance for revenge. Tell me everything, exactly as it happened, and I'll use every connection I have to hire you top-tier lawyers to reduce your sentence. I'll grease every wheel in this prison. I guarantee that in as little as six months, I can get you paroled and out of here. Plus, I'll give you enough money to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

Freedom. Wealth. Both struck Lisa's final weak spot with precision.

Lisa gripped the phone tightly, her mind battling fiercely for several minutes. Finally, the hatred and greed in her heart won out. She let out a cold laugh, dropped all her defenses, and finally opened up, spilling a case that had been buried for years.

"It happened when Grace was in high school." Lisa's eyes turned dark, her tone icy. "Back then, Grace was obsessed with being the best at everything. Her pride was pathological. In the school-wide exams, she was always stuck in second place. First place always went to this quiet girl who consistently outperformed her."

"The school offered a huge scholarship, but only the top student could claim it. Grace wanted that money all to herself—and she wanted to crush the girl who kept beating her. So she invited the girl to hang out by the reservoir on the outskirts of town. When no one was around, she attacked from behind and pushed her straight into the water."

Neville's gaze darkened sharply. "No one noticed anything suspicious?"

"No." Lisa shook her head, a mocking smile curling her lips. "It was pouring rain that day. The ground around the reservoir was slippery. Grace had her story ready. She told everyone the girl slipped and fell in while they were hanging out. Since it was raining, there were no witnesses, and the rain washed away all the evidence. In the end, the police, the girl's parents—everyone ruled it an accidental drowning. Plus, Louisa felt so guilty at the time that she paid the girl's family a huge sum of money, so they didn't question it further. The case was closed as an accident."

A premeditated murder, covered up so easily for over a decade.

Neville's breath hitched. He forced down the shock rising in his chest and pressed on in a low voice. "If everyone back then ruled it an accident, what makes you so sure Grace did it? Do you have any actual evidence?"

At the mention of evidence, a crazed, triumphant smile spread across Lisa's face, her tone dripping with arrogance. "Of course I have evidence. I don't trust anyone in this life except myself—and my money. On the drive back that day, the dashcam recorded everything. Grace admitted what she did out loud. She described the whole process of pushing the girl into the water."

"I locked that dashcam in the deepest part of my personal safe. I knew from the start that ungrateful snake would turn on me eventually. I kept that evidence to keep her in check."

Neville looked at Lisa through the glass—nearly mad, consumed by paranoia—and his mind remained crystal clear.

Lisa's psyche had twisted over years of scheming and suspicion, selfishness carved into her very bones. In her eyes, family meant nothing. Only money and leverage over others gave her any sense of security.

Neville reined in his thoughts, his voice cold and cutting. "Give me the safe's passcode."

——

The Dawson Villa was a mess, expensive ornaments scattered everywhere. Monica and Terry had called in secondhand dealers and were busy cataloging assets, planning to sell everything off, split the proceeds, and sever all ties.

The gate swung open. Neville walked in alone. Monica and Terry immediately went on alert, dismissing the dealers and standing shoulder to shoulder in the center of the living room, eyes full of wariness.

Monica's face was icy, her tone hostile. "What are you doing here?"

Neville didn't bother with pleasantries. He pulled out a check and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of them. "I don't want the Dawson family assets. Hand over the dashcam from the safe in this house, and this money is yours."

Monica frowned and shook her head, her tone firm. "I don't know anything about a safe or a dashcam. You've got the wrong place."

But Terry, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, greed glinting in his eyes. "I know where it is."

He looked up at Neville, opening his mouth wide. "Give me an extra hundred thousand dollars, and I'll get it for you."

Neville's expression didn't change. He pulled out his phone and transferred the money immediately.

The moment the notification chimed, Terry walked over to the safe in the corner without hesitation, entered the passcode, opened it, and pulled out an old dashcam. He tossed it to Neville carelessly. "Don't come back."

With the critical evidence in hand, Neville went straight to the municipal police station, met directly with the head of criminal investigation, and laid out the entire drowning case from over a decade ago.

The police took it seriously. They immediately powered up the device and analyzed the stored data.

Audio and video footage appeared clearly, completely recording Grace pushing the victim into the water all those years ago.

Officers cross-referenced the old case files and discovered that on the day of the incident, Grace had already turned eighteen—fully criminally responsible. The case met all conditions for prosecution.

The police immediately reopened the case. The prosecutor's office filed a protest in parallel, overturning the previous suspended sentence and reopening the trial against Grace.

Once the news broke, the internet exploded.

The once-adored Lane family heiress instantly became a cold-blooded murderer. The family of the girl who died all those years ago came forward online, condemning the injustice they'd endured for over a decade and demanding the court sentence Grace to death. Public opinion was unanimous.

Three months later, the final verdict was delivered in court.

The presiding judge brought down the gavel, his voice authoritative and resounding. "The defendant, Grace, is found guilty of premeditated murder, intentional assault, and multiple economic crimes. She was an adult at the time of the crimes. The nature of her offenses is heinous. She has shown no remorse to this day. With combined sentencing, she is sentenced to death, to be carried out immediately."

Cheers erupted throughout the courtroom. Years of public grievance were finally laid to rest.

Inside the villa, Jasmine and Neville watched the news alert, their emotions tangled. Jasmine thought it over repeatedly and ultimately couldn't help worrying about Louisa. Even though Grace had committed countless evils, the two had spent over a decade together—there had to be some shred of feeling left.

She quickly walked over to Louisa and, without a word, wrapped her arms tightly around her.

Louisa gently raised her hand and stroked Jasmine's back, her tone calm and clear. "Don't worry about me. Grace brought this on herself."

Jasmine's heart eased. She nestled into her mother's embrace. All the shadows finally lifted. They no longer had to be dragged down by hatred and conspiracy.

One year later.

Neville and Jasmine held a grand wedding.

Louisa stepped back from the frontlines, handing the Lane Group over to Jasmine to run while she stayed on the sidelines to support her.

The following year, Jasmine gave birth to twins—a boy and a girl. Jean spent every day happily caring for the children, no longer interested in high society socializing.

Meanwhile, Christian was arrested for drug trafficking, which unraveled a long chain of criminal activity. PrimeUniverse Holdings reclaimed all of Christian's shares, and the Cooper family's holdings were consolidated entirely under Neville's control.

Over the following decades, PrimeUniverse Holdings and the Lane Group flourished, becoming the leading corporations in their fields. Neville and Jasmine remained as devoted to each other as ever, becoming the model couple in everyone's eyes.