Chapter 75
In a secluded corner, Gregory shot Paul a cold, sidelong glance, then turned to Sophia: "Don't tell me this is the guy you invested with and lost money."
Sophia stammered.
I looked at Paul coolly, my voice measured: "Why don't you tell us why she has to give you a million dollars? Blackmail? Or is there another reason? You'd better tell the truth."
Paul's expression shifted, but he quickly put on a smile: "Ms. Wilson, to be honest, this million dollars... I borrowed it from Ms. Brown..."
Seeing him say this, Sophia quickly chimed in: "Yes, yes, that's right, he... he needed to borrow money for something, and I didn't have that much at the moment, so I had to say it this way."
I laughed out loud—what a ridiculous excuse: "Then which one of you wants to tell me what reason Ms. Brown has to lend you this million dollars?"
Sophia's face turned deathly pale, stammering without being able to get words out.
Gregory took a deep breath: "In the private room, I heard your conversation, or rather, to push it back further, I heard him on the phone. Still won't tell the truth?"
I feigned surprise: "If that's the case, then he's definitely blackmailing you. He seemed to be threatening you on the phone, something about a sister? What exactly did you two do?"
Sophia's face grew even paler.
Seeing that things weren't going well, Paul quickly turned to leave.
Gregory stepped in front of him: "If you still won't talk, then we'll call the police now. For blackmail involving such a large amount, you'll probably be locked up for quite a while."
Before Paul could speak, Sophia rushed forward and frantically pressed down Gregory's hand, frowning pitifully and shaking her head: "Gregory, we can't call the police."
Paul had lost his earlier humble demeanor, his eyes turning fierce as he smiled smugly at Gregory: "Call the police? Let's see who's more scared. You'd better think carefully—if you really call the police, who knows who'll end up inside first. Why don't you ask Ms. Brown right now if I'm blackmailing her or not?"
Sophia shrieked: "Shut up."
Gregory backed Paul into the corner step by step: "You'd better explain everything clearly right now."
Paul pushed him away with his hand and snorted coldly: "You're her man, right? In that case, the million dollars she still owes me, you should just pay it now. All you need to know is that I have evidence on her. If I go in, the first person the police will question is her. And she's the main culprit—I just took money to do a job."
"Paul, you're still with my company. You'd better explain everything clearly." I warned coldly.
Gregory blocked his path with a cold expression: "You'd better think carefully. One wrong move and you'll face legal consequences. Does this million dollars have anything to do with Emma?"
Sophia's face instantly turned deathly pale, tears bursting from her eyes in that moment. She grabbed Gregory's arm tightly: "Don't listen to his nonsense. This money... this money is from loan sharks I borrowed from. Yes, please don't ask anymore. I'll give you an explanation when we get back. Please, Gregory."
This time, Gregory remained unmoved, his gaze still piercing as he stared at Paul: "Is that so?"
I laughed coldly: "Paul, I have your bank account number on my phone right now. As soon as I transfer the money to you, it'll confirm your blackmail charge. If you don't believe me, we can try. I can make sure you don't get out for ten years."
Paul's expression kept changing. I guessed he must be conflicted—clearly Sophia didn't have the money. Gregory seemed to treat Sophia well, but Paul wasn't sure whether Gregory would still protect her unconditionally after learning the truth. Getting no money while ruining himself wouldn't be worth it.
"Don't want to talk or don't dare to talk? Forget it, let's just call the police." I took out my phone, about to dial without hesitation.
"No." Sophia reacted faster than Paul, reaching out to grab my phone.
I dodged to the side, giving her a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, the police will investigate everything and clear your name. If he can extort you once, there'll be a second and third time. I'll help you eliminate this at the root. I'll get you the best lawyer and make sure you come out unscathed."
Paul gradually relaxed, standing at an angle as he looked at Sophia: "Should I tell them, or will you explain yourself?"
Their behavior was obviously off. Gregory repeated his initial question to Sophia: "Sophia, is this about your sister?"
Sophia opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Gregory added coldly: "You'd better think carefully before you answer. I hate deception the most."
Sophia seemed to lose her voice, tears falling one by one.
I looked at Paul: "You tell us. If you tell me well, I'll transfer the money to you immediately."
Paul glanced at Sophia and quickly made his choice: "Three years ago, she paid me to kidnap someone."
"Shut up—" Hearing Paul was really going to expose her, Sophia shouted sharply, "You're talking nonsense. I'll sue you for slander. You're just a security guard—I'll make sure you die in prison."
Paul sneered and moved away from her, continuing, "Ms. Wilson, every word I'm saying is true. She gave me money to have people specifically wait at the hotel entrance and approach anyone they saw wearing a wedding dress."
Sophia's face lost almost all color. She couldn't care about what Paul was saying anymore, just looked at Gregory pitifully while shaking her head: "Don't believe him. He must be someone my sister deliberately found. Yes, it's Emma. She got this person to blackmail me, saying that if I don't give him money, she'll frame me for kidnapping. She ran away from home herself, as you know. She's just that despicable, always trying to scheme against me."
Gregory showed no reaction to Sophia's words, instead staring coldly at Paul: "What happened next?"
"Later, my friend and I grabbed the person. This woman even came over and disfigured her sister. Talk about ruthless—she's way more ruthless than I am. Cutting her up knife by knife, I was shaking just watching. She even crippled her hands in the end, right here, stabbed right through... After that, she gave us another sum of money and had us sell her to Solstice."
Paul glanced sideways at Sophia, spilling everything, then looked at me hopefully: "Ms. Wilson, I've told you everything I know. So the money..."
I just casually looked at Gregory, watching his dark expression as he gripped Sophia's wrist, veins bulging on the back of his hand: "Is what he said true? You disfigured Emma? You sold Emma?"
I suppressed my rising smile: "How do I know what you're saying is true? What if, as Ms. Brown said, Emma instructed you to specifically frame her?"
Paul quickly pulled up photos saved on his phone: "This is a video of our street transaction. I arranged it in advance. The person lying there is Emma."
The video wasn't particularly clear—obviously shot with a hidden camera—but Sophia's face was captured in crystal-clear detail.
Gregory looked at her, almost grinding his teeth: "What else do you have to say?"
"I..." Sophia opened her mouth, her eyelids rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.