Chapter 160: Is It Worth It for Him?
There was indeed half a bottle of unmarked pills left in Oliver's room—white tablets, just like what Chloe and the others had described.
Wearing gloves, Tessa sealed the pills in an evidence bag, preparing to wait with the traffic police for the detectives to arrive and collect them.
They sat downstairs for a while before Ryan's phone rang. The caller ID showed it was from The Gilded Lounge.
He answered and listened to the report. Within moments, he hung up and gave Tessa a nod.
"Let's head to The Gilded Lounge first. They're saying Grace showed up."
A flicker of excitement stirred in Tessa's chest. The person they'd been searching for had finally surfaced.
Still, they couldn't just abandon the Saunders family situation. Tessa lowered her voice as she instructed Chloe.
"The police will be here soon. Whatever they investigate, just cooperate. We've got another lead to follow up on, so we're heading out."
Though The Gilded Lounge was one of Majestic City's premier clubs, the surrounding area was complicated—a bar street out front, and behind it, blocks where lowlifes frequently gathered.
On the way to the club, Ryan called in Adam's remaining men stationed in Majestic City.
The numbers weren't huge, but they'd be enough to handle the current situation.
"You go in and find Grace. I'll lock down the perimeter and make sure no one slips away."
In the car, Ryan and Tessa divided their responsibilities.
Once they arrived at The Gilded Lounge, Tessa headed straight for the main entrance.
The manager was waiting by the door. The moment he saw her, his face broke into a relieved smile.
"Ms. Garcia, thank God you're here! I've been on edge this whole time, terrified Grace would slip away!"
Jerry was still lying in the police morgue. Who wanted to end up like him?
This wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Tessa followed the manager to the door of a high-end private room.
"Grace didn't order anything today except a few bottles of liquor. She's been alone in there. Ms. Garcia, do you need us to come in with you?"
Tessa knew the manager just wanted a front-row seat to the drama. She refused his offer without hesitation and pushed the door open alone.
The face inside the room was all too familiar.
It was Stella.
Evan's sister. Ethan's childhood sweetheart—though she was a few years younger than him.
Empty bottles littered the table. At the sound of someone entering, Stella lifted her head.
The instant she saw Tessa, her eyes flickered with surprise.
"So you're Grace. Grace is your alias." Tessa said.
Stella shot to her feet and lunged forward in a panic.
Despite her small frame, she hit with surprising force.
Tessa staggered sideways from the impact, stumbling until the wall steadied her.
Stella had already shoved past the manager and servers waiting at the door, fleeing toward the bar's entrance.
Halfway there, she must have realized Tessa would have backup. She pivoted sharply and bolted for the back door instead.
Tessa gave chase, following Stella all the way to the rear exit.
Stella shoved the back door open and rushed out.
Tessa followed—only to find Ryan pinning Stella down.
Clutching her pounding chest, Tessa glanced at Stella and let out a soft sigh.
"Running that fast? Looks like you've got secrets you're hiding from us."
Ryan held Stella's arm firmly. She struggled to lift her head, and a vague, humorless laugh escaped her lips.
"I always knew this day would come."
"Ryan, bring her back inside."
They returned to the original private room—only this time, Ryan's men had surrounded the place so tightly a fly couldn't escape.
Unless Stella had magic powers, she wasn't getting out of here.
"You going to confess yourself, or should I lay it all out first?" Tessa asked.
Stella's panic had vanished. Now she looked oddly relaxed, like she was on a camping trip.
"Don't act like you're interrogating a criminal. Neither of you has any legal authority."
"I know you're here about Jerry. I'll admit it—I'm the one who sent him."
Stella's blunt honesty saved Tessa a lot of trouble. She appreciated the straightforwardness.
"Why did you want to smear the Arkbridge Group executives' reputations? As far as I know, Victor never wronged you."
Stella let out a long, bitter sound. "So that poor bastard's name is Victor."
"I didn't really mean to hurt him specifically. I just couldn't stand the thought of people like you getting the development rights to that land. It disgusted me."
A surge of intense hatred flared in her eyes as she locked onto Tessa.
"I heard you used all kinds of underhanded tactics during the bidding process."
"The Robinson Group got destroyed because of your methods. If it wasn't for you, Ethan never would have gone down the wrong path..."
Hearing that long-absent name again, Tessa studied the indignant young woman before her.
"So you set Jerry on the Arkbridge Group because of Ethan?"
Stella's tone grew more aggressive. "What right do you have to say his name? You murderer. Why weren't you the one who died?"
"I picked the wrong strategy back then. I should've had Jerry kill you instead, so you could keep Ethan company. Then he wouldn't be lonely!"
A chill ran down Tessa's spine. She couldn't believe Stella's mind harbored such dark thoughts.
"Ethan kidnapped me. The police and Ryan tracked him down to that estate to rescue me. Ethan killed himself because he didn't want to face the consequences of his crimes."
The case had been closed for a long time. Tessa never imagined Stella's appearance would drag her back to those memories.
Ethan had been dead for nearly half a year. Who would've thought someone would still want to avenge him now?
Tessa looked at Stella like she was looking at a fool.
"Throwing away your own life for a man who never loved you—willing to kill another person for his sake. Do you really think it's worth it?"
For him—is it worth it?
Stella pressed her lips together tightly, refusing to believe a word Tessa said.
"Kill me if you want. Do whatever you like. But you'll never tarnish the perfect image of Ethan in my heart!"
Stella screamed at them both.