Chapter 118 I Know Everything
When Steven arrived at Radiant Beauty Spa, Heather was playing cards with three ladies in the entertainment room.
Even through the door, he could hear the laughter and cheerful voices inside.
Juniper gently knocked on the door with her knuckles, then pushed it open softly. "Ms. Wilson, Steven is here."
Heather had just played a card. She turned around and saw Steven standing behind Juniper.
Steven had changed his glasses. His gentle eyes still held a smile as he called out "Mom," then nodded politely and gentlemanly to greet the other three ladies.
"I've long heard that Steven is handsome, refined, humble and polite. Seeing him today, it's all true."
"Absolutely! Heather, you really raised a wonderful son."
"Steven, do you know how to play cards? Let your mom get up and you can play a few rounds with us."
The ladies saw him and praised him enthusiastically without holding back.
Steven smiled. "I appreciate your kind words, ladies, but I really don't know how to play cards. I came today because I have something very important to discuss with my mom. I'm really sorry."
Heather's expression was gentle, her tone warm. "What's the matter?"
"It's about Rachel. I wanted to come in person to confirm something with you."
In front of so many people, Steven's voice remained steady, and he didn't show any unusual emotion.
Heather withdrew her gaze from him and smiled at the three ladies at the table. "Let me excuse myself for a moment. I'll have Juniper play with you, and I'll be back shortly."
"No problem, no problem. You go ahead."
"Juniper, come take Heather's place."
"Was it my turn to play?"
After Heather handed the game over to Juniper, she got up and walked to the door, glancing at him.
She seemed to catch something meaningful hidden in his eyes beneath that faint smile.
She frowned slightly but didn't linger, walking straight to the office next door. She verified her fingerprint and pushed the door open.
She poured herself a glass of water and moistened her throat before asking, "How is Rachel? Did the doctor say when she can be discharged?"
Since giving away over ten million dollars that day, she hadn't been to the hospital.
Her excuse was that the spa was preparing for Christmas activities.
However, every morning she would video call to check on Rachel, and she had Uma send different kinds of food to the hospital every day.
It appeared that she, as a mother-in-law, was extremely attentive to her daughter-in-law.
From the moment he entered, Steven's face had darkened, and his slightly smiling eyes became inscrutable.
In the large office, there was a moment of silence.
He clenched his fists, his voice somewhat heavy. "I know everything now. What Radiant Beauty Spa is running on the basement level—I've found it all out."
Hearing this, Heather's pupils trembled. Her hand holding the water glass froze in mid-air as she looked at him in shock. "How... how did you find out?"
Steven's upright shoulders slowly slumped.
That last bit of hope in his heart completely shattered.
When he heard Jonathan's investigation results, he had been struck as if by lightning.
He couldn't believe that his mother, such a gentle and elegant person, would be involved in such a dirty business.
It was also hard to imagine that such a high-end, refined spa would hide unknown secrets underground.
Now, whenever he thought of Rachel's emotionally broken and desperate face, his heart felt empty.
"A few days ago, someone reported Rachel to the police for illegal operations. Stargaze Gallery and several stores under her name are all under investigation."
The shock on Heather's face intensified, along with some anger. "Why are you only telling me about something this big now? How far has the police investigation gone? Did they find out who reported it?"
Steven looked at her expression.
A trace of disappointment crossed his eyes.
He had always thought that Heather doted on Rachel like her own daughter because she genuinely liked her.
Heather's concern for her was also based on self-interest.
How ridiculous.
Rachel had married him wholeheartedly, but in the end, not a single person was sincere with her.
That heavy, deep shackle of guilt pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
Heather impatiently urged from the side, "I'm asking you a question!"
Steven suddenly lost his composure.
Anger rose from his heart. "Then why didn't you tell me about something this big, Mom? Why did you drag Rachel into this mess? What did she do wrong? Why would you treat her like this?"
Heather was stunned by his outburst and said sternly, "How have I treated her? She doesn't have to do anything, and Radiant Beauty Spa gives her millions of dollars in dividends every six months. Haven't I been a good enough mother-in-law?"
"You wanted to use her as a scapegoat!"
Legally speaking, this was called sharing both benefits and risks.
At first, he had wondered how a spa that had only been open for half a year could already be making profits.
On the way here, he had figured it all out.
The so-called dividends from Radiant Beauty Spa actually included profits from the illegal operations.
Steven looked pained and confused. "Mom, Rachel is your daughter-in-law. Haven't you always treated her like your own daughter? How could you use her like this?"
Heather's expression grew serious.
She had thought the operations on the basement level were absolutely secret.
How did Steven find out?
What was the real purpose of that person who reported them?
Could it be...
She suddenly thought of Rachel.
Impossible!
Rachel was in the hospital now. Steven's affair and her miscarriage had already hit her hard. Where would she get the energy to plan all this?
Besides, if she made a fuss about this and brought the police to their door, what good would it do her?
Once Radiant Beauty Spa was investigated, as a shareholder who had received dividends from illegal operations, she couldn't escape responsibility.
She wouldn't do something so stupid.
After dismissing this thought, she calmed herself and looked into Steven's bloodshot eyes, asking calmly, "Why do you think I opened this spa and ran these illegal operations?"