Chapter 110: Photograph

Ruth finished watering the last rosebush, set the spray bottle back on the flower stand, brushed the dirt off her hands, and headed inside.

As she passed through the living room, she spotted a document on the coffee table.

It must have been something Shawn left behind when he went out this morning. The Grey Group logo was printed on the cover.

Ruth picked it up and flipped through it, just a project progress report, nothing particularly noteworthy.

She thought for a moment. It had been quite a while since she'd visited the Grey family estate. Why not use this as an excuse to drop by?

After all, who knew what she might discover?

Ruth went upstairs to change, grabbed the document, and headed out.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Grey Group building.

Shawn sat in his office, staring at an anonymous email on his computer screen.

The subject line contained just one word.

Photos.

Shawn opened the attachment. Several high-resolution photos instantly filled the screen.

The dimly lit bar booth. Him and Vivian wrapped in each other's arms. The angle was crystal clear, both their faces unmistakable...

Shawn stared at the photos, a vein throbbing at his temple.

He scrolled down. The email body contained only a single line.

[Wire three million dollars to this account, or these photos will appear in your wife's inbox.]

Shawn closed his eyes, forcing down his rage, then grabbed his phone and dialed Tim Scott's number.

"Tim, I need you to look into something. Someone sent me anonymous photos, trying to shake me down for three million. I'm sending you an IP address. Track it down. And that account registration info, check that too."

Tim acknowledged.

After hanging up, Shawn closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

Who the hell would do this?

He mulled it over for a long while but came up empty.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door.

Shawn snapped back to attention.

"Come in."

The door opened. Assuming it was Caleb, Shawn didn't even look up.

"Leave the file on the desk."

The moment he finished speaking, a document appeared before him, along with a familiar figure.

Shawn's head jerked up. The instant he saw Ruth, joy flashed in his eyes.

Then he remembered his computer screen was still on. He froze.

Instinctively, he clicked to minimize the email window, switching the display to his desktop wallpaper.

After completing this maneuver, Shawn shot to his feet. "Ruth, what are you doing here?"

Ruth acted as if she hadn't noticed anything unusual. She pointed at the document on the desk. "You left this behind when you went out this morning. I happened to see it, so I figured I'd bring it over."

Shawn glanced down at the file, secretly relieved.

"Just for this? Why didn't you have one of the staff bring it? Why make the trip yourself?"

"I didn't have anything going on anyway. Thought I'd get some fresh air."

Ruth smiled, her gaze casually sweeping across his computer screen.

The email was gone now, but she could have sworn she'd glimpsed a few photos just moments ago.

When Shawn didn't respond, she looked up. "What? Am I not welcome at the company?"

Shawn let out an awkward laugh. "How could that be? Come whenever you want. This company is yours too." He took a step toward her, about to reach for her hand, when the door swung open again.

Tim burst in, his tone urgent. "Mr. Grey, I've tracked down that IP, "

He stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Ruth standing in the office.

Shawn's expression changed. He quickly cut in, "You found out why that project partner backed out of the deal?"

Tim immediately caught on. "Right, right. Mr. Grey, I was just coming to tell you about that."

Shawn nodded, then turned to Ruth, his tone resuming its usual gentleness. "Ruth, why don't you head back? I'll come home early tonight."

Ruth knew perfectly well he was trying to get rid of her, but she wasn't interested in dragging this out. "Alright then. You two get back to work."

With that, she walked out.

Shawn watched until Ruth left without showing any suspicion, then finally exhaled in relief.

Once outside, Ruth pulled out her phone and sent Caleb a message.

[Keep tabs on what Shawn and Tim have been looking into lately.]

After sending it, she locked her screen and stepped into the elevator.

Back in the office.

The moment the door closed, the warmth vanished from Shawn's face.

He looked at Tim. "What did you find?"

Tim handed over his tablet. "The IP address traces back to the area near that bar..."

As the man droned on.

Shawn couldn't help wondering, could this be Vivian's doing?

He hadn't given that woman any money recently. If she needed cash, she'd definitely pull something like this. Plus, she'd been angling for a bigger role in his life.

With that thought, Shawn grabbed his car keys and strode out of the office.

At Vivian's apartment.

She was curled up on the couch, leisurely eating fruit, when the doorbell rang. She languidly got up to answer it.

The moment she saw Shawn standing at the door, her eyes lit up. Before she could speak, he pushed past her with a cold expression.

"Shawn..." His demeanor left her somewhat bewildered.

Shawn shut the door and shoved his phone screen right in Vivian's face. "Tell me. Was this you?"

The screen displayed that photo from the bar.

The instant Vivian registered what she was seeing, she let out a shocked shriek. "Shawn, who took this? How could there be intimate photos of us?"

Seeing her reaction, Shawn frowned. "You didn't hire someone to take these photos?"

Vivian's voice rose in protest. "Shawn, how could you think that of me? How could I possibly do something like this? What would I gain from photos like these? If they got back to my sister and she made a scene, would I come out ahead?"

Her earnest tone dispelled some of his suspicion.

When he didn't respond, Vivian added, "Shawn, you should focus on figuring out how to handle this. If these photos really end up in my sister's hands, we'll be in serious trouble..."

Shawn looked down, silent for a few seconds.

Vivian probably didn't have the guts to pull something this bold... If this really blew up, like she said, she wouldn't benefit either.

"It better not be you." Shawn pocketed his phone, his tone icy. "I'll handle this. Don't go stirring up trouble with your sister."

With that, he turned and left without a backward glance.

But Shawn failed to notice the smile spreading across Vivian's face the moment he turned away.

Three million dollars.

Shawn would pay it, wouldn't he? After all, he was terrified of Ruth finding out about any of this.