Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Philip let out a short laugh, shook his head, and turned to leave. He'd taken a couple of steps when he stopped and looked back, as if something had just crossed his mind. "Oh, right — if you can't pull this off, don't bother coming back to the company. Your cousin's been sitting around with nothing to do anyway. Time to let him get some experience."

Serenity's mind went completely blank. It finally hit her — Philip hadn't made this trip for the project. He was here to clear a path for his grandson. If the project fell through, he'd have every reason to push her out and bring the cousin in.

"Grandpa!"

Her voice shot up.

Philip glanced back at her and scoffed. "What are you yelling for? You can't get the job done — why shouldn't someone else take your place?"

People in the hallway were already peeking over. Serenity clenched her back teeth hard, swallowed everything she wanted to say, and forced a smile. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll handle it. I won't let you down."

Philip looked her up and down with the kind of look you'd give an out-of-season piece of clothing you were about to throw away. He said nothing and walked off.

Serenity shut her office door. Her eyes were burning red with fury. She wanted to drag whoever had stolen that project in and make them pay.

"Find out who took the Powell family's overseas project — now!"

Her assistant watched Serenity fuming and chose her words carefully before speaking up.

"Ms. Powell, we do know who took it. The problem is, I don't think we're in any position to go up against them."

Mia said it cautiously, but Serenity didn't look the least bit concerned.

"Who's got that kind of nerve?"

The Powell family had done their overseas market research well in advance. There was no way someone could just waltz in and take it. And even if they had, there had to be room to fight back.

But the name Mia said next stopped her cold.

"How can it be him?"

When she heard Trent's name, Serenity froze.

She'd run through plenty of people who might be working against her behind the scenes. Trent had never crossed her mind.

"Got it. You can go."

After Mia left, Serenity couldn't let it go. She picked up her phone and called Trent.

The first two calls went unanswered. On the third, his lazy, unhurried voice finally came through.

"What do you want?"

"Mr. Smith, was it you who took the Powell family's overseas project?"

Serenity got straight to the point.

Trent's voice didn't shift at all.

"So what if it was?"

He was admitting it.

Serenity felt a twitch between her brows. She softened her tone.

"Mr. Smith, if you're looking to expand overseas, we could work together. Why take my business when we could both benefit?"

Trent let out a short, dismissive laugh.

"With what the Smith Group has, why would we need to partner with you? You're a small operation."

His words landed like a punch.

Serenity pushed back. "The overseas market is huge. Even with the Smith Group's resources, you can't lock it all down overnight."

She paused, then continued. "If you work with the Powell family, it's a win for both sides. We do have an established presence overseas, after all."

That was the one card she felt confident playing.

But she'd underestimated Trent.

"Not interested."

"Mr. Smith, why be so harsh about it? If that doesn't work for you, we can talk about something else. I'm open to other arrangements — including myself."

The suggestion in her words was hard to miss. It turned Trent's stomach.

"Who do you think you are? You've got nothing going for you, and you think you can get into my bed?"

He let out a cold laugh. "Serenity, I let all your disgusting little moves slide before. But the moment you went after my wife, you crossed a line."

He hung up.

Every call after that went nowhere.

She muttered a curse under her breath. "Damn it."

She'd assumed Trent had no idea she'd been quietly targeting Abigail. But somehow, in just one night, he'd already figured out everything.

And now, right on cue, he'd taken the Powell family's overseas project.

This was a warning. Plain and simple.

But Serenity wasn't ready to back down.

Her mind went to Bianca, who was staying at her place.

She'd never paid much attention to Bianca, just kept her comfortable — all because Bianca was carrying Trent's child.

But if Trent was going to push her this hard, then she wasn't going to be gentle with whatever was in Bianca's belly either.

If she couldn't have it, she'd destroy it.

Serenity made up her mind. The corner of her mouth curved up, her eyes going cold and sharp.

Trent had no idea what she was planning. He was focused on Abigail, who was walking toward him, looking completely worn out, and his expression filled with concern.

"Abigail, are you okay?"

Abigail met his eyes and waved it off.

"I'm fine. They've just put me on suspension for now."

She said it like it was nothing, but there was a tiredness in her voice she couldn't hide.

Trent had been there when everything went down that morning. He'd stood up for Abigail before getting pulled away by something at the company. Later, through Aiden, he found out she'd gone home, and he came straight back.

Serenity had called while he was still on his way.

"It was Serenity."

He said it quietly, but to Abigail, it hit like a stone dropping.

"The patient who jumped — someone pushed him on her orders. The family who showed up to cause a scene — she paid them. From the moment you were called in for that shift, to everything blowing up on the livestream — she was behind all of it."

Abigail opened her mouth. Nothing came out at first.

She thought about the young face on the operating table. The woman's gut-wrenching screams. The crowd closing in around her, phones shoved in her face from every direction.

All of it staged.

The moment it sank in, Abigail felt the hairs on her arms stand on end.

She didn't even know where to begin.

That woman and that middle-aged man had looked so devastated, so desperate — like they were torn apart by grief. And they were the ones behind the whole thing.

"Don't be scared. I've already handed the evidence over to the police."

No one had thought to question whether the death was actually a suicide, but once Trent sensed something was off, he'd dug until he had the full picture. Their methods weren't exactly sophisticated, and the security footage said it all.

Abigail was about to say something when her phone rang. It was the police.