Chapter 180 Found It

Chapter 180 Found It

Meanwhile, at the top floor of Knightley Group.

Felix slid several shipping invoices across the desk to Zoe. "Mrs. Lames's two distribution lines started supplying Campbell last night. Batch numbers, drivers, warehouse records—it's all here."

Zoe flipped through a few pages, her expression darkening. "That's impossible. Laurent never approved this."

"Mary Lames went around you." Felix leaned back in his chair. "She used her own private company to take the orders, then had Laurent's old channels handle customs clearance for her."

Zoe closed the folder. "I'll look into it."

"You'd better move fast." Felix's gaze was heavy. "Once Campbell stabilizes their production capacity, they'll pour more money into public opinion and witness pipelines."

Zoe glanced at him. "Mr. Knightley, are you telling me how to do my job now?"

Roman stood nearby, silently lowering his head.

Felix's tone didn't change. "I'm reminding you that Cecilia will become their target."

Zoe let out a cold laugh. "I don't need your reminder for that. If you really want to help, manage your own people and make sure your so-called protection doesn't become her problem."

Felix paused for a second. "I will."

Zoe grabbed the documents and left.

After the elevator doors closed, Roman finally spoke. "Boss, Ms. Zoe looks like she really wants to punch you."

"She always does." Felix turned to look out the window. "Put someone on Drake. After Scarlett returns, Campbell will make a move."

"Understood."

At Laurent Group, after Zoe exited the building, she immediately called Cecilia. "Found it. Family elders operating under the table—Mary spearheading it, Damon turning a blind eye."

It was quiet on Cecilia's end. "Did you freeze it?"

"Frozen. I'll give you an answer on this."

"Don't rush to clean house yet." Cecilia said. "Leave a few entry points. Let Mary think she can still move product. She'll contact Campbell."

Zoe paused for two seconds. "You want to bait her?"

"Let her take the bait herself."

Zoe smiled slightly. "Alright, I'll cooperate."

The call had just ended when, before Zoe's car even left the underground garage, her phone rang again. It was a contact from the hospital. "Ms. Laurent, Genevieve woke up. She's been writing the same sentence over and over in her hospital bed."

"What?"

"She wants to see Ms. Cecilia."

-

Private hospital, special care floor.

Genevieve lay in the hospital bed, her face completely drained of color, her neck wrapped in gauze, an IV needle in the back of her hand.

When she saw Cecilia walk through the door, tears immediately welled up.

Cecilia approached the bedside. No comfort, just paper and pen placed by her hand. "Write it down."

Genevieve's hand shook badly, her writing crooked and uneven.

[Elliot had someone beat me.]

She switched to a new sheet.

[The video—they forced me to film it. Scarlett hired someone. A German. She wants to kill you.]

Zoe's expression darkened. "The German is already here?"

Genevieve shook her head, then nodded, her breathing growing erratic with urgency.

Cecilia pressed her wrist. "Don't rush. One question at a time. Write."

Genevieve closed her eyes, steadying herself for a few seconds, then continued writing.

[I heard them say Scarlett is going to Germany.]

Cecilia and Zoe exchanged glances.

Zoe cursed under her breath. "It really is Drake."

Genevieve wrote again.

[Elliot said they couldn't let me speak again. Cut out my tongue. Dump me on the roadside.]

As she wrote this, her whole body began trembling, tears soaking the paper.

Cecilia pulled away that sheet and replaced it with a clean one.

"Genevieve, you have two choices now. First, keep being afraid, hide in this hospital room, and wait for Campbell to come after you again. Second, cooperate with us and send them to prison."

Genevieve looked at her, eyes filled with hatred.

Cecilia told her, "I still need two critical pieces of evidence. Drake's entry records and the transfer authorization between Scarlett and Campbell. At most one month, and I can complete the chain of evidence."

Genevieve picked up the pen, writing very slowly.

[Will I die?]

Cecilia shook her head. "I'll arrange for you to leave New York. New name, new residence, hospital transfer—your mother goes with you. But the prerequisite is that you stop wavering, stop playing both sides between me and Scarlett."

Genevieve stared at the paper for a long time, her hand trembling even more.

Finally, she wrote several lines.

[I hate Scarlett. I hate Elliot. I want them to pay.]

Cecilia placed that sheet in an evidence bag. "Good. From now on, you only trust me."

Genevieve nodded.

Outside the door, Zoe took a phone call, her expression suddenly changing.

She pushed through the door. "Cecilia, Felix was hospitalized after a car accident a few days ago. Eloane found out and just rushed to the hospital alone."

Cecilia's brow furrowed. "She can't handle stress right now."

"I sent people after her, but she's already at the hospital."

"Let's go." Cecilia grabbed her coat without another word.

-

Hospital room.

Eloane stood beside the bed, her eyes terribly red.

Felix sat up, a bandage still taped to his temple, his voice gentle. "I'm fine. Just a scrape."

"You're lying." Eloane clutched her purse strap. "Everyone's lying. You were in a car accident and didn't tell me. Mom and Dad died in a car accident too. You'll leave me too, won't you?"

Felix threw off the covers, trying to get out of bed. "Eloane, look at me."

Eloane backed away, breathing faster and faster. "Lately I keep hearing someone telling me to run. There's someone in the hallway, someone outside the window. Felix, I can't sleep. When I close my eyes, I feel like someone's trying to push me."

Felix's expression changed. "Who's pushing you?"

"I don't know." Eloane covered her ears. "They say I shouldn't be alive. They say Cecilia will leave too. They say you'll die."

Her voice began to shake, her whole body shrinking into the corner.

Felix was about to approach when the hospital room door burst open and Cecilia strode in. "Eloane, look at me."

Eloane looked up, tears streaming down. "Cecilia..."

Cecilia walked up to her and crouched down. "Give me your hand. Look at my eyes. This is a hospital. There's a nurse at the door. Your brother is in bed. I'm right in front of you."

Eloane trembled as she extended her hand. Cecilia grasped it. "Now name three things you see."

"The bed... the light... your ring."

"Good. Now two sounds you hear."

"The air conditioning... the nurse talking."

"Finally, name something you're touching right now."

Eloane looked down. "Your hand."

Cecilia nodded. "That's right. You're here. No one is pushing you. No one is taking you away."

Eloane cried and hugged her. "I'm so scared."

"When you're scared, say it out loud." Cecilia patted her back. "Don't run off alone. Don't bear it alone."

Felix sat on the hospital bed, watching them, his gaze heavy with pain.

After a long while, Eloane finally calmed down. A nurse took her to rest in the adjacent room.

Only Cecilia and Felix remained in the hospital room.

Cecilia turned to look at him. "Mr. Knightley, hospitalized from a car accident, and you let word reach Eloane. Your arrangements failed pretty badly this time."

Felix said quietly, "It wasn't my arrangement."

"Then dare you say you didn't think about using hospitalization as a way to see me?"

Felix fell silent.

Cecilia smiled slightly. "See? You're still the same."

"I just wanted to see you."

"You can make an appointment for that." Cecilia pulled the pocket watch from her bag. "Now lie back down. You haven't properly dealt with your nightmares, and you nearly dragged Eloane into a breakdown."

Felix lay back on the bed. "You're going to hypnotize me?"

"Close your eyes."

The pocket watch swayed gently under the light. Cecilia's voice dropped very low. "Follow my rhythm. You're in a hospital room now. The bed is stable, the door is closed, Eloane is safe. You're going back to that rain, but this time, you're not a child."

Felix's breathing gradually deepened.

In the dream, the rain came again. Headlights pierced the night road, brakes failed, his father turned around, his mother reached out to protect the document folder beside her.

He wanted to shout, but his throat made no sound.

Cecilia's voice cut through the rain. "Felix, look clearly. They didn't blame you."

The scene distorted.

His father no longer said "stop investigating," but looked at the teenage Felix with gentle eyes. "Live."

His mother turned her head, no tears on her face. "Don't carry our deaths on your shoulders."

Felix's brow furrowed sharply, his fingers gripping the bedsheet.

Cecilia grasped his wrist. "Don't resist. You heard them. They want you to live, not sacrifice yourself."

In the dream, the car stopped in the rain. His father and mother stood by the roadside, their figures growing more and more distant.

Felix's breathing grew erratic several times before finally stabilizing.

Cecilia put away the pocket watch.

He had fallen asleep. This time, his brow didn't tighten again.

When dusk fell, Felix woke.

Eloane sat nearby eating an apple, her eyes still red but her spirit more stable.

Cecilia stood by the window checking her phone. Hearing movement, she turned. "You can be discharged."

Felix looked at her. "You watched over me again for a long time?"

"Don't misunderstand." Cecilia handed the report to Roman. "I stayed to monitor treatment results."

Roman accepted the report with a very careful smile. "The car's downstairs."

The three of them went down together.

In the car on the way back, Eloane fell asleep in the back seat. Felix sat beside Cecilia, his fingers twitching, wanting to touch her.

Cecilia didn't look at him. "Keep your hand to yourself."

Felix froze.

"Doctor-patient boundaries." Cecilia's tone was flat. "You promised."

Felix withdrew his hand and let out a low laugh, helplessness in it. "You're really ruthless."

"You should be grateful I'm very professional."

Roman gripped the steering wheel up front, even lightening his breathing.

Outside the car window, Manhattan's night pressed down.

Cecilia's phone suddenly lit up. A message from Zoe.

[Drake's people entered the country. They'll be in New York in three hours.]