Chapter 92 Remove the Firewood from Under the Pot
Steven sat restlessly on the sofa for over half an hour, his gloomy eyes fixed on the thermal food container on the table.
That thread of panic, magnified by time, seemed to be filling up his entire insides.
How did Heather find out?
Because of Rachel?
No.
Rachel couldn't possibly know!
Could it be that Rachel told Heather about her previous suspicions of him and Nancy, and then Heather investigated?
At this thought, his heart tightened. Without thinking further, he stood up, grabbed his coat and car keys, and left the office.
Last night's rain had continued until this morning before stopping, but the sky remained overcast, showing no signs of clearing.
He didn't return to The Martinez Manor, but went straight to Radiant Beauty Spa.
When he arrived, Heather had just finished eating and was on the phone arranging an afternoon card game.
After the beauty salon was inspected for the second time and reopened, she came here every day. Besides scheduling beauty treatments for clients, she had specially renovated four entertainment rooms on the sixth floor.
She could invite clients over anytime to play bridge, drink coffee, and strengthen relationships.
It also gave them a chance to learn about the salon's services.
Killing two birds with one stone.
The entertainment rooms had just been renovated the day before yesterday and were officially opening for trial today.
If it went well, she could even change up the strategy later and replace the attendants with male escorts.
Steven rarely came to Radiant Beauty Spa, but Heather wasn't surprised to see him—she seemed to have expected he would come.
She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her eyes and tone both very gentle. "You're here. Have you eaten? What did Uma make for you? How did it taste?"
Steven met her gaze and somehow felt a sense of pressure from this overwhelming presence.
It had always been like this since childhood. Heather never showed her anger outwardly; she was always gentle and soft-spoken no matter what.
But she would always find some way to teach him a lesson. After he'd suffered enough, she would gently comfort him, reason with him, and guide him on what to do.
Before returning to the Martinez family, he had seen many parents' harsh ways of disciplining their children, and he had once felt proud of Heather's gentle approach to education.
But at this moment, he knew that deep in her eyes as she looked at him, a storm was brewing.
All it would take was peeling back that surface layer of gentleness to see it.
"Mom."
His expression was grave. He didn't answer, but called out heavily.
Heather's expression didn't change. She said to Juniper beside her, "When Calliope and Joyce arrive later, seat them at one table. Whatever you do, don't put Iris in the same entertainment room as them—Iris and Calliope have bad blood."
Juniper knew Heather and Steven needed to talk privately, so she didn't linger. She said "okay" and left the office.
As the office door closed, Heather's gaze returned to him. She smiled. "Sit down. Rachel said you were on a business trip yesterday. When did you get back?"
Steven's throat tightened. He knew she was deliberately needling him.
He moved his lips but couldn't say anything, raising his hand to press his brow.
Sure enough, Heather knew everything.
Seeing him stay silent, Heather's smile faded a bit. "So you understand what that meal meant. Then let's cut the crap—tell me, how long have you been with that bitch? How did it start?"
Steven frowned, his heart sinking suddenly. He said in a low voice, "Mom, don't call her that."
"What? You're going to defend her in front of me too?"
The gentleness in Heather's eyes completely vanished, leaving only disappointed anger. "You're such a fool, Steven. What has Rachel ever done to wrong you that you would treat her this way? You had to get together with her friend, and she's still carrying your child."
"Mom, does Rachel know?"
Steven's expression sharpened, looking at her with shock and anxiety.
His heart felt like something was gripping it tightly, a fine pain spreading through him.
"So that's what you're worried about? Do you think I'd dare let her know? If she knew, would you still be peacefully keeping Nancy, that bitch, company?"
Steven paused, slowly releasing a breath from his throat.
But his brow remained furrowed, as if somewhat dissatisfied with her calling Nancy a "bitch," though he forcibly suppressed it and didn't show it.
Seeing this, Heather suddenly felt the urge to slap some sense into him!
A few days ago, when she saw Nancy's college photos, she understood why Steven had been seduced by Nancy.
Nancy's looks were the pure and innocent type, especially those eyes—innocent yet somewhat seductive.
They could easily make people feel protective and softhearted toward her.
This was exactly what most men liked.
She knew Steven's feelings for Rachel, but the fact that Nancy could make Steven cheat proved that Nancy's methods were far from ordinary.
She suppressed the urge and pulled out a stack of photos from the drawer, casually tossing them on the table. "Take a good look! The treasure you've been keeping close to your heart—see what kind of shameless slut she used to be!"
In every photo was Nancy's uncensored wanton appearance.
Every inch of her skin was familiar to him.
Those seductive eyes gazed at the camera, as if beckoning the person behind the lens to make love to her.
Steven's expression darkened. After hesitating for two seconds, he picked up the photos. The last seven or eight showed Nancy having sex with a man whose face couldn't be seen.
From her expression alone, you could tell how intense it was, how pleasurable.
Yesterday Nancy had told him that someone had created some fake intimate photos and sent them to Stargaze Gallery, causing her to be suspended with pay.
But he hadn't seen the photos. Nancy said Wayne from Stargaze Gallery had taken them.
But now seeing them, the visual impact nearly pierced through his heart.
It was like a fire was scorching all the blood and cells in his body.
Torturous, painful.
Heather picked up the coffee on the table, glancing at his changing expression, and calmly took a couple of sips.
She understood men too well.
Even if these were Nancy's past, as long as they truly existed, no man wouldn't care or mind.
These photos were enough to ignite a man's pride and possessiveness.
After a long while, Steven's grip on the photos slowly loosened, the darkness in his eyes hidden away as he placed the photos back on the table.
His low, hoarse voice was relatively calm. "Mom, were the photos sent to Stargaze Gallery also from you?"
Heather paused, meeting his inscrutable gaze, then smiled lightly and admitted it frankly.
"So that bitch told you about this." She raised an eyebrow. "Or did she also tell you that these photos are all fake, or all fabricated?"
Steven's hand froze in mid-air as he pulled it back.
An embarrassed flush of shame colored his face.
Heather sneered coldly, her words blunt. "People who know would think she's your mistress. People who don't would think you're a dog she's trained, so obedient—you believe whatever she tells you."
His expression changed, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him.
It was like being a child again—no matter what he did, she could see right through him.
But it was precisely this feeling that made him somewhat resistant, though he couldn't show it directly. "Mom."
"Give me a straight answer—do you not want to be with Rachel anymore? Do you have no feelings for her?"
Heather didn't want to waste time, and of course, there was no need to explain whether those photos were real or fake.
She knew Steven's feelings for Rachel over these six years weren't fake, so his feelings for Nancy probably couldn't be called love—more likely a physical attachment.
So now she could only deliberately force him to make a choice.
"You and Rachel have been together for six years at least, and she's carrying the Martinez family's child. If you don't want to continue, then part ways amicably. Compensate her as you should. Making it too ugly will hurt your father's reputation.
But if you want to divorce Rachel and marry that little bitch Nancy, I'll have your father break your legs first!"
Part ways amicably?
Rachel's bright, gentle face floated into Steven's mind.
His breathing caught, and he stood up emotionally. "Mom, I can't be without Rachel. She can't find out about this!"
"You can't have your cake and eat it too!"
Steven lowered his eyelids and could only say, "I'll break it off with her completely."
Heather nodded with satisfaction. "Rachel's been in a bad mood these past few days. Take some time to take her out, help her relax."
Rachel received the text from that unknown number just after finishing the lunch Quinn had brought her.
[Heather had someone send food to Steven. Steven went to Radiant Beauty Spa on his own initiative and promised to break up with Nancy. Tonight he'll pretend to return from his business trip and pick you up at The Martinez Manor.
Tomorrow afternoon, Heather will have someone pretend to be the woman who sent Nancy the photos and go to Scenic Bay Estates to expose her affair as the other woman.]
She was stunned.
Sending food to Steven's company?
This was to break through his business trip lie?
Now demanding Steven break it off with Nancy completely—she was trying to pull away Nancy's only lifeline in Dawnlight City.
And having someone go to Scenic Bay Estates to expose Nancy as the other woman.
She was trying to "crush" Nancy completely.
Once again, Rachel felt chilled by Heather's interlocking tactics.
Seemingly gentle but actually forceful, leaving no room for mercy.
It also showed her decisiveness and ruthlessness.
She could already imagine what a lively scene Scenic Bay Estates would be tomorrow afternoon.
Suddenly, a WhatsApp message flashed at the top of her phone—it was from Maeve.
Just one word—OK.
Rachel's whole body trembled, her train of thought interrupted. She steadied herself and opened WhatsApp, pressing her lips together.
Last night she and Maeve had discussed this on WhatsApp, and the final plan was to find a hacker to breach The Martinez Manor's camera firewall system.
Only this way could she enter Heather's study.
Maeve hadn't asked her to do it herself—the hacker was Maeve's contact.
This "OK" meant The Martinez Manor's firewall had been breached.
She replied with "good," then turned off her phone screen. Around three in the afternoon, when she returned to The Martinez Manor, she saw two or three technicians over by the main building.
From a distance, she and Maeve exchanged glances and nodded, but didn't approach. She turned and headed to the side building.