Lorelei wanted to stall for time, but Filippa was not willing to give her that luxury.
“Give me the money and I will leave immediately. Otherwise, I will expose you online today. Lorelei, you know very well which deal was profitable for you,” Filippa said.
“You…” Lorelei gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with fury. She was feeling as restless as a burning fire inside. She wished she could pull Filippa out of the phone and kill her. What had she been thinking when she decided to collaborate with Filippa?
“I can’t come up with one billion right now. I will give you fifty million first, and when you are out of the country, I will transfer the other fifty million to you,” Lorelei quickly made a decision.
Filippa thought for a moment and agreed.
“Remember, once you leave the country, don’t come back. I give only one chance to those who threaten me. I hope you will keep your word,” Lorelei warned.
*Click…* The phone call ended.
Filippa was drenched in cold sweat. Lorelei’s rapid rise in the entertainment industry to her current status was not possible without some backing. She had taken a risk in speaking those words just now. It would be best if she could get some money out of Lorelei, and fifty million would be enough for her to live abroad.
Filippa uninstalled the news app from her phone so that she wouldn’t receive any abusive messages. She also set her phone to block calls and messages from unknown numbers. She deleted all phone contacts and cleared all messaging apps. She made various preparations and booked the earliest flight for the next day. Whatever happened here would no longer concern her.
Filippa thought she was being cautious, but she hadn’t considered that her phone was already compromised and someone was monitoring her every move. They had heard her conversation with Lorelei and knew the time of her flight the next morning.
Vaquita Bay.
Elisa took off her earphones and saved a recording from her computer.
Louis was in the kitchen making dinner. He cooked some millet porridge and prepared a dish of pan-fried tiger skin peppers and hot and sour shredded potatoes, knowing that Elisa liked spicy food. He filled a bowl with porridge, checked the temperature, and then brought it to Elisa.
“Eat something,” he carefully placed the bowl on the table, watching Elisa on the computer. He was worried that he might disturb her work, so he brought in a small coffee table from outside and placed it beside her.
“I’m not hungry,” Elisa said, her fingers pausing on the keyboard.
“Even if you’re not hungry, you should eat. Otherwise, you’ll get sick.”
“It’s just one meal. Skipping it won’t make me ill. I just don’t have an appetite right now.” Elisa looked exhausted. The red lines in her eyes from crying hadn’t faded, lingering there.
“People who end up with stomach issues often say the same thing when their stomachs are fine. Elisa, just a few spoonfuls of porridge, you’ll feel better soon,” Louis said, refraining from saying anything overly sentimental, such as “I’ll worry if you don’t eat.”
He was afraid of getting too close, speaking too intimately, and annoying Elisa.
In times like this, it was best to let Elisa be alone, but he couldn’t bear to leave her alone.
“Is the food good?” Louis asked.
Elisa nodded and took the bowl of porridge, but the taste was like wax in her mouth. She had no appetite. Even the most delicious food would be hard to swallow right now.
She managed to eat only half a bowl of porridge before giving up. Louis didn’t push her further. He took the bowl to the kitchen and then returned to Elisa’s side.
He watched as Elisa sent the recorded conversation to her email.
“Is this the chat between Filippa and Lorelei? Are you planning to expose it online right now?” Louis asked.
Elisa shook her head. “I’ll send it after Filippa receives the money.”
Louis instantly understood what Elisa intended to do.
Elisa’s lips curved into a cold smile. “You’re right. Evil begets evil. The crimes committed by evil people should be punished by evil means.”
Elisa always enjoyed watching “dogs biting dogs.”
Once Filippa received the fifty million transferred by Lorelei, their conversation records would be exposed online. Then, Lorelei would also be held accountable, given her vengeful nature.
The real drama was just beginning.
“Iris, I’ve found someone. Do you want to meet them now?”
“Where is she?”
“She’s in the hospital.”
Elisa paused when she heard this. She had overheard Iris and Filippa’s conversation through Mimi’s collar, so she had a generalidea of what had happened, even though it was not complete.
Iris’s situation was not difficult to investigate. Her mother had developed uremia and was kidnapped by Lorelei’s people while in the hospital. Under duress, Iris had taken Mimi and handed her over to Filippa.
Iris was an accomplice, but she was also a victim. However, the irreversible tragedy was Mimi’s death, which had occurred in the most agonizing manner. Mimi was gone, never to return.
Elisa had given Iris a chance. If Iris had trusted her from the beginning and told her the whole truth, Elisa would have provided the money for her mother’s treatment and could have saved her. But Iris had chosen to sacrifice Mimi in the end. Elisa could not forgive her.