Melissa stormed in from outside, pushing George aside and dropping her bag before jumping onto the bed. She turned Lillian’s body around and shook her, “Are you stupid? Can’t you see this is a trap?”
Lillian looked at her, and all the pent-up frustration poured out as she hugged Melissa and started crying. “I thought, I thought you’d never talk to me again.”
“Bullshit! I don’t care about George; I still want you! I saw that news, and I was so pissed! Which shitty reporter wrote that piece of crap?”
Conrad had never thought Melissa could speak with such venom, but in that moment, he found her words almost delightful. It felt so good to hear.
George, on the other hand, turned dark with anger.
So this woman had been ignoring his calls but was already on her way here.
Melissa patted Lillian’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Okay, stop crying. If you keep crying, the people who hurt you will only laugh at you.”
She shot a glance at Conrad standing nearby. “Mr. Conrad, with your connections, I’m sure it’s easy for you to get to the bottom of this.”
“Of course, I’ll investigate.” If he found out who was behind it, they’d regret it.
Melissa hugged Lillian tightly. “Can I take Lillian with me? I don’t think she should face the media right now. We need to finish the investigation first.”
“No.”
“No?”
Both Conrad and George spoke at the same time.
Melissa furrowed her brow. “Why? Don’t you see her emotional state right now? Every woman in this situation needs a quiet environment to heal.”
“Because the person who did this hasn’t been caught yet. Lillian’s already been affected, and if you go with her, how are we supposed to explain this? We’ll lose all credibility, and neither of you is in a position to protect yourselves.”
George’s reasoning was sound. He and Gordon could easily end up dragged into this mess, and the situation was too serious to let go. They couldn’t let the two women leave just like that.
Conrad added, “I’ll have someone escort you both to Taylor Mansion.”
The mansion had a peaceful environment, and security had been heightened.
Lillian just needed to avoid seeing anyone right now. She didn’t even expect him to let her go; she just had so much she wanted to say to Melissa. If she didn’t speak up soon, she felt like she might suffocate.
Gordon spoke up. “I’ll take them.”
“You think things aren’t chaotic enough? Let Ford and Andrew take them. Melissa’s support is more important than anything else.” Conrad motioned for Ford to come in. “Make sure no media gets close.”
Though he didn’t say it outright, the implication was clear: he needed the media to capture the bond between Melissa and Lillian. That way, they could hint at a conspiracy.
Gordon’s and George’s fanbases were large, and they were waiting for some kind of explanation. If there was even a hint of wrongdoing, they would stand by their idols and refuse to believe they were guilty.
Conrad took off his coat and draped it over Lillian’s shoulders. “Go back for now. I’ll have Nancy come over to look after you.”
Lillian was shaking all over. She didn’t want to face anyone outside. She just grabbed Melissa’s hand, wanting to leave this nightmare of a hotel room as quickly as possible.
Once the two of them left, Conrad’s face changed completely. “Have you checked the surveillance footage?”
“The other side was very thorough. All the recordings were destroyed.”
“Bring me the computer.”
Once Conrad spoke, the hotel staff didn’t dare defy him.
Besides, this incident involved both the Smith and Thomas families, and they were eager to shift the blame. What was even more pressing was that the senior executives of the group had discovered the scandal and were already furious.
If they didn’t want to face lawsuits, they had no choice but to cooperate.
As Conrad opened the computer, Michelle’s call came through.
“I’ve got the surveillance footage backed up in the cloud. Did you manage to crack it?”
Conrad’s fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard. After a short while, the deleted footage popped up on the screen.
“It’s here. I’m hanging up now.”
Michelle muttered a curse under her breath. Once upon a time, his skills were as good as top hackers, but now, they were being used for this.
Gordon and George arrived at almost the same time, both being carried into the room by two bodyguards dressed in black suits.
They were careful, wearing shoe covers and gloves. Once inside, they were out of sight. But it wasn’t hard to guess what happened next.
Most likely, men undress other men, not bothering with their underwear, and simply tossing them into the bed before leaving.
Half an hour later, Lillian appeared.
She had been knocked unconscious in the elevator before being dragged away, and then taken up to the 28th floor via a staff-only elevator.
The person who took over was…
Conrad narrowed his eyes, feeling like he recognized this woman.
Gordon spoke up, “Isn’t she that assistant from Daisy’s side?”
Conrad wasn’t one to remember other women’s faces. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. This woman graduated from a prestigious school. She used to follow Lillian around, but after the Lewis family went bankrupt, she started working for Daisy. I even ran into her once when she was with Daisy.”
It was Irene who took Lillian into the inner room.
It seemed like Irene was the one behind the whole thing.
As for who notified the media, that was still unclear. But it wasn’t a difficult thing to find out. Gordon made a call and said anyone who wouldn’t come clean would be facing some serious consequences.
“By the way, how did you two end up unconscious?”
George replied, “I got an invitation.”
Gordon added, “I went to Rainbow Club, said it was for business. I drank a glass of water, then started feeling a bit drowsy.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Could Daisy really do something like this? Unless she’s gone crazy.”
“The obvious thread has appeared, so the hidden one can’t be far behind,” Conrad said slowly.
They would start their investigation from the Rainbow Club.
The car driven by the men in black, the method of the crime, the investors behind Rainbow Club, and who sent the invitation.
The three families were all involved.
Information started pouring in.
Conrad didn’t expect to find Kenneth’s influence in the mix. He was trying to drive a wedge between him, Gordon, and George.
Daisy, on the other hand, wanted to destroy any chance of him and Lillian continuing their relationship.
The two had clearly teamed up to cause chaos together.
Conrad didn’t want to waste any more time discussing it. He stood up and walked out. “You handle your own issues.”
“I’ll make sure to give you an explanation on this matter.”
******
Brown Family’s old mansion.
Kenneth, in a great mood, came downstairs, humming a tune. He felt that out of the whole year, today was the best he’d felt. He almost wanted to pop open another bottle of wine.
At that moment, the butler walked in. “Sir, someone sent a gift for you. They said it’s for you to open personally.”
Kenneth, puzzled, replied, “Who’s so thoughtful, knowing I’m in a good mood today? Let me see.”
Kenneth happily took the box, but the moment he opened it, his hand shook, and he tossed the box away in shock.
Inside the red silk-wrapped gift box was-
A human ear.
“Who the hell sent this?!” Kenneth shouted in fury.
What kind of bad omen was this? Was this meant to disgust him on purpose?
At that moment, the house phone rang.