Wendy''s eyes widened in disbelief for a couple of seconds before she burst out, "Seriously? We just talked about this yesterday, and you''ve already handled it, Isadora? That''s incredible!"


    Meanwhile, Rowena ine opened the folder and began flipping through the documents, page by page.


    Sure enough, they were filled with evidence of Abbott Beaumont''s illegal dealings.


    Isadora Vaughan said calmly, "Rowena, we can use this proof of tax evasion and fraud to trade for your photos. And honestly, men like him always get what''sing to them in the end."


    Rowena''s expression stayed guarded. Instead of relief, suspicion flickered in her eyes.


    "Isadora, where did you get all this?"


    Wendy stifled a giggle, raising her hand. “I know! It had to be the Prince Charming who helped you."


    Rowena tilted her head. "Prince Charming?"


    There was really only one person in the entire Fitzgerald Group that anyone would call that.


    Could it be...?


    Wendy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Mr. Fitzgerald from the Fitzgerald Group— the same guy who spoke up for Seafarer Designs at the meeting yesterday! Rowena, isn''t he amazing?"


    A shadow passed over Rowena''s eyes.


    She never imagined that Isadora could have formed that kind of connection.


    Still, Rowena managed a faint smile. "Thank you, Isadora."


    *


    Rowena found a pretext to arrange a meeting with Abbott.


    He arrived at a private dining room in a restaurant, his assistant trailing behind.


    The assistant pushed open the door, and Abbott swaggered in as if he owned the ce.


    Inside, three women waited at the table.


    Sensing the tension, the assistant quickly pulled out a chair for his boss.


    Abbott sat down, sneering, “What''s this, Rowena? Couldn''t beat me one-on-one, so you brought backup?"


    Wendy muttered under her breath, lips pursed, "If you didn''t fight back, I could take you down by myself."


    Every time Rowena saw Abbott, the anger and regret over her past mistakes threatened to boil over. She took a deep breath, clenched her trembling hands, and forced herself to stay calm.


    One word at a time, she said, "Give me back those photos."


    Abbott gave a short, derisiveugh.


    "Really, Rowena? All these years and you still haven''t learned. You think you can just ask and I''ll hand them over? You mean nothing to me."


    Isadora, poised and unhurried, slid the folder across the table to him.


    "Abbott, take a look. Let''s see if these are worth more to you than those photos."


    Abbott crossed one leg over the other, finally bothering to nce at Isadora.


    She''d made an impression on him from day one: for one thing, she was far more attractive than Rowena, and for another, there was a wildness about her that intrigued him.


    He raised a thick eyebrow, snatched the folder without much interest, convinced these women couldn''t possibly pose any real threat.


    But the moment he read the first page, his demeanor shifted. With each sheet, his expression grew darker. By the time he finished, his face was thunderous.


    He clutched the file in a white-knuckled grip and mmed it down.


    "Where did you get this?" he barked.


    Isadora''s voice was cool. "That''s not your concern. We just want the photos."


    A glint of malice flickered in Abbott''s eyes as he leaned back, his lips curling in a cold smile.


    "You really think this is enough to scare me? After everything I''ve survived in this business, you girls think you can corner me that easily?"


    Rowena''s face drained of color. She knew all too well how cunning—and dangerous-Abbott could be.