It was a keychain she recognized


    She had been Aurora''s close friend for years and had spent enough time at the Williams estate to recognize it instantly as belonging to Aurora.


    *Joshua is having lunch with Aurora? Why would he be having lunch with Aurora?!*


    Since the video Rachel had leaked went viral, Simone hadn''t dared to show her face to Joshua. She couldn''t bear to face him. She couldn''t even face herself, so how could she possibly stand before him? She had consulted countless therapists to manage her emotional state, but nothing had worked. The only release she found was in torturing Rachel whenever her emotions spiraled out of control.


    By now, Rachel was a mangled wreck. Her once-beautiful face was scarred with crisscrossing cuts. Her body was a canvas of whip marks and burn scars, with the word "slut" crudely carved into her skin.


    Simone rubbed her eyes and zoomed in again. The first photo was clean. But the second, perhaps taken from an awkward angle, identally captured the edge of the keychain. If it weren''t for Simone''s sharp eyes and her familiarity with Aurora, no one else would have noticed.


    With a guttural scream, Simone hurled her phone at Rachel''s face. "Bitch!"


    Her eyes zing red, she pped Rachel across the face again and again. "How dare you try to steal my man! BITCH! BITCH!"<fnb829> The source of th?s content is FindN()vel</fnb829>


    She unleashed all her fury for Aurora onto Rachel. Aurora knew she was in therapy, struggling with her mental health. Yet she chose this exact moment to move in on her territory! It was bad enough that her own brother had abandoned her for Aurora. But now, Aurora, knowing full well how she felt about Joshua, was trying to steal him too!


    In that moment, Simone''s hatred for Aurora reached its peak. She wanted to kill the maniptive snake.


    But then, just as quickly, a chilling calm washed over her. She looked down at Rachel, her mind fixed ona single thought: *My life is ruined. Why should Aurora get to remain a pristine goddess on her pedestal? If she went through what went through, would she still be able to smile so serenely?*


    In the hospital, Leonard finally regained consciousness after another close call in the operating room. This time, it wasn''t Simone at his bedside, but his assistant.


    Seeing Leonard''s eyes open, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Lerman, this is the third assassination attempt we''ve faced. Someone leaked news of your


    hospitalization, and now killers are trying all sorts of ways to infiltrate the hospital."


    They had survived three direct attacks, but they had neutralized far more assassins. Leonard had been rushed into emergency surgery multiple times.


    He frowned. "Isn''t this hospital owned by The Lerman Group? How are assassins getting in?"


    The assistant couldn''t meet his gaze. "Mr. Lerman," he said in a low voice, "we suspect someone on the inside... has been bought off."


    An inside job meant that someone in the Lerman family was making a move against him. Leonard''s face hardened. "Where''s Simone? Get her here."


    "Miss Lerman had to step out for something urgent. She said she would be backter this evening."


    Leonard''s brow furrowed. Just then,


    the phone on his bedside table vibrated. A message hade


    through tropatran unknow?????puberty,


    He opened it and saw a picture of a man and a woman sharing a meal.