Simms was furious-he couldn''t stand to stay here another minute. If he lingered any longer, he''d feel as though his intelligence was being insulted.


    He stormed out, barely ncing back at Yulia, his anger simmering just below the surface.


    "What are you doing standing around? Move it," he snapped.


    Yulia had no choice but to abandon Violet and follow Simms out. After all, when disaster struck, the innocent could easily get caught in the crossfire.


    Not even the old Victoria had ever been so ruthless. Just now, when Victoria asked her and Simms how long they''d been together, Yulia''s heart nearly leapt out of her throat.


    No one knew better than she did that her rtionship with Simms had started long before he married Edith. The only reason Simms agreed to marry Edith was because she came from a well-connected family.


    In reality, only the Turners, Simms, and Yulia knew the truth. When Edith married Simms, she was already three months pregnant by someone else-Simms had married into the mess, a ready-made husband for a child that wasn''t his.


    For someone of Edith''s pedigree, getting pregnant before marriage was a scandal the Turner family could scarcely bear.


    At the time, the Turners wanted Edith to enter into a proper alliance, but she tly refused; she was determined to keep the baby. Her father, Mann Turner, was at his wit''s end. In the end, he picked Simms-a clever young employee at the familypany.


    Simms was presentable, capable, and Mann was satisfied with his character. He went back to Edith with the proposal: marry Simms. At the same time, Mann made Simms an offer: if he agreed to join the Turner family, one day he''d manage the family business. The only catch? Simms had to raise Edith''s unborn child as his


    own.


    Back then, Simms was just a poor nobody. If this was his ticket to the top, he''d take it without a second thought. So he married Edith.


    Edith was beautiful; Simms was content. Whether she was pregnant or not hardly mattered to him at first-he was attentive, even doting. But Edith''s heart was elsewhere. No matter how hard Simms tried, she kept her distance. After Victoria was born, she became even more indifferent, and eventually Simms, in a fit of anger, returned to his old lover''s arms.


    What''s more, Simms and Yulia had been together long before the marriage-no legal paperwork, just a small ceremony in the countryside. The Turners knew nothing, and Simms hadn''t said a word. After marrying Edith, he went back to Yulia, sobbing, swearing he''d been forced, begging her forgiveness, promising that the moment he struck it rich, he''d divorce Edith and marry Yulia properly.


    Yulia was trapped-she''d already given herself to Simms, and she doubted she''d find a better match if she left. As Simms''s standing within the Turner family grew, Yulia''s devotion only deepened.


    What came next, even Victoria probably didn''t know. She wasn''t Simms''s biological daughter.


    Victoria had started to suspect, but before she could piece everything together, McNeil and Violet''s drama threw her life into chaos.


    There was simply too much for Victoria to handle.


    Meanwhile, Violet couldn''t leave, no matter how much she wanted to. The auditors kept her busy, making her review everyst possession, checking each item against their lists. Victoria remained perfectlyposed, but Violet was on the verge of copse.


    The pressure was relentless-physical and emotional. Even the officers were starting to g; they''d been at it since noon, and now it was nightfall.


    "Ms. Turner, it''s gettingte. Perhaps we should continue tomorrow?" one of them suggested.


    The yard was already flooded with light, themps along the drive glowing in the dusk.


    Violet''s legs were trembling.


    She''d spent five hours standing in high heels beside stacks of paperwork, checking each page. Apart from a few bathroom breaks, she hadn''t left the spot— the officers watched her constantly, afraid she''d try to make a run for it.


    Not that "run" was the right word, Violet thought. For her, leaving wasn''t an act of guilt-she never acknowledged, not even to herself, that she was McNeil''s mistress. If anything, she saw Victoria as the interloper who ruined her chance at happiness with McNeil.


    She''de back from abroad only to reim what was rightfully hers. If anyone here was shameless, it was Victoria a thief who''d stolen her life and her future. Violet was merely taking it back.


    The only thing she''d forgotten was that, in this world, there''s something called thew.


    Watching Violet, Victoria couldn''t help but remember her early days at Quantum Core Technologies. Back then, Violet had made her stand in high heels for two solid hours during a meeting, until her legs went numb. Her feet were swollen for days, but she still had to turn up in heels the next day.


    Victoria now looked at Violet without the slightest trace of sympathy. In this world, everythinges full circle.


    This was just karma, nothing more.


    "You''ve worked hard. That''s enough for today," Victoria announced atst.


    Everyone let out a sigh of relief.


    Violet nearly copsed to the floor, her strength gone. Not a single servant dared step forward to help her.


    Victoria''s gaze was icy as she spoke. "Ms. Marchand, with your talents and impressive earning power, I''m sure you''ll have the money you owe me within ten days. Isn''t that right?"