<h4>Chapter 436: Face-to-Face Provocation</h4>


    "I heard from Dr. Bell that it’s alreadyte-stage!"


    "No wonder she’s not getting treatment. At that stage, there’s no cure. She’s just waiting to die."


    "I think so too. Haven’t you noticed how much weight she’s lost? I had a neighbor who went through the same thing—refused treatment and just wasted away. It was terrifying. She became skin and bones..."


    The murmurs continued as the gossip spread.


    At that very moment, Eric sat with a hardened expression, flipping through exit and entry records. "Roughly half a month ago, about one hundred men entered Country W..."


    "Boss, this one used a fake passport. The actual person is still in Country W," John quickly corrected him.


    Eric nodded. "People say the most dangerous ce is often the safest. That man is likely hiding in Tiffany’s vi."


    Michael raised an eyebrow. "You might be right, boss. But Tiffany bought another secluded vi after returning to the country. Could it be that she purchased it specifically for him?"


    "Exactly. That vi is built against a mountain—perfect for an escape route or secret passage," John added.


    Eric shook his head. "The vi development is a Scott family project, and the mountain belongs to them too. Mason might be my rival, but he wouldn’t stoop so low as to coborate with Tiffany."


    "So, boss, you’re saying... the man is living in Tiffany’s suburban vi? But that area has so many residential neighborhoods nearby. Isn’t it too risky?" John asked, puzzled.


    Eric didn’t borate further. "Send some men to openly monitor Tiffany’s mountain vi. Make it obvious enough for her to notice. At the same time, send more people to keep an eye on her suburban house—but do it discreetly. She and the others must not suspect a thing."


    Eric’s instructions were a clear indication that the man was indeed hiding in the suburban vi.


    John and Michael exchanged nces, and without questioning further, left to carry out Eric’s orders.


    Ten silent days passed.


    Tiffanyyfortably on herrge bed, her lips curled into a smug smile as she yfully patted the man’s chest. "Do you know? Eric actually suspects me. Ha! He sent people to watch my mountain vi!"


    The man nced at her dismissively. "It might just be a diversion tactic."


    "How could that be? If he were that smart, would he have let things get this bad with E? They’re divorced, you know. I bribed a repairman who saw their divorce certificate with his own eyes—right there in Eric’s drawer!"


    Tiffany smirked triumphantly. "E, so what if you have money? Now that Eric has left you, let’s see how you manage to survive!"


    The man let out a sinister chuckle. "Eric isn’t an easy opponent. We tried to snatch two projects recently, but he managed to turn the tables on us."


    Tiffany didn’t care much about the man’s business struggles. Her mind was focused on her own satisfaction.


    The following day, Tiffany received a report from the nurse at the hospital. ording to the nurse, E was now bedridden, and her mid-stage brain tumor had progressed intote-stage, causing her head to swell visibly.


    The nurse described E’s pale, jaundiced face and how she vomited everything she ate. Constantly in pain, she repeatedly cried out for Eric, insisting he hadn’t abandoned her and was simply too busy to visit.


    But Eric hadn’t appeared, and neither had Lucas or Luke, who were still in Country W. The nurse spected that E might be suffering from a mental breakdown or schizophrenia.


    "I didn’t expect her condition to deteriorate so quickly... Mid-stage cancer really does border onte stage," Tiffany mused, a cruel smile spreading across her face. "I’d love to see what E looks like now."


    Tiffanyughed softly, realizing she hadn’t felt this happy even when she won her Best Actress award.


    Even after earning that title, the thought of E living such a charmed life—so effortlessly blessed with wealth and love—had always left Tiffany seething with jealousy.


    But now, finally, E had lost everything. The thought filled Tiffany with an inexplicable and twisted sense of satisfaction.


    "Don’t cause trouble for me!" the man’s face turned cold. "That woman is far smarter than you. If you go, you’ll only mess things up!"


    Hearing this, Tiffany grew even more displeased. She’d been wanting to see E for a long time, but E had refused to see visitors. Now, being scolded by the man only intensified her desire to go.


    She *had* to prove she wouldn’t mess things up. More importantly, she wanted to see for herself how pitiful and defeated E looked in her final days.


    With this thought, Tiffany disguised herself carefully that evening and instructed a nurse to check on the situation outside E’s room.


    The nurse reported that there were two bodyguards outside her door, but they would asionally step away to take phone calls, creating an opening for her to slip in.


    When the nurse distracted Mia, Tiffany quietly entered the room and locked the door behind her.


    The hospital room was lit by a soft yellowmp. Ey silently on the bed, her eyes closed, her breathing faint and even.


    Her once delicate features were now thin and hollow, her cheekbones slightly protruding.


    Herplexion was ghastly, and Tiffany couldn’t deny—she looked like someone at death’s door.


    Tiffany checked her watch, a small smirk ying on her lips. The green light on its disy reassured her there were no devices like phones, listening bugs, or cameras present.


    The watch had been a gift from the man— a discreet detection device.


    If anything emitting energy greater than the room’s lighting was nearby, the watch would sh red. Since it remained green, Tiffany feltpletely at ease.


    The listening devices she’d previously nted had already been removed by the nurse earlier. Rxed, Tiffany cleared her throat loudly.


    E’s eyes fluttered open slowly. Her breathing wasbored. "Mia... I need water," she whispered weakly.


    Her voice was so frail that Tiffany’s smile widened with pure delight.


    Seeing E like this—her swollen head, her lifeless body—filled Tiffany with euphoric satisfaction.


    "Miss Davis, I’m not Mia. I’m Tiffany. I came to see you," Tiffany said as she stepped closer, taking a seat beside E’s bed. She reveled in the sight of E’s deteriorating state, her heart brimming with joy.


    "Who would’ve thought, after all this time, that you’d end up like this?" Tiffany sneered. "It’s such a pity. But then again, brain tumors *do* run in your family. I suppose this... is karma!"


    Sheughed loudly, no longer bothering to hide her gloating malice.


    E’s eyes widened slightly as they finally adjusted and focused on Tiffany. "So it’s you... Hannah," she rasped, her voice cold.


    Tiffany arched a brow, mocking her. "What’s wrong? Going to expose me? Go ahead! Report me! Who would believe you now, huh? Have you seen the intetely? My fans are tearing you apart. I really have to thank those brainless fools!"


    Her gaze lingered smugly on E’s swollen head, her expression dripping with mockery.


    "Tiffany... you’re still... Hannah," E replied faintly, her pale lips curling in disdain. "Do you think changing your identity means no one knows who you really are?"


    Tiffany’s face hardened slightly before she sneered. "And what proof do you have, E? What can you do now? Can you even pull out my hair to get a DNA test with Kevin? Your words mean nothing."