<b>Chapter </b><b>319 </b>
“Why do you say that?” Bianca was instantly on guard.
Lillian took a slow breath. “It’s just strange, don’t you think? Dennis Ward and I have been at odds <b>for </b>ages. But why is it that right after I drugged Noreen, everything suddenly blew up? It’s not like <b>Dennis </b>hasn’t tried to extort money from me before–he showed up, demanded cash, and stormed off <b>in </b><b>a </b>rage when I threw him out. But he never once mentioned any video. I deleted it ages ago. If he really had that kind of leverage, why wouldn’t he have used it as ckmail from the start?”
It was only after spending some time abroad, away from the chaos, that Lillian had calmed down enough to piece everything together and spot a few ring inconsistencies.
“And then, after this supposed video surfaces, why didn’t hee after me for money? Why would he just leak it? What does he gain from that?”
She hesitated, her voice dropping lower. “And here’s the kicker: the two guys who helped me drug Noreen that night–I’vepletely lost contact with them. Calls, texts, nothing. It’s like they vanished into thin air.”
“What are their names? Send me their info, I’ll have someone run a check,” Bianca said, already pulling out her phone.
Lillian forwarded the details, desperation edging her words. “Please, Bianca, you have to help me get to the bottom of this. If Noreen is really behind it, you can’t let her get away with it!”
“I won’t,” Bianca said quietly, a cold glint in her eyes. <fn8ca6> Original content can be found at find?novel</fn8ca6>
Just then, Seth’s name shed on her phone. He’d sent a string of messages: photos and videos bursting with color, all from a flower farm.
He wrote, *‘I’m picking flowers for the engagement party. Do you like any of these?‘<b>* </b>
Bianca’s mood lifted as she scrolled through the images, taking her time to choose her favorites.
Seth added, ‘These will be flown in the night before the ceremony, so they’ll be as fresh and lovely as possible for the big day.’*
Watching from beside her, Lillian tilted her head, unable to hide her envy. “Your fiancé is unbelievable. He’s helping you with every detail–venue, flowers, everything. I’m actually jealous!”
Whatever frustration Bianca had felt earlier melted away. Seth’s thoughtfulness always had that effect on her. She typed back, asking when he’d be home, adding a yful, *‘I miss you.‘”*
He replied, ‘There’s still a blue flower farm I need to check out, so I won’t make it back tonight.’*
Disappointment pricked at her. Bianca had hoped this trip would give her and Seth a chance to really connect, to take things to the next level. She’d nned everything so carefully, but none of it was going as she’d imagined.
Lillian tried to cheer her up. “He’s only doing this to make your engagement party perfect. Cut him some ck, Bianca.”
Meanwhile, across the city, Jude hung up with Bianca and immediately dialed Healy Naylor.
<b>08:44 </b>
He was never good at keeping things to himself.
When he voiced his suspicions, Healy just chuckled. “Noreen could scrape together a hundred million without breaking a sweat these days.”
Jude frowned. “I get what you’re saying, but put all those words together and I still don’t get your point.”
Healy sighed. “Winrich just released their first–quarter earnings report. You should take a look.” “You know I get a headache just thinking about financials. Why not just spell it out?”
Healy relented. “Winrich pulled in over seven hundred million in revenue this quarter, with a profit margin over five hundred percent. Add in the damages from the SkyMindwsuit, and their non–operating ie hit a billion. Does that sound like someone desperate for cash?”
Jude was silent.
He regretted calling. The irony wasn’t lost on him–he was one of the people bringing in those numbers. In the end, the joke was on him.
That same day, Sophia reported back to Noreen about the investigation she’d been asked to run. Just as Noreen suspected, the Seymour Group was in serious trouble. Thepany’s finances were on the brink; several major projects, years in the making, had been shelved. Seymour himself was still in the hospital, leaving Jude to shoulder all the responsibility.
Noreen knew Jude all too well. He wasn’t going tost much longer.