She threw herself to her knees in front of Noreen with a thud, her bloodshot eyes looking up pleadingly. "Noreen, I''m begging you, please spare my mom. I''m begging you!"


    "Please, let her go."


    Lillian repeatedly banged her forehead on the ground.


    Colby instinctively stepped in front of Noreen, afraid Lillian might do something drastic and harm her.


    Sophia Cole was furious. "Don''t you dare try to guilt-trip Ms. Gilmore! Your mother broke thew, and she should face the consequences!"


    If she hadn''t been desperate, Lillian wouldn''t have resorted to this.


    "Noreen, I''m begging you, don''t press charges against my mother. She''ll be sentenced to death! Please? I can''t live without my mother. Please, go to the police station and sign a letter of forgiveness."


    Lillian ignored Sophia''s usations, continuing to beg Noreen humbly.


    Her forehead was bleeding, but she didn''t feel the pain, still thumping it against the pavement.


    Noreen nced at her coolly before instructing Sophia, "Call the police."


    As Noreen''s words fell, terror washed over Lillian''s face. "No, don''t call the police."


    She was the only one left in her family. If she got arrested too, it would all be over. Colby warned her sternly, "Get out of here now, or I''m calling the police." Terrified, Lillian scrambled away from the scene.


    Sophia frowned in disgust. "Don''t pay any attention to a mad dog like that. Not worth our time. Let''s go. We can''t let someone like her ruin our good mood."


    She muttered under her breath, "Why didn''t that bitch Bianca keep her dog on a leash? Letting her run wild like this!"


    Just as Noreen got into the car, she received a call from the police officer handling her case, informing her of a new development.


    Lana, who had been silent all this time, had suddenly provided a new lead that morning. She imed she wasn''t the mastermind, just an aplice.


    The mastermind, she said, was Yvonne Laurent.


    Noreen had suspected Yvonne was the mastermind right after the incident.


    After all, she and Lana had no deep-seated grudge that would warrant multiple murder attempts.


    But Lana had insisted from the beginning that she had acted alone.


    Noreen was puzzled to hear that Lana had finally talked.


    What had suddenly made her turn on Yvonne?


    In the airport lounge, Sophia was ying the business channel interview on her tablet.


    She marveled at how efficient the news media was these days.


    The interview had just ended an hour ago, and it was already edited and broadcast.


    But halfway through, the anchor cut in with a breaking news alert.


    "We interrupt this program with a major news update. The SEC has issued a notice of administrative penalties. PerseTech''s director, Bianca Lowell is facing the


    maximum penalty for sected


    severe financial fraud and is


    expected to be banned from the securities market for ten years."


    "During PerseTech''s backdoor listing, Bianca provided false financial reports and concealed significant information that should have been disclosed. Given the particrly serious nature of these offenses, she could face a prison sentence of five to ten years."


    "Bianca has now been arrested by federal agents. This station will continue to follow


    this story."


    The news report continued.


    It also listed her previous


    transgressions: academic


    giarism, sexually bribing a


    professor, and forging her lover''s Wife to have an abortion


    The list scrolled on for several pages.


    Finally, the screen cut to a precise shot of Bianca being arrested.


    Her hair was a mess, and she kept her head down the entire time.


    She was no longer the impably made-up, arrogantly proud golden girl.


    Now, she looked like a cheap, rain-streaked oil painting.


    Filthy and pathetic.