Ch. 411..420
Chapter 411 Agree
Hearing that, Norman gripped his phone tightly, unsure of what to say. After a few moments of thought, he decided to feign ignorance and asked, “What happened?”
“I previously performed a surgery for Old Mr. Benedict, from the Gardner Family. Out of their gratitude, they recommended me to work with a team of vaccine researchers in Espad. Everything was fine until the vaccine information was suddenly stolen…”
Her voice was filled with sobs as she spoke.
Norman remained silent. After a brief pause, he comforted, “Don’t worry, Nicole. Practice makes perfect. The second time around, you’ll be able to develop the vaccine much faster.”
But Nicole shook her head to that. Helplessly, she responded, “That’s not the case, Norman. I would be more than happy if things were this simple. The problem is that they all suspect me and think I am the culprit. But I am not…”
He was stunned for a moment before he asked solemnly, “How do you want me to help you, Nicole?”
“Norman, you’re a prestigious figure in the medical field. Could you stand out and vouch for me?” Nicole pleaded with him softly.
With his gaze lowered, Norman began to mull over what Nicole had said, and his eyes filled with uncertainty. It was only after a long pause that he muttered, “Nicole, this is a serious matter. Allow me to think about it, and I’ll let you know my decision by tomorrow morning. Is that all right?”
“Of course! Thank you very much, Norman,” Nicole was elated and profusely thanked him.
She then hung up the phone. Her weak and aggrieved expression changed in the next second.
Nicole tossed the phone on the bed, her eyes squinting and a cold smile on her face.
Hayden, who was nearby, witnessed her instant change of expression and teased, “Mom, you should start your career as an actor. Your acting earlier was even more genuine than that of the actors on television.”
Hearing that, she pulled him closer and pressed her hand against his head. “It’s getting late. As a child, you have to sleep early. Go to bed now!”
Meanwhile, Norman called Pierre immediately after finishing his conversation with Nicole.
Norman’s call caught Pierre off guard. Is he really contacting me? Did the sun rise from the west?
It was unusual for Norman to call Pierre on his own initiative. The former had never done anything like this before in the past years.
“What major event prompted you to call me, Doctor Clancy?”
Norman remained silent in the face of Pierre’s mockery. Instead, he replied calmly, “Nicole came to me.”
Such a simple sentence aroused Pierre’s interest. “She wants you to prove her innocence?”
“Yes.” Norman nodded.
Pierre laughed when he heard that. “That’s interesting. Things are becoming more fun now.”
Looking for Norman to vouch for her meant that Nicole really had no way out now.
A sense of viciousness flashed in his eyes at that thought. “Go help her, then,” Pierre said as he curled up his lips.
Norman, on the other hand, frowned; he didn’t understand what Pierre was saying.
“What do you mean?”
Before he could continue his question, Pierre cut him off. “Agree to her request first. She won’t be able to control what you say once you return to the country.”
“So you’re saying I should give her a chance and then deliver a fatal blow once her guard is down?”
“Indeed, Doctor Clancy. We’re now in the same boat now. Nicole is our primary target. Don’t get softhearted now, or else we’ll be the ones rotting in hell!” Pierre forewarned.
Chapter 412 Coming to the Country
Norman, however, did not want to give up his current glory and wealth. “I know,” he said hoarsely. Pierre laughed when he heard that. Nicole is doomed this time!
Nicole received a call early the next morning from Norman, informing her that he was willing to come to the country to testify to her innocence.
She then told him that she had planned a press conference the next day to clear her name, and she also thanked the man.
Colton, who was nearby, heard what Nicole said and immediately realized what she was up to. He had heard from Hayden that Norman was the one who framed White a few years ago.
And, of course, he wouldn’t believe Nicole would let Norman off so easily.
“You’re planning to deal with Norman?” he asked, his eyes tinged with amusement and his brows raised.
Hearing his voice, Nicole turned her head around and looked at him, her face calm. “I believe that the mastermind of the incident that year wasn’t him, but Pierre,” she said nonchalantly. “If Norman could pull himself back from the brink in time, I wouldn’t do anything to him. But if he decides to continue with his mistakes, I will make him pay his dues,” Nicole said, her eyes staring at the floor.
Colton gave her a look and said nothing else.
The news of Norman’s arrival in the country spread quickly, as if it had been deliberately disseminated.
Norman Clancy was White’s junior and Nicole’s senior.
Everyone was speculating on the true reason for his arrival at this point of time.
And at the same time, Nicole announced a press conference for tomorrow, with the main agenda being to clarify the previously reported incident of stolen vaccine information.
Everyone wasn’t stupid either. They were all guessing that Nicole had invited Norman from abroad to testify for her innocence at the press conference.
If Norman could vouch for Nicole, things might change for the better for her.
After all, Norman was not only a well-known person abroad, he was also a respected doctor in the international medical community.
Norman did not look for Nicole the moment he touched down. Instead, he was picked up from the airport by a van and taken away.
A man sat comfortably in the van, holding a cigarette between his fingers. The entire van was filled with the scent of tobacco.
Norman wasn’t used to the odor, so he grumbled with a frown, “Make it quick. It wouldn’t be good if Nicole sees both of us together.”
Pierre wasn’t bothered by Norman’s disgusted tone at all. He drew his cigarette closer, took a puff and said, “What are you worried about? Isn’t your presence here now to join forces with me to destroy Nicole’s reputation?”
Though he was right, Norman subconsciously did not want to have anything to do with Pierre.
He simply hummed in response to Pierre’s words. “Nicole will have the press conference tomorrow,” he said as he winded down the window.
“The police have no concrete evidence in this matter. Hence, Nicole can only find a credible figure to vouch for her, and you are one of them.” Pierre spoke slowly, his gaze sweeping across Norman.
Norman’s career had advanced rapidly in the recent years since White’s absence. He could even be said to have reached the pinnacle of his career.
But only Norman knew what dirty and unsightly things he had done to get to where he was now.
“I understand what you’re trying to say. We are both involved in White’s matter. This time, I will destroy Nicole and render her unable to survive in the medical field any longer. And with that, the matter between us will come to an end. Don’t look for me anymore in the future!” Norman said coldly. He was well aware of the type of person Pierre was, and if their relationship continued, Norman would undoubtedly be dragged down by him.
Hearing that, Pierre simply snorted before nodding without saying anything else.
Chapter 413 Slander
The next day, the press conference was held as scheduled. Nicole was seen as a traitor and many found her to blame, which was why many people attended the press conference.
Fortunately, Colton had sent bodyguards over. Otherwise, Nicole would be drowned by the belittlement.
While Nicole was getting ready to pick up Norman yesterday, Norman suddenly called and said he didn’t need her to come over anymore. It was because he had a friend in the vicinity whom he wanted to meet. Still, he assured her that he would come the following day to speak with her.
And in the morning, Norman also swore to vouch for Nicole regarding the incident.
The press conference was held with profanities thrown around. To them, it was Nicole who stole the information.
Not only that, they were angry that Nicole was using the Gardner Family’s influence to bail herself out of jail.
However, Nicole had a speech on the stage. She said she wasn’t the thief and believed the laboratory would paint her innocent. Moreover, she brought Norman to vouch for her.
Those remarks made the excited people instantly calm down.
Norman was a world-renowned doctor, so if he vouched for Nicole, the audience would start to wonder if she was really innocent.
He began to head up the stage after Nicole had finished speaking. His eyes had swept over the crowd before he spoke in an assuring voice.
“I didn’t expect such a serious matter to occur. Nicole is White’s last and only disciple. At that time, White took her as his apprentice to practice medicine and cured many patients. To think she would be slandered after all these years…”
Norman spoke slowly and enunciated every word, which moved the audience’s heart. However, his tone suddenly changed as he reached the next part of his speech.
“If White was still alive, he would be grieved to see his apprentice fall like this! I had promised to vouch for Nicole, but after some thinking, I felt it was wrong to vouch for her innocence. Wouldn’t this make her think that if she had support, she would be forgiven no matter what? So, I broke the promise. In whatever we do, we must bear the consequences!”
These remarks instantly made the audience cheer.
“Doctor Clancy is right; she should be held accountable!”
“People who steal state secrets should not be forgiven!”
And it went on and on.
Nicole, who was standing on stage, suddenly felt belittled.
Her expression changed as her face turned pale. Then, she took two steps forward up to Norman and frowned, saying, “Mr. Clancy, didn’t you come today to prove my innocence? Why are you doing this?”
Norman stood up with an upright expression on his face and said bitterly, “Nicole, I can’t do things that go against my conscience. I had convinced myself that you are White’s only apprentice, so I should protect you. However, you stole the state secret. If White is still alive, he will not protect you either.”
A trace of irony flashed in Nicole’s eyes. When Norman got off the plane, Colton had sent someone to shadow him at that time. And sure enough, Norman went to meet Pierre after getting off the plane.
She wanted to give Norman one last chance and have him prove that he had nothing to do with Pierre. Now, she regretted that she was too merciful to Norman.
“But Mr. Clancy, I really didn’t do it. If Master White is still alive, he would believe in me,” Nicole said clearly with a face full of sincerity.
Norman didn’t budge. After all, Nicole’s existence was a significant threat to him. He could only be successful when her reputation was ruined and no one trusted her.
“Nicole, what you did stands against humanity. It’s useless even if I vouch for you.” Norman proceeded to blame Nicole.
Chapter 414 Checkmate
Nicole stared at the man before her. After a while, she finally raised a wry smile. “Mr. Clancy, do you really think I did it?”
Norman didn’t nod, but he began to persuade her, “Nicole, it’s not too late for you to admit your wrongdoings. You can’t live on peacefully if you start getting charged.”
Nicole suddenly chuckled as the concern on her face instantly dissipated.
The smile on her face was sweet, and she didn’t seem flustered at all.
Norman looked at Nicole and couldn’t understand what she was thinking.
Nicole reached out and pressed on a remote control, and a video instantly displayed on a huge screen behind him.
In the video, it was the footage of the base where the crime was being committed.
The people in the audience who blamed Nicole instantly quieted down, and they all watched the video in unison.
After they finished watching the video, Nicole magnified the figure in the video. It was a man.
As everyone quieted down, Nicole announced slowly, “This is the man who stole the information at that time, and the police had already identified him. It was the security guard of the base. I thought Mr. Clancy would have believed in me, but I didn’t expect…”
Norman’s expression turned dark as he clenched his fists tightly. He never thought that he would be checked by Nicole.
His lips were trembling. With his eyes fixated on Nicole, Norman wanted to find excuses for his actions. However, Nicole seemed to have anticipated his reaction, so she said bluntly, “I knew you didn’t believe me because the rumor about Master White came from you.”
Her words, said without emotions, were like a stone suddenly thrown into a calm lake and instantly stirring up layers of waves.
Norman’s expression changed. While looking at Nicole, he said sharply, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Nicole? You can’t just slander me here just because I didn’t vouch for you!”
Nicole looked at the enraged Norman with a sarcastic smile on her lips. Then, she pressed the button, and the pictures on the screen switched instantly.
It was now replaced with some pictures of Norman visiting White’s patient’s family members.
Nicole looked at Norman and asked, “Mr. Clancy, these are the people who demanded compensation in the hospital. You met them a week before the accident and gave them money. Are you going to say it has nothing to do with you?”
Facing Nicole’s accusations, Norman could only grit his teeth.
He quickly stepped forward and held Nicole’s wrist tightly while muttering, “Nicole, let’s talk about this in private. No need to make such a scene here.”
Nicole shoved away Norman’s hand. Then, she raised her voice to the reporters and the crowd. “Mr. Clancy, I believe you are innocent. However, those pieces of evidence are now shown before me, so I had to doubt you, just like how you doubted me before.”
Norman did not expect himself to suddenly become the target of public criticism.
However, he had been an influential figure for many years, so he swiftly countered, “Nicole, there must be someone trying to stir up discord between us with this. Just look at the photo. How could I turn against and frame White, who had shown me such kindness!”
Nicole looked at the flustered man before her. Norman was older than White, but White had more experience than Norman, so Norman always respected White.
“Mr. Clancy!” Nicole interrupted Norman’s claims with her dark eyes showing no emotion. She then said to Norman, “I had asked someone to investigate this matter, so it wasn’t someone random who sent this to me. I had already handed over all this information to the police. Mr. Clancy, I believe the police will happily prove your innocence if you are not guilty.”
Norman’s face turned pale. His influence only worked abroad. Now that he was lured to Goldwick by Nicole, he was completely isolated and helpless.
Chapter 415 Vicious!
Norman was well aware of what he had done. It was his doing to get the police off the case regarding the medical fiasco in the past.
If one decides to pursue the case and investigate, I will not get away with it!
“Nicole, it is not what you think.” Norman wanted to explain, but Nicole just stared at him coldly.
“Mr. Clancy, you said that if you had done wrong, it’s useless even if I believe you, right?”
Norman’s face turned thunderous at that point. He never thought that Nicole would counter him at this moment. Now, he was helpless.
Out of nowhere, police officers stepped forward and arrested Norman.
“Mr. Clancy, you are involved in Mr. White’s slander. The evidence is deemed conclusive. Please come with us.”
As Nicole wanted to clarify the theft of information today, many reporters, both local and from abroad, had come to the scene. Hence, Norman trembled when he heard what the police said.
If I am charged with framing White, my life will be doomed.
Then, Norman turned his head and furiously glared at Nicole as he yelled, “Nicole, all I did was not vouch for you, and this is how you set me up! You had malicious intent for me all along!”
Hearing Norman speak confidently, Nicole chuckled lightly.
“Mr. Clancy, I never needed you to vouch for me; this incident had nothing to do with me. The security guard who stole it is already in the police station, and he revealed everything. Even the family members who caused medical trouble back then had told me personally that you were the one who instigated it.”
Hearing Nicole revealing all his dirty secrets, Norman was about to blow a gasket. He gritted his teeth and said, “You had asked me to come here just to f*ck with me?!”
I didn’t expect that I would be plotted against by a woman!
Nicole parted her lips and revealed a sarcastic smile at Norman. Then, she said, “Mr. Clancy, what are you talking about? I just wanted to catch up with you, but I didn’t expect to see your bad side. Master White had always told me I cannot allow evil to flourish, so I didn’t hold back.”
As Nicole uttered the words, the police dragged Norman away.
Norman struggled and fought, his initially delicate appearance disappearing.
“I’m Norman Clancy, the hospital’s dean and a foreign citizen; you can’t treat me like this!!”
Only Norman’s outbursts could be heard in the now quiet room.
However, this place was Colton’s territory, and the Gardner Family supported Nicole. When the Gardner Family spoke up, Norman’s influence couldn’t reach here even though he had a lot of power abroad.
After Norman was brought away, Nicole continued, “That was just a small episode. I’m here today because I want to tell everyone that all the data stolen from the laboratory has been recovered. In addition, their personnel have already invested in their research, and the vaccine will be available soon.”
The reporters were now put to shame. Their insults to Nicole earlier felt as if they were thrown back at them one at a time, and it hurt their pride.
However, Nicole didn’t care about it and smiled instead.
“As the actual culprit was not found, everyone had misunderstood me and said some irrational things. However, if I found someone doing such a treasonous act, I believe I would have been more agitated than anyone here.”
Nicole did not blame them at all and even forgave them.
“So, there’s no need to keep this matter to heart.”
Nicole was initially wronged by everyone but now, she had shown generosity to the reporters by giving them respect. In the end, every reporter praised Nicole in their articles.
Chapter 416 Fainted
Nicole thought she could finally find out the identity of the person who was behind all of these once she caught the security guard framing her. In the end, it turned out the security guard was only receiving a tremendous amount of reward from the man behind and never saw the culprit in person.
The culprit asked him to leave no traces and blame everything on Nicole. However, she came back earlier than he expected, so he couldn’t transfer the data in time. He was originally attempting to transfer the data for a second time when the others were busy interrogating Nicole, but he was arrested instead.
Even now, he couldn’t think of the reason why he was caught by the surveillance cameras even if he had cut off the power supply.
Nicole sneered at his confused look and sent him a sarcastic smile. “I have a feeling such a thing would happen, so I set up an uninterruptible power supply in the lab. It will provide emergency power to the surveillance cameras when the main power supply fails.”
She thought she could root out the organization opposing her this time, but Pierre denied his involvement in the matter. As for Norman, she only had solid evidence of him regarding what happened to White back in the past.
Even though she was hoping Norman would rat Pierre out, Norman wasn’t revealing anything and denying every accusation against him.
He denied everything with a stern look, even if they were showing him the proof.
At first, Pierre never expected Norman to be arrested until he learned that Nicole was setting them up from the news. Raging, he slammed his hand on the table and made a loud thud.
Even though Norman did not betray him for the time being, Pierre knew he needed to be prepared. Or else, once Norman knew Pierre wasn’t planning to save him, he no doubt would turn on Pierre and sell Pierre to Nicole.
Meanwhile, Nicole recalled Betty’s words once she had dealt with Norman. Bringing along Hayden, she set off to Betty’s place.
Betty was living in a small and shabby apartment. The exterior walls were painted red, but it was hard to tell as they were mottled with age, with some even peeling off.
The door gate was made of iron, but it already rusted over years.
Nicole reached out her hand and knocked lightly on the gate before noticing the door wasn’t locked up. It ended up opening just like that.
Hayden was standing behind Nicole as he poked his head out with a curious look. Today, he was here to see an important person to his mother. Scanning his surroundings, he concluded he had come to an old place and was curious to see what kind of person the owner was.
The iron door creaked open, revealing the interior.
Raising her voice, Nicole called out to the owner as she stepped inside. “Ms. Betty?”
Nobody answered her. The house seemed empty with its owner nowhere to be found.
The house was rather small, and the living area was integrated with the kitchen. Even though the room seemed old, Betty kept the interior organized and tidy, which expressed a hint of a warm and cozy vibe.
Staring at the shut door, Nicole stepped closer to it as she called out again into the bedroom, “Ms. Betty? Are you there?”
I told her I’ll be visiting today during our phone call yesterday. I don’t think she would’ve gone out.
Doubts were creeping into Nicole’s mind when she pushed the bedroom door open and found a person lying on the floor. The scene startled her and she immediately rushed over to check on the woman.
Pressing a hand onto Betty’s neck, Nicole let out a sigh of relief when she felt the faint pulsing.
She took a moment to do a quick check on Betty and found no obvious wounds on the woman. It turned out that Betty simply fainted, but she needed to do a body check at the hospital to find out the cause.
Nicole helped the unconscious woman to get on the bed and tucked the woman in before her gaze rested on the note sticking to the headboard.
The note was a reminder that Nicole and Hayden would be visiting Betty today. Nicole felt a pang of sadness looking at the note, but couldn’t make out the cause.
Noticing her sudden silence, he joined her beside the bed and pulled her sleeve, asking, “Mom, what’s going on?”
Nicole shook her head. She had no idea what the cause of Betty’s passing out would be, but she was glad to see there wasn’t any wound on Betty after a quick check.
Nicole grabbed a stool nearby and sat at the bedside before giving Betty another examination. A moment later, she allowed herself to relax after she made sure there was nothing serious about Betty, aside from her fainting.
Hayden was sitting in Nicole’s lap, and she had her arms around him as they waited. About half an hour later, Betty finally woke up.
She slowly opened her eyes to get used to the surroundings and Nicole came into her view at her first glance. Much to Nicole’s surprise, Betty was staring at her in confusion instead of the expected happiness to see her and Hayden.
Chapter 417 She Forgot Many Things
Staring into Nicole’s eyes, Betty began with a confused look, “Who are you?”
Nicole’s expression sank at the unexpected question as she hurried over to explain, “Ms. Betty, I’m Nicole! Nicole Anderson! Don’t you remember me?”
Confusion was written all over Betty’s face as she observed the young woman before her. Scratching her head in distress, she avoided Nicole’s gaze and looked at the ground as she thought, but failed to link the woman to any name in her memory.
At last, she shook her head and admitted, “I can’t remember. Who’s Nicole?”
A serious look emerged on Nicole’s face. I’m sure I have done a quick check on her and she’s supposed to be fine. What’s happening?
Remembering there was a note on the headboard, she ripped it off before presenting it to Betty and pointing at the content. “Ms. Betty, look. You’ve made a note of meeting me today.”
Even though Betty couldn’t remember Nicole, she recognized the writings on the note as hers.
The elderly woman was trying to remember everything, but the tingling pain in her head was restraining her from thinking soberly. Holding her head with a pained look, she couldn’t help but moan.
It was breaking Nicole’s heart to watch Betty in such a condition, so she comforted, “Ms. Betty, that’s enough. You don’t need to force yourself to remember everything.”
Betty shook her head and the tears fell down her cheeks without warning as she struggled to recall her past. “I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything! Why is it happening to me?”
Nicole couldn’t understand Betty’s unspeakable anguish, but she knew now wasn’t a good time to discuss the matter they had talked about on the phone.
She spoke in a soft tone to avoid tormenting the older woman’s mind. “Ms. Betty, you should stop thinking about it and take a rest.”
Nicole couldn’t bear to see Betty’s mind in a foggy state. A doubt suddenly occurred to her as she remembered that Betty was indeed forgetful before, but her state wasn’t as serious as what happened a moment ago, in which she had completely forgotten Nicole.
A serious problem like memory loss happened to Betty all of a sudden right after she was ready to tell Nicole something about Lydia. Something doesn’t add up.
However, the facilities in the living district were outdated and it wasn’t even equipped with surveillance cameras. Nicole couldn’t even track the suspect’s movements around the area if there was one to begin with.
Betty closed her eyes and began to collect her thoughts. After a while, she opened them before turning to Nicole. This time, Nicole could see there was less confusion on her face as she swallowed in anticipation. “I remember! There’s Madeline and you, Nicole!”
Nicole nodded at Betty, but she did not remind the latter that Madeline had passed away. Speaking in a gentle tone, Nicole suggested, “Ms. Betty, will you go home with us? Living in this place won’t do you good.”
Hearing Nicole’s voice, Betty turned to look at the young woman. Betty was a woman turning eighty soon and she had visible wrinkles on her face. Besides, her eyes weren’t shining with the hope to live anymore and were as lifeless as a pool of stagnant water instead.
“Don’t bother. I’m used to living here. Since I’m dying sooner or later, I would rather die in a familiar place.”
Hayden poked his head out from behind Nicole. His round eyes fixed on Betty as he addressed her in a meek tone, “Madam Betty.”
Betty lowered her head to Nicole’s side when she heard the unfamiliar voice of a child. When she found the boy next to Nicole, she couldn’t suppress a surprised look. “What an adorable kid! I would like to pinch his puffy cheeks.
Nicole nodded inattentively. She was more worried about Betty at the moment. There’s more to Ms. Betty than meets the eyes, or else Lydia won’t risk drugging her in the past. She must be hoping Ms. Betty will forget something.
Moreover, as Betty was turning older over the years, her memory wasn’t as clear as it used to be. Nicole suspected Lydia would ask her lackeys to keep tabs on Betty’s daily life in the future.
If so, Betty would put herself in danger once her memories recovered and the news got to Lydia.
“Ms. Betty, I’m worried about your health. You collapsed on the floor when I got here. Why don’t we go to the hospital for a full check-up?”
Even though Nicole found no wounds on Betty, her judgment wasn’t as professional as the medical equipment, so she was hoping to persuade Betty to do a check at the hospital.
As Nicole finished her words, Betty shook her head and smiled. “There’s no need for it. I know myself.”
Chapter 418 To Frame Him
Nicole let it go and reminded the older woman about the topic of their phone call instead. As expected, Betty couldn’t remember anything.
Nicole stared at the note she left on the bedside when an idea occurred to her. The paper is written with the date we had the call, so it might be one of the pages on the particular book.
Fixing her gaze on the ground as she pondered, she then asked, “Ms. Betty, do you still remember you’ll be handing a notebook to me today?”
As expected, Betty showed a confused look at Nicole’s question and shook her head.
Nicole sighed in resignation. I guess she can’t remember this, either.
Betty considered for a moment and suggested, “You can look around. Maybe you will find it.”
Knowing she couldn’t depend on Betty’s memory to remember anything for the time being, Nicole began to search around the house with the older woman’s permission, in hopes of finding out what happened between her mother and Lydia in the past.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t find anything useful in the house. Moreover, Betty had forgotten the existence of the notebook and couldn’t provide her any hint of its whereabouts.
At last, she simply gave up on her search without many choices. Worrying about leaving Betty alone in the apartment, Nicole kept badgering the elderly woman until Betty eventually agreed to visit the hospital. Once she got Betty settled in, Nicole left for home.
Hayden had stuck to Nicole’s side throughout the whole day, and he indeed noticed something didn’t add up.
Even though Betty was living in an old apartment area without surveillance cameras, there were other cameras in the surroundings to begin with.
Hence, Hayden accessed the security footage nearby and began his investigation.
Among all of the cars passing by the area before they visited Betty, he found his suspect.
A middle-aged woman got out of the particular car. Despite her look seemingly out of place, she stepped into the area just like that.
Hayden could only get hold of the picture of the woman walking into the apartment area due to the limited shooting range of the cameras. He sent his findings to his mother nevertheless. Nicole immediately clenched her hand around her cell phone angrily once she studied the photos, because the woman in them was none other than Lydia.
It’s no doubt she was coming for Ms. Betty, or else a woman like her wouldn’t bother to show up at such a slum!
“Mom,” Hayden called out in a quiet voice, as he was worried watching his mother’s face scrunching up in rage.
Hearing his words, Nicole succeeded in suppressing the anger showing on her face, but the anger was burning even stronger in her crystal clear eyes.
Lydia must’ve known I’m meeting Ms. Betty today and is afraid of me knowing her dirty business. That’s why she was deigning to visit an unlikely place and poison Ms. Betty!
Nicole was even angrier thinking of what Lydia had done to Betty.
No, I can’t panic. I must have the patience to wait until they make a mistake.
“It’s fine. I’ve calmed down. Thanks a lot, Hayden.” Nicole crouched to hold his gaze and smiled as she patted him on the head.
The boy studied his mother’s face for a moment before turning his gaze away and said, “Mom, you don’t have to force a smile if you’re not feeling it.”
Meanwhile, Queenie was finally aware of the changes in her body. Since Bryan had been keeping her as his mistress for a time, it indicated he was indeed satisfied with her physically, as he always wore her out after a whole night of messing around.
At first, she would remember to take the birth control pills. After a while, however, she started to forget to take the pills.
she was pregnant with Bryan’s child.
Even though the man was wealthy, Queenie remembered he was married, and his wife wasn’t someone to mess with in the first place. Queenie knew only to expect the worst if Bryan’s wife found that his mistress was pregnant.
Queenie paled at the thought of dying at the woman’s hand. As she rested her hands on her belly, a vicious look flashed in her eyes. I can’t let the kid live.
As for now, I must make the most out of the baby and benefit from it.
But I definitely can’t count on Bryan. I don’t want to get on his wife’s wrong side. Even if I show up in front of them with a very pregnant belly, I surely won’t be able to gain anything.
Looks like there’s only Colton left.
Chapter 419 I Have Something to Tell You
Gradually, Benedict recovered and got better. Coincidentally, it was also his eightieth birthday, and the Gardner Family wanted to hold a proper celebration.
Initially, they thought that Benedict’s body wouldn’t hold out this year, but who would have guessed that he recovered well after the surgery and didn’t even seem uncomfortable?
Still, out of consideration for his health, the Gardner Family didn’t organize such a grand birthday party as they only invited some influential people over for a simple celebration. As the Gradners’ benefactress, Nicole’s name was naturally on the invitation list.
However, the Gardners were not expecting Queenie to show up brazenly, too. In addition, she didn’t seem the least awkward as she greeted everyone at the party.
Colton narrowed his eyes at her and was clearly unhappy at the sight of her. Despite his evident displeasure, his dark pupils seemed like a dark puddle that was calm and deep.
He pursed his lips without a word, but the people nearby could clearly sense the tension in the air.
Halfway through the party, Queenie finally found her way to him.
“Colton.” She lifted her eyes, which were gleaming pitifully.
Colton’s face remained stone cold as he stared at the woman before him. The longer he looked at her, the harder it was to suppress the flash of derision that gleamed in his eyes.
Although he hadn’t paid any particular attention to Queenie, he roughly knew that this woman went to work for the Kohlbergs after leaving Gardner Corporation. Nevertheless, he had no idea what scheme she was planning when she showed up at the Gardner Residence.
He looked away from the woman and asked nonchalantly, “What?”
An aggrieved and hurt look appeared on her face at his indifference, and she reached out to tug at his sleeve.
He felt her tugging on his sleeve and immediately took a few steps back with a frown and jerked his sleeve away, looking a little disgusted.
Her eyes glinted with a tinge of maliciousness, but she quickly returned to her pitiful persona and said softly, “Colton, we were engaged for at least five years, and even though we are unrelated now, there are many things which I would like to tell you.”
Colton didn’t have a single shred of pity for the meek woman before her. On the contrary, for some reason, he felt annoyed by her presence and even thought that this woman was vile.
On the other hand, Queenie had to grab this opportunity tightly despite sensing his apparent disgust at herself.
“Colton, after I left Gardner Corporation, I worked under the Kohlberg Group and learned that they plan to act against the Gardners. That’s why I came to see you today.”
Her eyes were teary, and sincerity was written all over her face, but Colton didn’t trust this woman at all. Nonetheless, he was interested in knowing her actual plan and how far she planned to weave her story.
“Oh? Tell me, then. I’m listening.”
She nervously scanned the people around her and whispered, “Colton, I’m afraid someone from the Kohlberg Family is here. Can we speak privately?”
As soon as she brought up the suggestion, a look of distaste appeared on his face, and when she noticed it, she hurriedly said, “This is your home. I can’t possibly do anything to you, can I?”
He scrutinized her as he pressed his lips into a thin line, and even though he held revulsion in his heart for her, he agreed to her proposal. “Okay, come with me.” Then, he turned around and walked into the house. Queenie didn’t waste any time as she trotted after him.
Meanwhile, Nicole was chatting with Benedict, and she had seen Queenie since the start of the party. Now, she saw her again, following Colton up the stairs, and she felt a trace of unease in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
A big, grown man like Colton couldn’t possibly fall into Queenie’s trap. In addition, this is the Gardner Residence, she thought and felt more assured.
Together, Queenie and Colton went into a study on the second floor of the Gardner Residence. He stood with his back completely straight, and his voice was stoic as he cast her a side-eye and said coldly, “Speak.”
Chapter 420 I Love You
Queenie took a small step forward, but Colton backed up out of reflex when he saw her move. After she saw his reaction, she looked hurt and bit her lip as tears started to well up in her eyes, appearing very pitiable.
“Colton, do you even find it disgusting when I’m a little close to you? Even though I tricked you, we were together for five years, after all. Don’t you have a single ounce of feelings for me?”
At her question, he merely frowned, and impatience flashed over his face. “You came upstairs with me to talk about the Kohlbergs. If you have nothing to say, then just get out,” he snapped indifferently.
As Queenie listened to his heartless and merciless words, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and she sniffled miserably. “Actually, about F&R Enterprise, the Kohlbergs already know that the Gardners want to fight for it,” she said slowly, approaching him slowly.
Regarding F&R Enterprise, Colton had contacted them before, and Gardner Corporation really wanted to obtain their project. He suppressed the confusion swirling in his eyes as he raised his gaze at her and asked, “And so?”
Queenie took another step closer, and he suddenly smelled a scent on her that made him unwittingly furrow his brows in disgust. At first, he thought that it was her perfume, but he didn’t imagine that he would stagger at just a small sniff of it. Since a slight whiff of her perfume caused him to feel a strong sense of dizziness.
He reached out blindly to steady himself, and he happened to grab hold of the desk. With his intelligence, he instantly deduced that the scent must be the cause of this.
An enormous ball of fury bubbled up within him, and hostility surged in his dark eyes, which were fixated on Queenie.
She feigned ignorance as she came forward and leaned on his arm, asking in concern, “Colton, are you alright? You don’t look so well.”
With her sudden approach, he could smell the scent on her again and immediately held his breath to stop inhaling it.
His face gradually paled as he shoved her aside with a firm hand and hissed through gritted teeth, “Queenie Anderson, how dare you d-drug me!”
He never imagined that she would have the guts to roofie him in the Gardner Residence. The audacity of doing such a thing!
However, Queenie wasn’t upset that he had shoved her aside. If anything, she renewed her efforts as she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly with her arms and leaning her head on his body. “Colton, we were together for five years! In those five years, you’ve never touched me even once. Don’t you desire me?” she asked, almost pleading with him.
Afterward, she freed one hand and unbuttoned her top, revealing her fair, white chest.
Although she wanted to seduce him, Colton didn’t think that the view right now was tempting. In contrast, it made him sick.
He held onto the last shred of his rationality with his willpower, extended his arm, and elbowed her away. Despite that, maybe it was due to the effects of the drug hitting him, his face was flushed brightly, and he clenched his jaw. When he turned to Queenie again, his dark eyes were already bloodshot.
“I dare you, Queenie Anderson. You better be prepared for the consequences!”
Nevertheless, Queenie wasn’t even fazed by his threat as a sweet smile appeared on her face. But then, he saw that she curled up the edges of her lips as her face gradually turned scarlet.
Only by being ruthless could a woman truly control herself and men.
Queenie had also drugged herself, and her dosage was much heavier than Cotton. Ruthlessness was the mark of ambition; she had set her mind and given it all this time to make Colton hers.
“Colton, what are you saying? I’m only saying this because I like you. Don’t you want it?” she said, reaching out and feeling his chest. She could clearly feel his firm muscles underneath, even through a layer of cloth.