Chapter 315
Chapter 315
“Neil, you’re better at keeping cool than I am, aren’t you?” I sidled up to Nell and took his hand, gently stroking his palm. “Didn’t you say that Ethan Foster smells fishy? He’s probably keeping a wary eye on you. If we want to catch him out, we have to make him believe that we’ve split”
Neil wrapped my hand in his, his palm was warm and broad.
He leaned in, his lips almost brushing my cheek. “Alright, I’ll play along, but you owe me for the emotional toll.”
“Do I need to make it up to you?” I was genuinely surprised. Was Neil pushing it?
“Yeah, you do.” Without waiting for my response, he pressed his lips on mine as his tongue expertly explored my mouth.
After all his persistence, I seemed to have warmed up to him. It wasn’t unpleasant, and as long as I didn’t get pregnant, I was none the worse for it
I tried to reciprocate, and he stopped. His eyes were wide open, brimming with barely concealed excitement
“I want us to have a kid as soon as possible.” Neil whispered against my lips as his gentle kiss enveloped me.
Just like that, my arousal plummeted. It felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart.
I wasn’t going to have any more kids, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Neil had no idea what was running through my mind. He continued to kiss me tenderly while I bore the pain and managed to respond..
He was incredibly gentle that night, but I couldn’t shake off my melancholy.
The next morning, I rushed back home.
Hannah had breakfast ready. After seeing me return from outside, she first froze, and then her face broke into a knowing grin. “Ms. Finch, breakfast is ready”
‘Okay, you guys start. I need to change.” I avoided Hannah’s gaze and hurried up to my room.
Once upstairs, I took a shower. As soon as I was done, my phone started buzzing.
It was an unfamiliar number, so I hesitated and hit ignore.
Soon, a text came through. “It’s Malinda. I have something crucial
to
tell you!
For some reason, I felt a strong urge to meet Malinda. She would have a surprise for me.
I quickly replied. “Okay, where are you?”
Turned out that Malinda not only found my contact details and home address but breakfast and went straight to meet her.
Was waiting for me outside my complex. I skipped
In just one night, Malinda seemed to have changed completely. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red and swollen. Clearly, she had been crying a lot..
After seeing me, she mustered a painful smile. “Irene, are you laughing at my misfortune?”
“Not quite, but you chose to side with Bonnie and Louis. You had to know that there would be risks.” I replied coolly
Malinda forced a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I thought of Louis as my partner and Bonnie as my best friend. And yet, they conspired against me and plotted to set me up.”
I listened in silence, not knowing what to say.
Malinda sniffed and handed me a USB drive. “This might be useful to you. But if Bonnie finds out, she won’t let me off the hook. I don’t care anymore. I’ve lost my child, Irene. I think I now understand the pain you felt when you lost your child.”
I took the USB drive, looking shocked. ‘Child?”
*I was pregnant, but the incident that day caused me to miscarry. I had planned to break the news to Louis. Turns out, I was just deluding myself.” Malinda’s face was a mask of despair.
I hadn’t expected Malinda to be pregnant. Did Louis know he was responsible for his child’s death?
And I still couldn’t understand why he chose Malinda in the first place, only to do something so cruel and force them to break up
After giving me the USB drive, Malinda turned to leave.
I called
I called after her. “If you’re worried about Bonnie causing trouble, I can help.”
“You’re going to help?” Malinda looked back at me like she’d heard a joke. “Are you really that kind?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I held up the USB drive. “Isn’t this the evidence you’re giving me so you can switch sides? Where else can you go?”
Malinda froze, and after a moment, her tense shoulders relaxed.
Chapter 315
The USB drive I got from Malinda contained some startling and shocking information.
I didn’t know how Malinda collected this data, but it was clear she had been preparing for any eventuality all along.
I didn’t tell Neil about the USB drive, and I stowed it safely away.
‘Ms. Finch, Mr. Foster from FarHorizon Group would like to have dinner with you.” My assistant informed me.
Ethan Foster was getting anxious. It looked like he was up to something. Neil said he wanted to launder money through the company without implicating Gloria. He was killing two birds with one stone by targeting me..
When I didn’t react to FarHorizon Group for days, Ethan Foster must have gotten restless.
This man was Karina Aaron’s biological father, Gloria’s backer, and the man responsible for my father’s downfall. I decided it was time to see this man in the flesh.
“I see. Let him set the time and place and notify me. I’ll be there.” I said.
Half an hour later, my assistant brought me the details. It was to be tonight at eight at a club called ‘Haven Club.
I went there alone, and in a private room, I met him.
Ethan Foster, the man himself, had a vibe pretty similar to my old man. They were both from the bureaucratic world, looking all posh and gentlemanly.
I had seen pictures of Karina, so I could immediately spot the family resemblance between her and him.
And then, there was also some similarity between Bonnie and Karina, so naturally, she would share some father-daughter resemblance with Ethan Foster too.
“Ms. Finch, good to see you.” Upon seeing me, Ethan Foster immediately stood up, walked over very politely, and extended his hand for
a shake.
After looking at him, I could tell that he was indeed a high-profile political figure with an intricate and deep network of connections and a myriad of conflicting interests. It was no wonder Neil was being extra cautious.
Finding some dirt on Ethan Foster was indeed tough, but beating him and clearing my father’s name was even harder.
But one thing was for sure, Ethan Foster must care a lot about Gloria. That was why he was head over heels for her and treated Bonnie like his own flesh and blood as a stand-in for his daughter.
