Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

The man's face swelled red from the slap, and he staggered back, not daring to speak.

In his mind, however, he thought, Haven't I been rough enough on Tina lately? Wasn't that exactly what you told me to do?

But he didn't dare voice these thoughts.

The woman stared at the wine glass in her hand, her voice hoarse as she said, "She is my trump card!"

The man wanted to ask something, but the woman in red turned her back to him and snapped coldly, "Tell Dorothy Russell she has one more month. If she doesn't develop the immortality drug, she might as well die." The man hesitated, speechless.

He couldn't understand Claudia. Tina already had what she needed in her hands. Why not take it from her instead of wasting time forcing Dorothy Russell to research it?

But he didn't ask. He simply nodded and left.

As he reached the door, a thought struck him, and he turned back to ask, "What about Luke Gill?"

"Leave him alone. His secrets are already out in the open. Tina's just using him to try to flush me out."

The man didn't press further. He turned and walked away.

After he left, the woman moved to the window, leaning against the frame as she gazed at the sky outside. No one could tell what she was thinking.

At Ashbury, in Carl's villa, Carl sat in the large rocking chair in his study, his expression dark and displeased.

Across from him stood Victor, his refined face tinged with a cold hostility.

The middle-aged man rested one hand on the armrest while the other rhythmically tapped the desk.

After a long silence, Carl finally spoke. "Mr. Bailey, if you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"

Victor froze, his calm demeanor tightening into a frown. "Carl, don't forget-it was you who ordered me to make Elsa's life miserable no matter what. That's why I let Phil Walker keep pushing them. And now you're trying to wash your hands of the whole thing?"

Carl showed no hint of guilt; his tone was firm and unapologetic. "Yes, I told you to make things difficult for Elsa and Tina. But I never told you to do it this way. Seeing that Tina had the upper hand, you still charged ahead recklessly." "A bunch of fools. Now that you've made such a mess, I have to find someone to clean up after you."

Just a few days ago, the family had scrambled to secure his position as heir, and while the worst of the crisis had passed, Carl's anger hadn't.

He glanced again at Victor, who stared down at the floor, clearly dissatisfied but too intimidated to argue. Carl smirked. "As for Phil Walker, the situation is already settled. There's nothing I can do to help you now." "Carl, you can't just say that."

Victor suddenly looked up, his narrowed eyes sharp. "Phil Walker knows too much about our operations. If he ends up in prison, the consequences could be disastrous."

Carl leaned back casually. "Victor, Victor... Do you know why you'll always be dependent on the Langdon family? You've forgotten one crucial thing-nothing is more obedient than a dead man."

"You... you're planning to kill Phil Walker?!" Victor was horrified.

Under normal circumstances, he might have let it slide. But now, with Phil Walker locked up, any mishap would raise suspicions immediately.

Carl, however, seemed unfazed. Seeing Victor's worry only deepened his disdain. "You've been in this position for years, and you still don't have the right connections? I heard your son-in-law's brother is some kind of captain. Getting him to handle this should be child's play."

"And even if we're discovered, no one would trace it back to us."

Victor hesitated at the mention of Luke Gill. "But Luke Gill and his brother don't get along. I doubt he'd agree to help."

Not to mention, dragging his son-in-law into this could backfire catastrophically.

"So what if they don't get along?" Carl clicked his tongue, irritated. "As long as you offer enough money, there's no one in this world who can't be bought. Besides, I hear Luke Gill is already planning to sue Tina. This is the perfect opportunity." "If he loses, we can pin Phil Walker's death on him. If he wins, we'll use this chance to teach Tina a lesson."

Victor couldn't deny that Carl's words were tempting.

The middle-aged man fiddled with his prayer beads, rolling them one by one between his fingers. His expression shifted from hesitation to ruthless resolve.

He had heard Luke Gill talk about his family before.

He knew that Luke's brother was the complete opposite of Luke-a straight-laced, upright officer who was wholly dedicated to his duties.

If Luke's brother were assigned the task, it would likely fail. But there were other ways to handle it, and perhaps he could even use this to turn the tables on Carl. "What's the holdup? Have you made up your mind?" Carl stretched his leg out under the desk and kicked Victor's shin.

The slight sting snapped Victor back to reality. He lowered his gaze, hiding the glint in his eyes.

When he looked up again, his face showed the same indecision as before. His wandering eyes only deepened Carl's irritation.

"We're already in this mess, and you're still hesitating? Let me tell you something, Victor. If Phil Walker spills the truth, neither of us is walking away unscathed!"

Victor wrung his hands. "It's not that I'm hesitating. It's just... Luke Gill's brother... Well, let me put it this way. Last time, I sent someone to capture the two elders of the Dyer family, and it was his brother who let them go." "That guy is no pushover. I'm worried that if Luke Gill can't handle it, we'll end up with an even bigger problem."

Carl sneered at him. "Useless! Absolutely useless! Is there anything you can't mess up? Fine. I'll show you how it's done. Call your son-in-law over. I'll pay for him to hire someone for the job."

"I refuse to believe there's anyone in this world money can't buy!"

"If you're willing to step in, that's fantastic!" Victor plastered on a sycophantic smile, though his heart seethed with curses. "I'll call Luke right now and arrange a meeting for you two." Meanwhile, Victor began scheming. He needed someone else to handle this-someone who could eliminate Phil Walker quietly and without leaving a trace.

Descending to the first floor, he stopped at the most secluded corner of the stairwell.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.

He pulled out his phone and sent Luke Gill a brief text message.

Then, scrolling through his contacts, he found another number and placed a call.

Little did he know that his own death was not far off.

Luke Gill received the text while riding back to the Bailey estate with Ella Bailey.

The two sat in the car, one in front, one in back, their earlier argument now devolved into a frosty silence.

At least, that's how Luke saw it-he considered it a one-sided cold war.