Chapter 181
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Yvonne asked.
Marina hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to let her in.
Yvonne took a seat in the living room. With the assistant and nanny gone for the day, Marina prepared a cup of coffee for her and set it on the table between them.
Yvonne lifted the cup and took a quiet sip. She had rushed over, yet there was no accusation in her demeanor, only a steady calm. The first lesson she’d learned as a police officer was to never let personal emotions cloud a case. The victim had their own agency and choices; whether to press charges or drop them was Marina’s right. “Marina, can you tell me why you withdrew the complaint p>
“Because it was the best choice for me,” Marina said, sitting opposite Yvonne with her own cup of coffee. She took a sip, a bitter smile touching her lips. “Chairman Spencer came to see me. He promised that if I dropped the case, he would not only delete those videos but also terminate my contract without any penalties. On top of that, he offered to invest in Lucien’s company. All these years, Lucien has struggled because he lacked capital. No matter how hard he worked, his company could never grow. Now, with Chairman Spencer willing to help him, I had no reason to refuse p>
Yvonne understood immediately. No wonder she’d overheard George confidently assuring Teresa that he would handle everything. He had always known Marina’s weaknesses, playing her like a pawn in his game.
“I’m so sorry, Yvonne. I know how hard you and Sandra have worked on this,” Marina said apologetically, then added, “But my decision is final. Please don’t try to change my mind p>
She paused, then continued, “Yvonne, I don’t know what history you have with Chairman Spencer, but he’s still your biological father. Blood is thicker than water. Why do you insist on opposing him p>
Yvonne listened patiently until Marina had finished. She placed her coffee cup back on the table with a soft, deliberate click. Her gaze met Marina’s, and she saw eyes shining with naive hope for a beautiful future. Yvonne knew she couldn’t reason with her, so she didn’t waste her breath.
“Making a deal with the devil never ends well, Marina,” she said softly. “You’d be wise to remember that p>
With that, Yvonne stood and walked toward the door. Just as she reached it, Marina’s voice came from behind her.
“You’d be wise to remember that too, Yvonne p>
Yvonne paused for a fraction of a second before pulling the door open and leaving.
As she drove away from Marina’s apartment, she called Sandra.
“George bought her off,” Yvonne
said, her voice tight. “When threats didn’t work, he dangled a ca
garrots No
wonder he’s so damned arrogant p>
“That bastard,” Sandra spat. “How could Marina possibly trust him to keep his word p>
“She’s blinded by love,” Yvonne
sighed, gripping the steering wheel.
“Right now, she’s dreaming of a
fairy-tale life where her fiancé’s company flourishes and they five
happily ever after ‘
“Pinning all her hopes on a man she’s going to learn a hard lesson,” Sandra said, frustrated. “Forget her. She’s not worth it p>
“I just can’t shake the feeling of being so close,” Yvonne admitted. “We put so much work into this p>
“Patience,vonne! You can’t rush
this,” Sandra’s tone sharpened with urgency “George has done too many terrible things. We’ll get him
mntually. Just don’t be reckless!” ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ.net