"Did Sebastian know about the underground ruins? Is that why he intentionally drove up the bid and walked away so easily?"

Joanna muttered to herself in a low voice.

She left Horace behind to handle the aftermath.

She was in no mood to stay there any longer and ordered her driver to take her away.

When she reached the parking lot, she suddenly spotted Natalie and Marshall.

Joanna froze in surprise. Staring at them coldly, she asked with heavy vigilance, "What are you two doing here?"

Marshall flashed her a mocking smirk, clearly amused. "We're here to watch you cry, of course. Your eyes are all red. You must have been sobbing pretty hard. Heartbroken, aren't you?"

Joanna hadn't actually shed a tear until that very moment, but Marshall's arrogant, teasing words pushed her over the edge, and the tears finally fell.

She quickly wiped them away, glaring daggers at the two of them. Her voice trembled uncontrollably with rage. "Natalie, Marshall... did you two set me up?"

Natalie waved a dismissive hand. "You've got it all wrong. You're the one who fought tooth and nail to buy that land. How could we have set you up? Do you think we have X-ray vision to see an ancient ruin buried underground?"

Natalie asked with a bright smile.

Looking at her radiant, smiling face, Joanna felt a violent chill rack her body.

Her long eyelashes fluttered as a bitter sensation lodged in her throat, making it difficult to breathe.

The ringing in her ears, brought on by extreme tension and fury, grew deafening.

She lowered her head in agony.

Marshall frowned, glancing at Natalie. "Why is she taking it this hard?"

Natalie took a deep breath, looking at Marshall, who clearly didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

"Of course she can't handle it. She bet on the wrong horse. In her grand master plan, Wendy's billion-dollar fortune was supposed to be hers. Your family's billions were supposed to be hers Once she secure ball that wealth, she would finally have her perfect, happy family."

"Unfortunately, her real parents never truly loved her. She gambled on securing her identity as the true Scott heiress, but she failed. Even her own father doesn't care about her."

Hearing Natalie's words, Joanna felt as though she had been struck right in the heart.

Yes, she had lost the gamble.

She had lost because her parents didn't love her and couldn't give her a complete family.

She had thought she would win the battle for Wendy's fortune, too, but she had lost spectacularly. Wendy had pot on a brifiant act deliberately orchestrating the divorce and pretending to lose everything.

Joanna had bought into Wendy's lies, only to end up with an empty shell of a company.

In the end, she had thought she was the one manipulating everyone, but she was the one being played.

She didn't understand where she had gone wrong.

Joanna glared at Natalie. "Did you know about my plans all along? Including the setup with Mrs. Spencer Sr.?"

Since they had already torn up all pretenses, it didn't matter if they brought up the past. Mrs. Spencer Sr. had no concrete evidence against her anyway.

Natalie smiled and nodded. At this point, it was time to put the cards on the table. That's right. I knew you were going to target Mrs. Spencer Sr. because you were the one who poisoned the pool. The reason you lost is that you're too overconfident. You have this delusional belief that everyone will naturally take your side. That's why you failed, Joanna Are you convinced of your defeat yet?"

FindNovel.net