Chapter 320:
Marsha hesitated. “And how can I be sure you’re not lying?”
Rylie placed the business card on Marsha’s thigh, then turned and made her way to the elevator at a relaxed pace. “Aside from trusting me, do you even have another option? Who else would stand by you? Who else could be worth relying on?”
Rylie’s voice lingered in the quiet hallway, each word pressing deeper into Marsha’s mind. Marsha sat still, her expression unreadable. Her carefully constructed social circle had depended on her supposed claim to the hospital’s director role.
Once those wealthy heirs uncovered the truth, she wouldn’t just become a laughingstock; they would cast her out entirely.
Marsha lowered her gaze to the card resting on her thigh, and in that moment, she had to admit that Rylie had been right all along. There was nowhere else left to turn. She reached for the card, tucked it into her bag, and walked out of the hospital without another word.
She checked into a hotel, stepped into the shower, and let the water run over her for hours as she tried to scrub away the humiliation. Her muffled screams of frustration vanished beneath the crashing stream.
After four hours locked in the bathroom, Marsha finally emerged, red marks trailing her arms and shoulders from how fiercely she had scrubbed. She dressed in silence, covering every exposed patch of skin, then headed straight back to Ronan’s mansion.
She pushed the door open quietly and entered the bedroom. On the bed, Ronan lay smoking, his arm draped around a woman Marsha had never seen before. He blew out a slow breath of smoke, his gaze amused as it slid toward her. “You actually came back? What is it now? Still clinging to that two hundred million?”
Without a word, Marsha pulled a card from her handbag and flicked it onto his face.
The second Ronan saw Rylie’s name printed across it, the smirk dropped from his expression. He lifted his head, narrowing his eyes at her. “Why are you showing me this?”
Marsha’s tone was icy. “Rylie offered me a deal. If I expose your involvement in organ trafficking and tampering with medical devices, she’ll name me as director.”
Lɑtєst chαptєrs in g𝒶l𝑛ovєls.𝒸𝑂m
Ronan gave a short laugh. “If you’d accepted, you wouldn’t be standing here showing me this. So, you turned her down?”
A faint trace of sarcasm crossed Marsha’s eyes. “Thanks to you, I’ve been humiliated in front of a lot of people today. How could I still trust others so easily?”
Ronan twirled the card between his fingers. “Then what are you aiming for now?”
“Brad never aligned with you. He intends to use your past against you, and how much longer can you hold out?” Marsha smiled faintly, her tone turning sharp. “I’ve heard a new line of medical devices is about to launch, and yours is already facing replacement.”
Ronan finally revealed the shrewd edge of a businessman in negotiation. He sat up straight, scrutinizing her. “You now have bargaining leverage to negotiate with me. So, what do you want in return?”
Marsha said plainly, “I’ll help you take care of Rylie. In exchange, I want five percent of your medical company’s shares.”
Ronan let out a short laugh. “Bold of you to say that out loud.”
Without missing a beat, she pulled a contract from her bag and slid it across the table. “Sign this, and the deal goes into effect once Rylie’s out of the picture.” She wasn’t bluffing — this time, she came ready.
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