Chapter 690:
The light flicked green. Brad pressed the accelerator, his voice low. “Do you think Laurel had a hand in it?”
Rylie gave a firm nod, her tone steady. “I believe she did. Earlier at the manor, I ran into Lucilla, the wife of the town headman. He also runs the Malvren Dyeing Factory. I looked into his rise. He never worked his way up from the ground, yet somehow he ended up as town headman. How does a farmer jump to that rank overnight?”
Brad frowned, thinking it through. “If Laurel and Terrance really plotted your parents’ deaths, Felix would have figured it out. He’s too sharp to miss something like that. And for Detour Inc. alone, killing them makes no sense.”
“That’s right. Unless,” Rylie said quietly, “there’s something darker hidden behind it all.”
The Owen family’s empire stretched far and wide. Terrance wouldn’t have killed her parents for a single company. If it had only been about the assets, her grandfather never would have handed them over to him in the first place. There had to be secrets buried deeper.
“I’ll stand with you,” Brad said firmly. “No matter how long it takes, we’ll uncover the truth.”
Rylie didn’t bother to hide her plan to go to Malvren. She even had someone spread the word at Sweetberry’s headquarters, making sure it landed in Paola’s ears.
At that moment, Paola clutched a design draft with her own name printed on it. She was working with Malvren Dyeing Factory on fabric arrangements when the news hit. Rage boiled over. She hurled whatever she could reach until the room was in shambles.
“When will she stop standing in my way?” Paola’s voice shook with fury. For the first time, raw hatred burned in her chest. The girl who had dragged her down was now a target. She longed for Rylie to meet her end in Malvren.
Paola had stumbled upon the draft in a trash bin near the design department. She was at Sweetberry with her mother for an audit when curiosity got the better of her.
Lᴀt𝑒st chαptєrs in g𝒶lnovels.c𝑜m
She had no knowledge of auditing, but the sheer pile of crumpled papers caught her attention. While waiting for the audit to conclude, she idly retrieved a crumpled sheet from the trash and unfolded it, revealing an impressively crafted design. Around that time, Buckley Jewelry was seeking partners for the Meridian Future Design Competition. Paola tucked the draft away without hesitation.
Sweetberry was, after all, part of her family’s business. Why shouldn’t she use a design from her own company? What could those designers say in protest? With this thought in mind, she calmed down.
She made a few adjustments and handed the polished sketch to Laurel. The moment her mother’s eyes landed on it, she looked impressed. “Did you make this?”
Paola pressed her lips together, fingers gripping her dress tightly. “Yes. I believe it’s perfect for the competition, especially with Buckley Jewelry as our collaborator.”
Laurel’s gaze lingered on her daughter, cool and assessing, before setting the paper down. “Your face gives you away. You didn’t draw this. It came from Sweetberry, didn’t it?”
Paola lowered her head and gave a small nod. “Yes.”
Laurel studied the lines of the draft with deliberate care. Then a thought seemed to strike her. “Since the design came from one of our own companies, claiming it isn’t a crime. If you play it well, this could open the door to marrying into the Buckley family. Celia may be the face of the brand now, but her younger brother has returned from abroad, and everyone believes he’s the true heir. This may be your final chance to secure a future.”
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Message from Noa: Hope you have a lovely day dear readers. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)
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