"Rebecca asked, 'Selects weren't won in Theria?'"

"It's a long story," Vespera said. She didn't mention working as Dominic's secretary, nor did she bring up her injury.

"Anyway, what's going on with Tina—"

At the mention of that name, Rebecca slammed her fist on the table. "The Sowle family submitted proof that Tina has a psychological disorder. She was released on bail yesterday."

"And today, their lawyer came to discuss a settlement with me. I told them to shove their dirty money. There's no way we—"

"—agree to the settlement."

"What? Rebecca thought she'd misheard you. You want to settle—"

"Luke is pulling an act right now, pretending to be madly in love with me and acting like he can't live without me. I've tried everything to make him love me, but he won't budge."

"Even with the evidence against him, there's no guarantee he'll back down. And if this turns into a lawsuit, I don't have full confidence I can win. So..."

Rebecca was shocked by her words. She instantly understood her plan.

She wanted to use Tina against Luke—that was insane.

"You're serious about this?"

Vespera nodded. "Honestly, with the Sowle family's power, it's only a matter of time before they clear Tina's name. Now that they're offering a settlement, we should take advantage."

"Also, I need you to leak information to Tina—tell her Luke wants to reconcile with me and is refusing to divorce. You know how obsessed she is with him. She'll lose her mind when she hears that."

"...They'll pressure Luke to marry her. When that time comes, whether he wants to or not, he'll have no choice."

"The Sowle family spoils Tina beyond reason. If she goes berserk..."

Rebecca was quiet for a long moment.

She thought, "Honestly. You're both crazy."

Before hanging up, she couldn't help but ask, "What if Luke really regrets everything? What if, deep down, he does love you? Wouldn't you waver, even a little?"

Vespera chuckled. "If he truly regrets it, then this outcome is just his punishment for cheating. Whether he suffers or regrets it, that's his problem—not mine."

At 2:00 p.m., Dominic arrived with Gerard.

Luke was nowhere to be seen. He had received an urgent phone call earlier and left in a hurry, his face clouded with frustration.

Rebecca’s message had reached its target perfectly.

Enjoying the turn of events, Vespera finally had a quiet moment. Just as she was about to think over whether the factory issue had been resolved, Dominic and Gerard walked in. Dominic looked exhausted.

It was no surprise. His schedule was already packed, and now, with the factory issues added on top, he had to handle everything on the go. No one could endure that without feeling utterly drained.

"Ms. Gildon, we're heading back to Halewick tomorrow," Gerard informed her.

Seeing the relief in his expression, Vespera knew the factory issue had been handled. She had wanted to ask about it two days ago when they first arrived, but seeing Dominic’s usual unreadable expression, she held back.

Now, she could finally ask, "So, did Derek finally confess?"

Gerard’s eyes lit up, and he laughed. "Damn, how'd you know?"

Dominic, intrigued, leaned back in his seat, clearly interested in what she had to say.

Vespera smirked. "Just a guess."

"That night, you guys already got Derek to admit to locking me up, handed over the factory recordings proving the existence of two ‘ghost employees’ stealing money. And Blake admitted to being at the scene of my abduction."

"Normally, that much evidence should have wrapped the case up in a few hours. But I knew it wasn’t that simple because Blake was acting off—"

"—if they were just regular accomplices, there’s no way one would keep covering for the other. The moment he found out Derek had confessed, he should have panicked and thrown him over. But he wasn’t scared at all."

"He was too confident that Derek wouldn’t sell him out. That only makes sense if they had a prior agreement on taking the fall to protect the other."

"Or worse, they had planned everything from the start. Before even setting foot in the factory, they had already made their move. If I went missing, you guys would start looking—"

"—and when Derek was caught, he’d willingly take the fall, ensuring that Blake—the real mastermind—stayed hidden. That way, Mr. Reid, you wouldn’t have the time or patience to—"

She finished her analysis.

Everything had made sense up until the last part, which made Dominic frown. "Ms. Gildon, don't downplay your importance. If you disappeared, I would never let it go."

Chapter 66

Vespera froze.

Dominic had said he wouldn’t let it go if she went missing, but for some reason, it sounded to her like he meant it. He would keep looking for her.

Her face flushed slightly. "Uh… well, thank you for your concern, Mr. Reid."

"I care about all my employees." Dominic said with a calm expression.

Gerard blinked, thinking, "All of them? Since when?"

The atmosphere suddenly became clam, filled with an unspoken tension.

Luckily, Gerard broke the silence with a laugh, steering the conversation back to the factory. "Ms. Gildon, you are really sharp. You got almost all of it right. Impressive!"