Chapter 225: The Great Escape Plan
Jess hadn’t laid a hand on Ellis like Victoria had, but her body language clearly sided with Victoria, silently conveying her allegiance. He only remembered ensuring Victoria got the punishment she deserved, forgetting about Jess.
Gathering what Easton’s question implied, Jess’s eyes widened slightly in alarm as she hastily waved her hands, “Mr. Hudson, I live here.”
“You and Ellis live in the same complex?” Easton’s gaze involuntarily swept toward Building A, his expression darkening. “On the day Victoria hit Ellis, you were her accomplice.”
“No, no, hot—” Jess stammered, “I… I didn’t hit Ellis. It was all Victoria. I was trying to break it up.”
Ellis had used the video of Victoria hitting her as leverage, sending it to Easton, which tarnished Victoria’s image. Easton called Victoria and harshly declared that their friendship was over.
Before this, she had asked Victoria when they might celebrate their wedding, to which Victoria had not given a direct answer.
Putting two and two together, Jess guessed something. Easton clearly wasn’t as indifferent to his ex-wife Ellis as rumors suggested. On the contrary, he seemed quite concerned about Ellis; otherwise, his accusation of her being an accomplice would not have carried such displeasure.
“Evidence?” Easton’s lips curled slightly.
Jess tensed up immediately but managed not to be completely intimidated by Easton’s grim expression, maintaining her composure. “The surveillance can prove it!”
“So, you and Victoria knew your actions were being recorded and still went ahead and attacked Ellis?” Easton’s displeasure grew, considering the incontrovertible evidence. Victoria was still in denial, and Jess might be as well.
“I didn’t hit her; I was breaking it up,” Jess weakly repeated.
“Do you think this complex is a suitable place for you to live?”
Easton suddenly shifted the topic, and Jess caught on immediately. “I’ll move out right away!”
It wasn’t just about moving quickly; next time she noticed Victoria up to no good, she wouldn’t even bother trying to advise—she’d just run to avoid trouble. Easton, a man of high status and power, could easily crush her and her family. Recently, she’d heard about the Rivera family, who, for some unknown reason, had crossed Easton and ended up crying for mercy as their family business teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.
Carefully observing Easton’s expression as he heard her answer, which mixed darkness with a hint of satisfaction, Jess added, “I’ll go up and pack my bags. I’ll be gone from Serenity Estate by midnight tonight.”
With that, Jess turned and ran back to Building C.
Once home, she started frantically packing her bags. Midway through, remembering Easton’s fearsome demeanor and Victoria’s nagging, she felt it necessary to warn Victoria, so she called her.
Victoria, who had led a charmed life for over two decades, had faced setbacks only twice. Once, when she thought her fiancé, a candidate in the Hudson family heir selection, wouldn’t recover after failing, she followed her parents’ advice, broke off the engagement with Easton, and went abroad to study, only to find that Easton had rapidly risen to control the Hudson family and expand his business empire years later. The other time was when she started her own business, and Easton pulled all his support, causing her company’s fortunes to plummet, and she even had to repay money to Easton. With no spare money at home, she was extremely frustrated as she scrambled to gather funds to pay Easton back.
Victoria’s call only added to her irritation. Remembering how last time she tried to get back at Ellis, Jess didn’t help her, but…
Ignoring the reason for Victoria’s cold laughter, Jess quickly said, “Victoria, I advise you to stop having people beat up Ellis! Easton came to Serenity Estate tonight and told me to get lost!”
“Easton came for Ellis?” Victoria frowned deeply. “Are they still connected?”
“I don’t know if he’s here for Ellis, but I do know that if I don’t move out immediately, Easton will ruin me,” Jess was scared in hindsight, thankful she hadn’t listened to Victoria.
If she had helped Victoria attack Ellis, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Her call to Victoria was a reminder not to be stubborn and to take advice. After all, Victoria had been constantly talking about having someone beat up Ellis recently, just too busy handling her company’s affairs to find someone right away.
Blaming her current frantic situation on Ellis, having not even retaliated for a slap from Ellis, Victoria wasn’t ready to let it go. Hesitating whether to take a gamble… If it had been before, she wouldn’t have needed to gamble. Given the choice between her and Ellis, Easton would have surely chosen her, as confirmed by the time they were kidnapped together; she could be confident without any reservations. But now that Easton had turned against her, showing a complete change of attitude towards her, she feared that Easton and Ellis were still connected and that she might not succeed in becoming Easton’s wife.