Chapter 95: A Financial Freeze

Ellis was worried that if she saw Easton, she might completely lose control and end up in a disastrous confrontation.

“You, kid, are just…” Carly started to scold Ellis but was interrupted by the movers beginning to touch her belongings, clearly indicating she needed to leave immediately. She hurriedly hung up the phone to try to stop them.

Without ownership of the property and the others having a legitimate reason to ask her to leave, Carly, failing to stop them, had no choice but to take her luggage and seek refuge with her father, to whom she complained bitterly.

Her father, however, was utterly unmoved. “I trust Easton has his reasons!” he stated flatly.

Carly was so furious she was speechless.

“You’re not staying at the mansion? Great, come live with me and keep me company.”

The manor, located in the suburbs, was less convenient than the mansion, and Carly had no desire to live there. Seeing her father disregard her complaints, she immediately returned to a luxury hotel downtown and tried contacting Sophia and Ellis again.

Sophia’s phone still went unanswered, and Ellis began to ignore her calls, offering only vague affirmations to anything said.

Despite her anger, Carly still managed to sleep well that night. The next day brought an even worse nightmare—her bank accounts were frozen, leaving her without a cent to spend.

Upon inquiry, she learned that Easton was behind this as well, driving her to rush to Sophia’s residence. Finding that Sophia was avoiding her, she decided to track down Ellis instead.

In the middle of her workday, Carly insisted on meeting, so Ellis reluctantly agreed to meet her at a cafe. As soon as Ellis walked in, she saw Carly’s face, fraught with urgency.

Approaching Carly, she was suddenly struck hard on the shoulder, causing her to wince in pain. “Ms. Carly… are you trying to kill me?”

“Being broke is worse than dying!” Carly said with a grave expression.

Ellis lowered her hand. “Didn’t Easton’s mother give you money? She assured me she wouldn’t let your standard of living drop.”

“Do you really trust verbal promises?” Carly pulled out a text message from her bank. “Look, Easton has frozen all my bank accounts! His mother won’t even answer my calls now; it’s like they’re in this together to mess with me.”

Ellis glanced over the message and had a rough idea of what was going on. Could this be his revenge for her telling him about Carly drugging him? Seeing Carly’s fierce look, she hesitated to reveal it.

“I tried reaching out to my dad, but he won’t deal with it! Think of something, will you?” Carly, frustrated, put away her phone, no longer hoping Ellis could lend her money but rather that Ellis might cause a scene with Easton.

“I can’t think of anything: Easton is suing me, demanding I pay 4.2 million dollars.”

“What right does he have to sue?”

“He’s accusing me of violating a non-compete agreement and confidentiality rules, claiming I caused immeasurable losses to Hudson Group.” Ellis’s current biggest worry was this sudden calamity.

Had she known it would also affect Carly, she wouldn’t have told Easton who drugged him. For a moment, Carly and Ellis exchanged a silent, heavy look. Their fates were tightly controlled by Easton; their lives hung by a thread based on his whims.

Carly took a few sips of her iced coffee to cool down; her disdain was evident. “Enough, enough; talking to you is useless, you loser. You haven’t gotten a dime, nor have you managed to get divorced. Sort out your own mess first.”

Ellis had no comeback, massaging her temples in frustration. This marriage made her feel anything but useless; at the slightest sign of his displeasure, Easton could make her life miserable. After a brief exchange, Carly set off for the manor to begrudgingly stay for a while.

Watching Carly leave, Ellis sat alone in the cafe for over ten minutes before getting ready to pay and return to work. However, when she tried to pay via a code scan, the page showed her account was locked and temporarily unavailable. Carly’s words echoed in her ears, and her first thought was, Easton wouldn’t have frozen my accounts too, would he?

Before she could call the bank, Maya called.

“Ellis, I’ve just finished speaking with Morgan face-to-face. They refuse to settle and insist on going to court. I’ve reviewed the non-compete and confidentiality agreement you signed. Because Hudson Group didn’t pay your compensation on time, you’re not legally responsible for the non-compete. But the confidentiality clause is tricky.”

Maya’s words felt like a cold shower. Ellis leaned on her hand. “If it goes to court, what are the chances I’ll have to pay 4.2 million dollars?”

“The plaintiff doesn’t get to dictate the settlement amount; it depends on the judge’s decision.” Maya closed the copy of the confidentiality agreement. “Don’t be scared; I’ll talk to Morgan again.”

As troubles mounted, all stemming from Easton, Ellis bit her lip in frustration. Right then, she wished she could teleport to Hudson Group and give Easton a piece of her mind.

“Maya, thank you!” Ellis forced a slight smile. Without Maya, a good friend and skilled attorney, she doubted she could afford legal help on her own.