Chapter 266

In Maple Leaf Ville, Juliana remained unconscious after fainting. Jay was beside himself with worry. He called a doctor, but the examination revealed no apparent issues. The doctor assured him that Juliana would wake in a day or two.

With no other options, Jay settled Juliana into a guest room and asked a local woman to tend to her.

Richard took visible pleasure in needling Jameson in front of Tim. Jameson seethed but bit his tongue to save face, which only amused Richard further.

Tim had only been polite to Jameson. His earlier politeness stemmed solely from the man being Shermaine’s father.

After arriving in Basteret, Tim noticed Jameson’s indifference toward Shermaine. Every mention of her was deftly redirected to Jason, Jameson’s illegitimate son.

Later, after asking Danielle, Tim finally learned the truth. Jameson had always favored Jason over Shermaine.

What really caught Tim off guard was finding out that Danielle had been in love with Ross. After all, she had never mentioned that before.

Instead of returning to the Jean residence, Ross went to his city-center apartment, his usual refuge during hectic work periods. That evening, Danielle stayed to care for him.

Danielle fed him medicine and prepared soup before leaving. She considered informing Shermaine but decided against disrupting her.

Shermaine didn’t return to campus. With Zack captured, tracking down Freya would be simple.

Late at night, in Riverswood Villa, Shermaine had been drinking. Alcohol became her solace. When troubled, she drank, and tonight, the bottle of whiskey on the table was a third empty by the time Joshua found her curled on the sofa, drowsy and disheveled.

He changed her clothes, tucked her into bed, and lay down beside her. He watched her sleep for a long while.

Meanwhile, oblivious to her family’s arrests, Madeline fixated on two goals–selling her Jean Group shares and divorcing Jameson for good.

The night was thick and starless. When Natalie learned Ruth planned to sell her shares, she could hardly contain her glee. It moved even faster than she had expected. Natalie asked Jasper, “Did she mention who’s buying?”

Jasper shook his head. “No specifics.”

“Make sure she sells to Black River Company,” Natalie instructed. The shares would go to the corporation, but ultimately, they would land in her hands.

There was just one problem. Natalie didn’t have the funds to buy them outright. So she turned to Jameson with a carefully crafted story: “A friend of mine knows the man Ruth was seeing. Apparently, she’s going to sell her shares to run off with him.”

Jameson’s face darkened. “You’re serious?”

Natalie said, “Absolutely true. What if I helped you buy those shares back?”

Jameson jumped at the chance to sever ties with Ruth. “Perfect. Just get it done.”

Natalie feigned hesitation. “But I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Don’t worry,” Jameson laughed. “Just secure the shares.” He had long feared Ruth would transfer the 15% stake to Ross or Shermaine, but he had never expected that Ruth would sell it for a fling.

“Okay,” Natalie said, masking her triumph.

Guided by Jasper’s whispers, Ruth met with a representative from Black River Company. They settled on a price swiftly—ten billion dollars for the 19% stake.

By the end of the day, the full amount had been transferred into Madeline’s account. She was overjoyed. Her hands shook as she signed the contracts, barely skimming the pages in her euphoria.

Whether she ended up divorcing Jameson or not didn’t really matter. After all, she wasn’t the real Ruth. Still, she had papers drawn up and sent them to Jameson, who signed without a second thought.

Their prenuptial agreement, drafted when Jameson married Ruth, had always kept their assets separate. This clean break suited them both.

Flush with her newfound billions, Madeline had no need to chase Jameson’s money anymore. That night, she drank herself into oblivion, celebrating her wealth and freedom.

But when she woke the next morning, Jasper was gone. Blinking away her hangover, she grabbed her phone and saw several unread messages. Without thinking, she called Jasper, only to hear the robotic voice. “The number you have dialed is not in service.”

Instantly, her blood ran cold. Frantically, she tore through her purse. The bank card was missing.

At Basterel University, Shermaine stood at the campus gate as Jasper handed her the stolen card. She took the card and said flatly, “The money has already been transferred to your account.”

“Got it.” Jasper didn’t linger. He had a flight to catch, one that would take him far from Natalie’s wrath and Shermaine’s reach.

He had originally been hired by Natalie to seduce Madeline, but halfway through the task, Shermaine had tracked him down. Knowing which side not to cross, he switched allegiances without hesitation, carefully balancing between both women.

…

Jameson, meanwhile, was over the moon when he received the agreement. Little did he know it was a forgery. The real one was in Shermaine’s hands.

Without spending a single cent, Shermaine had reclaimed the 15% stake and seized Madeline’s ten billion dollars. She had pulled off the perfect con.

Shermaine thought, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing the moment Madeline would hit rock bottom–desperate, broken, and out of options. As for Jameson? How generous of him to fund his downfall. No one steals what belongs to my mother.’