Vincent, seated in his office chair, leaned back with a calculated stillness. His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through the conversation, his expression unreadable. After a prolonged silence, his voice emerged, calm but laced with a quiet authority.

“I’ll assign someone to keep tabs on him. You need to tread carefully—this situation might be aimed at you.”

Though the motives behind the incident remained murky, a gnawing suspicion told him it was far from straightforward.

Katelyn, equally attuned to the undercurrents of danger, responded with quiet determination.

“I understand. Have you heard anything about Zoey?”

Nearly half a month had passed without a word. If those people had only kidnapped Zoey to torment her, they would have never allowed such a long stretch of silence.

Vincent’s fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the surface of his desk. He broke the silence, his tone calm but firm.

“Nothing new yet. But stay alert. I don’t think the jewelry competition will be as smooth as you hope.”

Katelyn’s thoughts briefly faltered, but the meaning behind Vincent’s words quickly became clear to her. The jewelry competition wasn’t just a showcase—it was a battlefield, filled with rivals striving for the same prize: prestige, recognition, and power. Securing the first-place spot wasn’t just a victory for the designer; it was a boost for the entire brand they represented.

The stakes were high, and everyone was vying for the same prize. Ashlyn’s involvement was for this reason as well. This was precisely why Katelyn had kept her guard up around Ashlyn from the very beginning. After all, Ashlyn’s behavior had always seemed suspicious—far too eager and friendly for someone in direct competition.

Their first few encounters had been anything but pleasant. Either Ashlyn was genuinely without malice, or she had ulterior motives.

Ashlyn’s role in the jewelry competition, representing the powerful Marshall Group, spoke volumes. She wasn’t just some pampered heir. This unusual friendliness of hers only deepened the mystery.

?tst chptrs in glnoνels.

Katelyn responded softly, “Alright, I understand.”

Standing at the hospital’s entrance, she gazed at the sinking sun. Around her, the world seemed to grow more chaotic by the second. She had no idea how many unseen eyes were fixed on her, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Katelyn pressed her fingers against her temple, feeling the tension in her head. After exchanging a few more words with Vincent, she ended the call.

Just as she was about to slip her phone back into her pocket, it rang again. Her eyes flicked to the caller ID, and her brows shot up in surprise. She had just been thinking about this person, and now the call was coming through.

With a deep breath, Katelyn steadied herself before answering.

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