CHAPTER 101: CHAPTER 101: EVEN EVAN IS DRIVEN INTO DIRE STRAITS

"Do I need you to tell me all this, you bitch?"

Lily Windsor looked at the appraisal report, her adrenaline surging. She jumped up from the bed and lunged at Juliana Jacobs.

Adrian Langley grabbed her wrist and threw her back.

Lily Windsor’s head hit the bed’s edge, and she couldn’t get up, gasping for breath, with cold sweat pouring from her forehead.

Juliana Jacobs looked down at her from above, without a trace of pity in her eyes.

"Do you think that by taking on everything your daughter did, she sees you as a good mother? No, you’re just a scapegoat."

"Shut up!"

Lily Windsor’s eyes were bloodshot, and she grabbed her shoulders with a pale face.

Juliana continued, "Do you think George Grant spoiling you means he loves you? No, you’re just the cover for his so-called loyalty. Now there’s another woman pregnant with his child, and he’s eager for you to be gone, especially with your terminal illness being beyond help."

"Which woman? Tell me which woman?"

Lily Windsor was furious, on the verge of madness.

Adrian Langley whispered, "Let’s go, don’t make things more complicated now."

Juliana Jacobs looked at Lily Windsor, with a cold, unyielding smile on her lips.

"Ms. Windsor, your daughter abandons you, your husband exiles you, and in the end, you don’t even deserve to die outside of prison!"

At 1 a.m., the two left the North Precinct.

Juliana had been clenching her hands, her knuckles white.

Adrian Langley was worried about her driving, so he drove her home himself.

Juliana remained silent throughout the journey.

When they reached the apartment building, Adrian Langley spoke softly, "Go back and get some sleep, don’t think about anything."

Juliana’s throat was dry, and she asked hoarsely, "After doing all this, have I become a monster like them?"

She once couldn’t even bear to kill a fish.

Now, to survive, she had broken April Preston’s leg and personally pushed Lily Windsor into the abyss.

Her hands were stained with blood, and it couldn’t be washed away.

Adrian Langley placed his hand over her tense knuckles, full of compassion.

"No, you’re not like them. They don’t feel pain for dirtying their hands, but you do because you’re human."

Adrian Langley’s thumb brushed against her cheek.

"Juliana, you did nothing wrong to survive. I’m glad that in difficult times, you thought of me. No matter what the future holds, I’ll be behind you, I... won’t leave again."

Juliana’s eyes were red, but no tears fell.

She withdrew her hand from Adrian Langley’s grip, her tone suddenly becoming more indifferent.

"It’s not good to be seen by others, you should go."

Having said that, she got out of the car with her car keys.

...

At six in the morning, George Grant was awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone.

He hastily dressed and rushed to the hospital.

At the door of the emergency room set up for Lily Windsor, stood two policemen.

"She was fine when she went in, and now this happened, I’ll sue you, wait for the hefty compensation."

The policemen were not fazed at all.

"Ms. Windsor suddenly suffered a pulmonary artery rupture an hour ago. We sent her to the hospital promptly, but due to pre-existing conditions, the doctors could only do their best."

George Grant trembled all over, "What do you mean by ’do their best’? Let me tell you, if anything happens to her, even selling your precinct wouldn’t be enough for compensation."

The doctor came out of the emergency room and saw his agitation, assuming he was a family member of the patient.

So he approached and said, "What’s wrong with you, as a family member? You come but don’t see the patient, talking about compensation here — is money more important than people?"

The doctor’s words went straight into Lily Windsor’s ears.

But she was already at her last moments, wearing an oxygen mask; no matter how sad she was, she couldn’t do anything.

George Grant stumbled to her bedside, holding her hand with the needle inserted, his face full of deep sorrow.

"Lily, I’ll find the best doctors to cure you."

Lily Windsor struggled to lift her eyelids and said something inaudible.

"What are you trying to say?"

George Grant removed her oxygen mask.

"Where’s Stella?"

Her voice was faint as a whisper.

In fact, the first family member the police notified was Stella Windsor.

But she didn’t answer the phone.

"I’ll call her right now."

George Grant took out his phone.

But Lily Windsor said, "Tell me, what have you been doing behind my back?"

"What?" George Grant looked at her, puzzled.

Lily Windsor’s hand with the IV drip clenched into a fist, her face devoid of energy, her eyes bulging out.

Truly, like a zombie lying on the bed.

"You’ve even had a child with her, and you still won’t confess to me?"

In his agitation, George Grant blurted out, "I’ve always taken precautions, how could there be a child?"

Lily Windsor smiled as tears flowed down her face.

"My ex-husband owed a debt to loan sharks. If I didn’t work as a massage girl, my daughter would have been sold. In the end, she despised me like this."

"Meeting you, I thought Heaven was moved by my dedication, but you’re not just a waste controlled by your son, you even use Juliana to pressure me."

"George Grant..."

The heart monitor emitted an alarm.

Yet Lily Windsor held onto his hand, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on his face.

"It’s you who wronged me, you are the one who killed me! Stella is my only daughter, your son must marry her, or I’ll turn into a vengeful ghost, come every night and..."

Before she could finish, Lily Windsor breathed her last.

She maintained an arched posture for a full half minute before collapsing.

George Grant was so terrified that he sat down on the floor.

Stella Windsor "rushed" to the hospital.

Seeing Lily Windsor’s body already covered by a white cloth, tears streamed down her face.

"Mom, why didn’t you wait for me?"

"Why didn’t you answer the phone?" George Grant asked.

Stella Windsor wiped her tears, "I’m being treated for depression. The doctor told me to sleep with my phone on silent."

George Grant sat limply in the chair, saying nothing more.

"Did my mom have any last words?" Stella Windsor asked.

George Grant’s expression was grave, as his mind kept racing about which woman he had a child with.

"I barely exchanged a few words with her. She told me to take good care of you."

Stella Windsor covered her face with a handkerchief, masking her irrepressible hatred.

...

Platinum Bay.

Evan Grant had just finished breakfast when Ethan Carter rushed in.

"Lily Windsor died suddenly from an illness," he said.

Evan Grant furrowed his brows.

Originally, he planned to use Lily Windsor to stall George Grant, first securing the trust vote, and then giving an explanation to Juliana.

Now the bargaining chip was gone.

Ethan Carter said gravely, "The plan is disrupted, the board might target you, what do we do?"

Evan Grant threw down his napkin, "How could Lily Windsor die so suddenly?"

Ethan Carter whispered, "A friend secretly told me that the madam was seen at the precinct last night."

Evan Grant’s face instantly turned somber...

By evening, Juliana had just finished working in the lab.

Summer Shaw anxiously handed her a suitcase.

"I’ll take you to the airport now. You should go abroad and hide until things calm down."

Juliana looked puzzled, "What happened?"

Summer Shaw, "You played a double-edged sword, even Evan Grant is in hot water now."

"Ah?" Juliana was somewhat surprised.

Summer Shaw said, "Evan Grant and his father have fallen out. George Grant sent his rebellious second son into the board as a shareholder. Due to severe losses in the new energy heavy-truck business because of strategic misjudgments, the board decided to freeze part of Evan Grant’s decision-making power, and gave him a 60-day ’performance wagering period’. If he can’t turn the tide within the deadline, he’ll be forcibly dismissed."

Juliana never expected that dealing with Lily Windsor would impact Evan Grant so heavily.

"He’s so capable; 60 days is more than enough to reverse the situation. The longstanding liabilities of the Grant Family, Lily Windsor’s death was merely a trigger, Evan Grant’s poor planning is none of my business. I won’t hide."

Summer Shaw was anxious, "Evan Grant’s 60-day respite was exchanged by Old Mrs. Grant resigning from the position of chairman of the board. Last time, you embarrassed him at the wedding anniversary dinner, and after that, he dealt with you so harshly. This time... do you really think you can survive?"

That would certainly not be possible.

Juliana actively dragged her luggage towards the exit.

"Is your flight departing in an hour? I want one that’s taking off immediately!"

At the company entrance.

Summer Shaw didn’t catch up, but a custom-made Maybach was already parked there.

The pure black lacquered body exuded a cold metallic luster, like a beast ready to pounce on her at any moment.