However, she didn’t.

Instead, she left that place and went to Zoe Ellsworth’s home.

Zoe Ellsworth was waiting alone for Herman Hawthorne to come home for dinner, but she never expected her visitor.

"Are you satisfied now? I’m leaving."

"You never should have come back. Are you just here to say goodbye?" Zoe Ellsworth had a feeling she was up to no good.

"Herman gave me a huge sum of money. Enough to last me several lifetimes."

Zoe Ellsworth grunted. "Consider it charity for a beggar. It’s not like my family is short on money."

Bianca Rhodes stared at her. "Zoe Ellsworth, you’re just a nineteen-year-old girl. When I was nineteen, you were probably still in high school somewhere. You just got lucky being born into a good family. Your whole sense of superiority comes from your family’s wealth. Herman said that if you weren’t a daughter of the Ellsworth Family, he would have divorced you long ago—or never married you in the first place!"

Zoe Ellsworth grunted again. "Yes, I won’t deny that. So what?"

"But do you think you can be happy like this? He doesn’t love you. Don’t you feel pathetic?"

Zoe Ellsworth was speechless. "What are you trying to say? He supposedly loves you so much, yet here you are, standing at my doorstep talking to me. What’s the point? If you’re going to leave, then just go. Just don’t come back with an illegitimate child asking for money in the future. I’m very busy. I don’t have time to waste talking nonsense with someone like you, okay?"

"Zoe Ellsworth, I’m not leaving. You all want me to leave Alveria, so I’m going to do the opposite and stay. And Zoe, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring you down. I will make you and Herman get a divorce. How about that video I showed you of me and Herman? I know you were heartbroken. I did it on purpose."

Zoe Ellsworth said nothing, just stared at her.

"When Herman and I were together, he had to be with me every night. We’d make love, and even if he was busy with work during the day, he’d call me to his office. He’s incredible in bed. We never wanted to be apart—"

Zoe Ellsworth’s face tensed. She started to turn away, not wanting to hear any more.

But Bianca Rhodes, seeing that she’d successfully provoked her, wasn’t about to let the opportunity go. She grabbed her arm. "Don’t go! I’m not finished. Do you know what Herman does every night...? It’s amazing, let me—AHHH!!!"

Zoe Ellsworth spun around and slapped her hard across the face. "You bitch! If you wanted a taste of my Lady Thunderclap Palm, you should have just said so! I’m going to beat the shit out of you!"

A dozen sharp slaps rained down, leaving Bianca Rhodes dizzy and disoriented. Unsteady on her feet, she fell to the ground.

She staggered to her feet and lunged at Zoe Ellsworth. Zoe naturally fought back. Bianca fell several times during the struggle, and finally, something happened.

The last time she got up, Bianca Rhodes smiled. "Zoe Ellsworth, I’ll let you in on a secret. I was already planning on getting rid of this baby. Because the father isn’t even Herman. And now there’s no way to prove it. You’ve successfully helped me. See that security camera? That’s all the evidence I need!"

A bright beam of light swept toward them. Smiling, she fell down again, lying stiffly on the ground. Zoe wanted to retreat, but it was too late. Herman Hawthorne’s car had already pulled up to the gate.

He got out of the car and saw Bianca Rhodes on the ground, then looked at Zoe Ellsworth.

"What happened?"

Gasping for breath, Bianca Rhodes grabbed his pant leg and burst into tears. "Herman, the baby... it’s really gone... just like you wanted. Your wife killed our baby! Zoe Ellsworth killed our baby! My baby! Give me back my baby!"

He knelt and only then noticed her pants were soaked with blood.

His eyes darkened. He lifted her into the car.

The car sped away. Zoe Ellsworth stood there, staring at the bloodstain on the ground. Suddenly, she felt that women could be terrifying creatures. Even though she was a woman herself, at that moment, she thought, ’A woman pushed to extremes is truly terrifying. Willing to do anything for their own sake.’

She turned and closed the main gate.

Back in the living room, she sat at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and began shoveling rice into her mouth. She continuously stuffed food into her mouth.

Even when she was so full she couldn’t take another bite, she forced herself to finish every last dish on the table.

Then she got up, went upstairs, took a shower, and went to sleep.

It was as if nothing had happened, but one fact served as a constant reminder: he wasn’t coming home tonight.

*

Quentin Grant was in a bad mood.

All the Men in Black in the villa could tell.

They didn’t know what had happened, but his foul expression was plain to see.

「On the second-floor balcony.」

He sat in a hanging chair, his expression indifferent.

He then made a call. "Any news?"

"Young Master, yes, we have some."

Quentin Grant continued, "Where is she?"

"Miss Ainsworth is very cautious, but we still found her quickly. She is currently living at your suburban estate, Young Master, having applied for a job as a maid."

"What?" Quentin Grant’s mood suddenly improved, a smile involuntarily gracing his features. "In that case, have people guard the main gate. Don’t let her leave. And make sure she isn’t overworked inside. See that she’s served the best food and drink, and kept entertained."

"Young Master, Miss Ainsworth was probably afraid we would track her, so she’s covering her face with a gauze scarf, claiming she’s disfigured. She also changed her name."

"Go on."

"She’s calling herself Amy."

"Pfft—" Quentin Grant burst out laughing. "What a... great name!"

"We will protect Miss Ainsworth and report her latest status to you at all times."

Quentin Grant grunted in acknowledgment. "Understood. I can’t go over right now. I’ll head there in a few days."

Thinking of her little face, he suddenly thought, ’This is good, too. We can truly fall in love all over again. We’ve always been in love with each other, so what’s wrong with falling in love one more time!’

Suddenly thinking of something, Quentin Grant redialed the number.

"Young Master."

"Yes. Next month, under the pretext of a medical checkup, run a urine test to see if she’s pregnant. Until I get there, she can do whatever she wants, but she is absolutely not allowed to leave the estate. Let her do some work to avoid suspicion, but not too much."

"Understood!"

Quentin Grant paused. "Call me immediately if anything unexpected happens."

After hanging up, he dialed Walsh.

"Nora has been found. But I’ve decided we don’t need to find a way to treat her after-effects. I want to let nature take its course."

Walsh’s laughter came through the phone. "Does President Grant think this is a good thing? A chance to relive the old days, to go back to before you two fell in love? You want to experience the thrill of pursuing her all over again."