Chapter 439

Hannah's hands froze briefly above the keyboard.Without lifting her head, her tone was even and composed."What is it?"

Vincent slipped into the T-shirt, then pulled out his phone, unlocked the screen, and played a clip,holding it out to her. "That imposter wearing a face almost identical to yours had dealings with Leonard.Just a few days before your brakes were tampered with."

Hannah eventually shifted her focus from her laptop screen and turned her attention to Vincent's phone.

The video wasn't entirely clear, yet it was recognizablè as footage from a shop in the mall. A figure bearing a startling resemblance to her was engaged in a furious quarrel with Leonard.

The woman looked visibly upset, her finger nearly stabbing the air in front of Leonard's face as though leveling blame.

Leonard looked both furious and wounded,attempting to argue his innocence.

In the end, the store manager stepped in and dismissed Leonard.

"It's obvious she's using Leonard to carry out her schemes!" Vincent's tone was sharp and logical."She deliberately ignited Leonard's resentment,manipulating his animosity toward you to strike from the shadows."

Hannah inhaled slowly, suppressing the surge of dread and fury stirring inside her. Her tone carried restrained tension. "Have you uncovered her identity yet?"

Vincent pulled his phone back, his gaze intent. "She registered the name 'Hannah Scott' to undergQ plastic surgery abroad. My team is still pursuing her actual background and travel documents, but she was meticulous and erased much of her trail." Hannah lingered in silence for several beats. Her focus returned to the laptop, her fingers absently brushing the touchpad. Her tone remained level. "I heard you allowed her to live inside the Jones family estate?"

She had earlier employed someone to look into it and had viewed the pictures herself. The likeness was disturbingly precise.

Vincent's eyes flickered faintly. "You seem quite invested in what I do."

Hannah raised her head and matched his stare directly. Her expression was steady and candid, free of avoidance. "You're mistaken. My concern is with myself. Since someone is moving around with my face, stirring chaos, I need to know her movements."

She broke off, her tone flattening into indifference."Now that you're finished cleaning up, please leave quickly. I, as a lowly employee, still need to grind through overtime."

Vincent's eyes slid across the crowded emails and

Clean AlI Janitorial documents crowding her laptop screen, his brow tightening slightly. "At this hour, you're still at work?"

Hannah curved her lips in a wry smile. "As an employee, if I don't finish my work, am I waiting to get the boot?"

Vincent studied her in quiet for a few moments before speaking suddenly. "My earlier suggestion of helping you get promoted was genuine."

He referred to his earlier pledge to supply her with projects and assist in her promotion.

Hannah's hands hesitated once more over the keyboard,listening without interruption.

"I can support you in climbing higher within Luminara Group," he stated firmly, "and even help you reclaim ·the company."

Hannah locked eyes with him. "Mr. Jones, what you propose is alluring. Yet, where do you place Victoria,the president and chairwoman of the company? Do you believe she will surrender Luminara Group so

easily?"

Vincent's stare remained unwavering, his gaze calm yet intent. "I'm not dismissing Victoria's abilities. Still,even without me stepping in, Luminara Group is already in decline, don't you think?"

His words carried a cutting certainty. "Corruption runs rampant, bribes are widespread, and few are truly working. The core has already been gutted."

Hannah's pulse stuttered. His blunt assessment struck painfully close to reality. She leaned nearer,her stare edged with menace. "Oh? If I truly desire Luminara Group, how would you enable me to seize it?"

"Straightforward." His reply was deep, as though stating inevitability. "Circulate talk about collapsing finances, devastating losses in major projects, and systemic misconduct at the top. None of it must be entirely factual, only convincing. Fear spreads, and once investors panic, the value will collapse. The shareholders holding equity, desperate to escape,will unload their stock. At that moment, I can help you acquire massive amounts at rock-bottom prices."

He stopped briefly, his eyes anchoring firmly on her."As long as your stake outweighs Victoria's, or if you ally with those discontented, you can depose her during the shareholders' assembly. And then, you'll ascend without resistance."

Hannah remained quiet, her face unreadable. Only after Vincent finished did she speak, slowly shaping a single word. "Dishonorable."

Vincent showed no irritation; instead, a faint laugh escaped him. "The tactics may be dishonorable, but they're effective."

He fixed his eyes on her. "The business world is a battlefield. At times, victory requires casting aside scruples."

Hannah's gaze rested on him for several moments,her eyes churning with mixed emotions. At last, she rose abruptly, her movements edged with restrained vexation, and pushed Vincent toward the exit with her palm against his shoulder. "Enough, Mr. Jones! I want no part of your elaborate schemes! Get out; l need to work!"

Vincent was forced beyond the doorway. The heavy door slammed shut in his face without hesitation.

His brows furrowed darkly. Weren't they speaking cordially only moments ago? Why had she suddenly turned hostile?