Chapter 520

Vincent leaned in closer as he spoke.

Hannah instantly pressed against his chest, her glare sharp with mild annoyance. "Drive! I want to go home; I'm a bit tired."

Though her words were stern, her ears betrayed her with a faint blush.

Vincent caught sight of her reddened cheeks, noting her struggle to keep composure, and a chuckle escaped him. Fastening his seatbelt, he started the car and said in a gentle tone, "Alright."

Meanwhile,Erica was weathering a storm of her own.Irritated beyond measure, she hung up on yet another debt collector, her fury so fierce that she nearly flung the phone against the wall.

A few days back, she had gone abroad with hopes pinned on revision surgery, but her trail had been uncovered, and Vincent's men were onto her.Panicked, she'd altered her plans overnight, bribing the cosmetic clinic with a small fortune to alter her records under Brinley's name. It had been a close call.

But to pull it off, she had drained nearly all her liquid assets, paying only the deposit, with a promise to settle the hefty balance upon returning home.

Lately, however, the shady factories she ran had been bleeding money, and her cash flow was stretched thinner than paper.

The clinic, relentless as a hound on a scent, had hounded her with calls day and night, their voices sharp with impatience, threatening to expose the fraudulent record alteration unless she paid up. It was enough to drive her to the edge of madness.

And as her finances unraveled, so too did her romantic illusions. Vincent now despised her profoundly. Cloaked in Brinley's identity, she had not the faintest chance of ever drawing near to him again.

Losing both money and love, her disappointment festered, her frustration burned, and the weight of it nearly tipped her into insanity.

Her last thread of fantasy about Vincent snapped,replaced by a venomous hatred and smoldering resentment. Why should she sink into ruin, while Hannah remained untouched, perhaps even on the verge of reconciling with Vincent?

A reckless and daring scheme started brewing in her mind. After all, seated close at hand was Logan-a man who bore Vincent's very likeness. If Vincent could somehow be locked up, and Logan trained as her puppet, then the colossal Jones Group would lie within her grasp, provided every step was planned and carried out to perfection.

By then, money, power, and even Vincent himself-everything would bend to her will. The mere thought made her tremble with anticipation. Yet, she wasn't blind to the risks. Vincent was ever wary, surrounded by bodyguards like an iron fortress.To strike at him would be like trying to pluck the stars from the sky. Her plan needed to be crafted with precision and carried out with flawless timing.

At the same time, in a secluded side hall of the Jones estate, Danica hunched over her phone, her tone calm yet calculating. "Coyle, make sure you visit Vincent more often from now on. Earn his favor! For all you know, the future head of theJones Group might be you."

On the other end, Coyle Hopkins-her nephew-sounded utterly taken aback. "Danica, what are you suggesting? Vincent, he..."

Danica cut in firmly. "I am quite certain he can't have children. Mark my words-gain his trust and make him value you! This is a golden chance, not to be squandered."

Whether Vincent was truly childless or not hardly mattered to Danica. Her eyes were fixed only on the prize-the inheritance of the Jones Group. If her nephew Coyle could one day claim that mantle,perhaps her imprisoned brother might find a chance to get out sooner.

For her family's gain, Danica schemed tirelessly,burdened with neither shame nor hesitation.

A few days later, the listening device Hannah had planted on Erica's painting finally bore fruit. Bryant Greville, the surveillance expert she had hired,reported after days of quiet monitoring.

"Ms. Scott, the target received several debt collection calls today. She grew highly agitated and quarreled with the callers. Moreover, she seemed to be jotting or sketching something, murmuring words like 'plan' and 'replacement.' The context, however, is unclear."

Hannah's alertness sharpened at once. "Good.Keep listening. If anything unusual arises, inform me immediately."

Once she ended the call, she relayed everything straight to Vincent. He had just returned to the Jones estate. Upon hearing, his gaze turned icy sharp. "I'll have the maids enter her room under the guise of cleaning. They'll search it thoroughly