Chapter 8

The call was cut, but then a video was quickly sent over.

In the video, Vanessa could be seen barely hanging onto life. She had been strung up from the rafters of an abandoned factory. Below her was a vat of some sort of green chemical.

At the end of the video came Alvin’s voice. “If you’d like to save your loyal little bodyguard, Sawyer, you’ll have to trade Jessa for her.

“Also, I left you a gift in your email inbox. The password is 250367.”

Sawyer quickly opened his laptop. Indeed, he had received an encrypted email in his inbox.

It held another video, but this one was of Jessa.

She saw in the semidarkness, but her voice was calm and crystal clear. “Mr. Rucco, I want you to frame Vanessa Rivera as a corporate spy. Once everything’s done, I’ll give you half of the Pitt Group’s shares.”

Alvin laughed. “Why should I trust you, Ms. Darling?”

“No woman can handle her husband having a mistress. Besides, between letting Vanessa snatch the Pitt Group away and giving you the shares, I choose the latter.”

The Jessa in the video was calm and ruthless with her logic. It was just like the Jessa he knew.

Sawyer’s breathing nearly stopped. Before he had the chance to collect himself, the screen switched to show a bank transaction.

The account listed was an overseas one that he did not know about. Records showed that a great sum had been transferred into it from the Cevina Group. The transfer was listed as a “deposit for collaboration.”

After that, an expertly authored report was presented. It proved that every piece of evidence Jessa had shown him was really proof of Jessa framing Vanessa.

“Explain this, Jessa. I told you to wait, so why couldn’t you trust me? How did it benefit you to force Vanessa to extremes?”

“You would rather trust an enemy than trust me, Sawyer?”

Jessa found this situation absurd and tragic. There were two sets of evidence, but Sawyer chose to trust the one that came from the Cevina Group and questioned her instead.

Sounding angry, Sawyer said, “You’re the one who doesn’t trust me. Vanessa saved us both! How can you treat her this way?”

“And what if she was the one who planned the car accident, Sawyer?” Jessa said, raising her voice.

Sawyer subconsciously avoided Jessa’s gaze.

Sawyer’s evasiveness shocked Jessa. Had Sawyer already known about the truth of the car accident?

But then he had hidden it all because of the baby Vanessa was carrying.

In that case, could he also tell that this evidence was doctored?

That meant that Sawyer was not being stupid. He simply no longer loved her.

Jessa gave a bitter laugh as Sawyer’s phone rang again.

“Have you thought it through, Mr. Pitt? Do you choose Jessa or your loyal little bodyguard? Actually, I quite hope that you’ll pick Jessa. With such a skilled negotiator in your household, you can make a whole bunch of cash. A bodyguard’s life isn’t worth much.”

Every word was a provocation to Sawyer.

He turned furious, and his voice was cold and shaking. “Jessa, you should go and take her place. You owe this to her.”