The crowd parted to make way.
Mia Miller and Zane Nash, who were being forcibly restrained by security guards, looked utterly disheveled.
Mia Miller was sobbing, her makeup ruined by tears, a pitiful sight.
Zane Nash, meanwhile, cowered to the side, even subtly trying to push Mia Miller forward.
"You useless coward! What good are you? You can't do anything right! Didn't you say your plan was foolproof? You son of a bitch! I hope you die a miserable death!"
The people in the conference room watched coldly as the two tore each other apart.
Zane Nash finally snapped. Ignoring the guards, he struggled to his feet.
SLAP! SLAP! He landed two hard slaps across Mia Miller's face.
"You bitch! Weren't you the one who egged me on?! If it weren't for you, would I have framed my own brother?! This is all your fault! We're in this mess because of you, you bitch!"
With that, Zane Nash seemed to lose control completely, his hands clamping tightly around Mia Miller's neck.
Mia Miller's face quickly turned crimson from lack of oxygen. Seeing the situation escalating, the security guards rushed forward to pull them apart.
The police also hurried over, firmly restraining Zane Nash and pulling out handcuffs from a bag. They promptly cuffed both of them.
"Mia Miller, Zane Nash, you've been reported for conspiracy to commit murder for financial gain. You're coming with us."
"I didn't do it! I didn't! She brought it all on herself! That bitch made me into a mistress, made my whole family curse me and throw me out! Why should I have had to bear children for him?! All my misery is her fault!"
Mia Miller shrieked like a madwoman as she was dragged away.
After the police had taken them all away, Jane Sterling watched from a floor-to-ceiling window as the police car slowly drove off. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
She glanced at Luna Nash beside her and gave her a wink.
Luna Nash also seemed to relax. It looked like everything was resolved. Her father's company was safe.
'As long as Dad's company doesn't fall into that bitch's hands, I don't care what happens.'
The shareholders on the side also breathed a collective sigh of relief now that the matter was concluded.
They remembered that Drew Thorne was still present. He was an elusive man, and getting a meeting with him was usually next to impossible.
Seeing this golden opportunity, the shareholders' minds started turning. They swarmed forward to shake Drew Thorne's hand.
"Mr. Thorne, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, our company might have been stolen by that bitch."
"That's right! The Chairman and all of us worked our entire lives to build this company. If the Chairman hadn't passed so suddenly, we wouldn't have had to hold this transfer meeting at all."
"Now the Chairman is gone, his two sons aren't even his, and his only biological daughter is lying in a hospital, her life hanging by a thread..."
The shareholders present all found it a bit strange.
"I've met that girl, Luna Nash, before. She's sharp and clever. How could she just fall down the stairs? And at such a convenient time, too. Could it be..."
As they spoke, grave expressions appeared on their faces.
They looked at Drew Thorne, their eyes full of questions.
Drew Thorne knew what they were asking and gave a slight nod.
Director Lawson, who was standing nearby, had a moment of sudden realization.
"I knew it! After the Chairman passed, his only daughter just happens to have an accident. Unbelievable! I never thought that Mia Miller would be capable of something like this! She'd really stop at nothing to get her hands on the company!"
DING—
[Congratulations, Host, on successfully completing the mission. You have received a reward.]
[The reward has been deposited into your account. Please check to confirm.]
A mechanical voice announced in Jane Sterling's mind.
Her heart leaped with joy. She immediately picked up her phone to check her balance.
'It's already there!'
Jane Sterling was thrilled. Even though Drew Thorne had stolen her thunder this time, she didn't mind at all.
'Keeping a low profile is the key to survival.'
With that in mind, Jane Sterling decided to sneak out of the conference room while everyone was fawning over Drew Thorne.
Just then, Drew Thorne's sharp gaze swept across the room, finally locking onto Jane Sterling as she was about to slip away. His clear voice called out.
"Jane Sterling."
Every eye in the room turned to Jane Sterling.
Jane Sterling gave an awkward smile.
Drew Thorne then turned to the crowd and bid them a polite but distant farewell.
"I only came today to repay a debt of gratitude I owed Walter Nash from many years ago. Now that the truth has been revealed, my task is complete. If you'll excuse me."
And with that, to everyone's surprised and disappointed gazes, Drew Thorne stuck his hands in his pockets and walked straight out of the conference room.
Jane Sterling was waiting for the elevator when Drew Thorne's footsteps grew closer behind her.
"How did you get that information?"
Drew Thorne stood quietly beside her, studying her with a sharp gaze.
Jane Sterling's scalp tingled.
She knew he was referring to the documents she had delivered today.
"...I'm a classmate of Luna Nash's. She was the one who commissioned you to investigate, and she gave me the files. Is there a problem?!"
Drew Thorne scrutinized her. Seeing her on high alert, he chuckled softly.
"No problem. But perhaps you could explain something. I only uncovered this information the morning of the day before yesterday and had it couriered directly to her. However, she herself had already fallen down the stairs and fallen into a coma the day before that. So tell me, how did she instruct you to bring these files here?"
Drew Thorne stood by quietly, an expression on his face that clearly said, 'Go on, I'm waiting to hear what you'll make up.'
Jane Sterling frowned.
'This man is so difficult. He's trying to get logical with me, is he?'
She retorted, a bit irritably.
"So what? We're going to be classmates. She was afraid something might happen to her, so she entrusted the documents to me. That's perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
Drew Thorne glanced at her, all bristled like a spooked rabbit, and shifted his gaze away.
"It is perfectly reasonable. It seems you two are quite close."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on Drew Thorne's lips.
'His assistant spent all night digging up every piece of information on Jane Sterling, from childhood to the present.'
'Her social circle showed no prior connection to Luna Nash.'
'This little girl in front of him was clearly talking nonsense.'
The elevator in the skyscraper finally arrived. Once they were inside, the ride down the dozens of floors felt like an eternity.
Drew Thorne didn't speak, and Jane Sterling certainly wasn't about to start a conversation and make things awkward.
"So, is he your boyfriend?!"
Taking advantage of the fact that Drew Thorne couldn't see her, Luna Nash did a flamboyant twirl in front of him and gave Jane Sterling a suggestive wink.