Can't Win Me Back

"Why can't you even handle a minor task? Do you not want your bonus?" Jasper scowled.

Alyssa kept her composure. "Xavier, calm down. Take your time."

"After Betty left the hospital, my men had been tailing her. They saw her dragged into a white Bentley, and she stayed in that car for quite a while."

Alyssa felt her heart sank at that information. She was plagued by unease.

Jasper demanded. "Where did she go in that car?"

"She didn't go anywhere. After a while, they sent her back to her rental. She did not step out of the house for three days after that—not even taking out the trash. This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

"By then, our men realized something was off. They broke into her place and found her missing. She didn't even pack her bags."

Alyssa questioned, "How about her passport and identity card?"

"She didn't take them with her at all. She literally vanished into thin air!" Xavier grew emotional and worried. "I had people stationed at the airport to monitor her movements. She had no money and no identification. Where on earth could she have gone? She couldn't have illegally crossed borders, could she?"

"Xavier, you must have jotted down the carplate information of the white Bentley. Please send it to me. I'll get Jonah to run that plate in Mosgravia." Holding Jasper's hand firmly, she surmised, "Things might be more complicated than they seem. Someone's telling Betty what to do and help her escape.

"Jasper, we need to be vigilant in Solana City in the next few days. I worry that she might return!"

He tightened his grip on her fingers. "She'll only land herself in trouble if she comes home!"

"Maybe not this time." She analyzed with trepidation, "The person backing her must be powerful. They had sent her back to Solana City without needing a passport and without anyone knowing.

"Think carefully. Who else in Mosgravia would have the power and willingness to help Betty?"

Jasper furrowed his brows. A gleam flashed across his eyes. When he looked at Alyssa, she had blurted out, "Could it be Justin?"

He squeezed her hand. He, too, shared the same opinion.

"Ms. Alyssa, could it be Jamiper's doing? He's totally capable of doing so," Sean suggested another suspect.

Alyssa shook her head softly. "Sean, think carefully. Jamiper is smart enough to know we're monitoring Betty 24/7 in Mosgravia. We've seen through his tricks. Even if he wanted to help Betty, he wouldn't have done it openly.

"I believe whoever's helping Betty was confident that we wouldn't get anything on them because we were unfamiliar with them. Jameson is not likely a suspect precisely because of this.

"That's why I suspect Justin's involvement. I don't know his ulterior motive, but I can't think of anyone else with his capabilities."

"If I were Justin, I wouldn't have helped Betty. Firstly, I do not have any sibling relationship with her. There's no point in inviting trouble. Besides, Justin benefitted from Sophia and Betty falling out of favor.

"Fewer family members means less competition for power." Jasper closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. "But I think your analysis makes sense too.

"Anyway, if this is Justin's doing, we can't do much about it. All we can do is stop Betty and interrogate her before we take our next step."

Alyssa pressed her lips in frustration. Similar to Jasper, she refused to think of Justin as the vile Jameson —especially when Justin was Jasper's brother and savior.

Jasper's life had been fraught with pain and disappointment thus far. Alyssa could only hope that Justin wouldn't betray Jasper's trust.

Penelope and Zoe showed up at the hospital the next day with expensive gifts. The atmosphere in Preston's room was frigid and tense. Preston lay against the headboard and glared at the mother and daughter with resentment.

Zoe stared at his empty right sleeve. The horrific sight made her sweat all over.

"Penny, did you raise a son or a beast? He's a ruthless, ungrateful scoundrel!" Crying, Sylvia threw herself at Penelope and grabbed the latter's collar as if starting a fight. "Preston is Landon's uncle! Why would Landon badly injure him over a minor conflict? He might as well as kill him!"

Zoe was too stunned to defend her mother from Sylvia's attack. Penelope, who hailed from a distinguished family, had never faced such chaos. Looking disheveled, she cried frantically, "I... I... Landon..."

"I don't care! Landon needs to explain himself, or we'll be sure to make his presidency difficult!" Sylvia was great at kicking up a fuss. She cried, wailed, and accused Penelope and Zoe as though she was a concerned wife when all the while, she and Preston had a lukewarm marriage.

"Enough! Shut up!" Cornelius finally broke his silence and bellowed at Sylvia, which effectively shut her up.

She wiped away her tears and stood at the side.

Teary-eyed, Penelope repeatedly apologized to Preston and Sylvia. She said to Cornelius, "Dad, I really have no idea what Landon was up to out there. Preston, Sylvia, I'm really, really sorry. I'll take care of Preston's medical expenses—"

"What good is an apology?" Preston held his empty sleeve with a contorted expression. "An arm for an arm, or I will not let this slide!"

"Dad, Landon has crippled Preston and even usurped all his company stocks! Why haven't you taken action against Landon? Do you not see Preston as your son?" Sylvia, in pain, confronted Cornelius.

To her dismay, Cornelius seethed, "Well, serves him right! I warned him not to go overboard with Lauren Beckett, but he never heeded my advice. He went ahead to insult Landon. Preston only had himself to blame. What do you want me to do? It's not like I could kill Landon or make Preston's arm grow back."