Chapter 539
Vivienne froze for a moment.
Was Maddox implying that she should carry on with this contract?
"Exactly as you''re thinking," Maddox slid the contract toward Vivienne. "The Perez family has its own
fish to fry these days, not focusing on bionic tech. And I know the reason the Ashfords have stood the
test of time has a lot to do with this project."
He paused, his gaze growing intense before he continued, "The person who got the Ashfords involved
in the first ce was your mother, Karen, right?"
Vivienne nodded but remained tight-lipped.
She was not ready to stir the pot with the Perez family''s waters still uncharted.
"Vivienne, only the Perez and the Boyd families are in on the bionic tech secret. Your mother managed
to bring this concept to life, and it''s nearly identical to what the Perez family envisioned. I think she
must have seen their initial concept draft. I''m not saying she copied or stole it. I''m just saying..."
"Uncle, I get what you''re trying to say."
Vivienne smiled at Maddox.
She knew he was beginning to question her identity.
If her mother had indeed introduced those concepts, matching the Perez family''s ideas, it only meant
she had some connection with them.
If that was the case, could Karen perhaps be Sasha?
Maddox hesitated to voice his suspicion, fearing another disappointment.
Vivienne tucked the contract away. "Thanks, Uncle. I''ll take it from here and push the research
forward."
Maddox nodded. "Yeah, I believe in you."
He also believed that she must be his niece, his sister''s daughter.
But with a paternity test looming, this was a matter that still needed resolution!
...
At the Ashford Mansion.
The arrest of Eliza came as an abrupt blow, derailing Patrick''s many schemes.
Eliza was now the sole survivor of the Boyd lineage, and Patrick had intended to consolidate his power
by winning over the Boyd Group’s shareholders with her help. It would save him a great deal of trouble.
Plus, she was supposed to retrieve the Boyd family si ring from Vivienne, and the contract was
supposed to be in her possession.
But now, with her under lock and key and the murder footage spreading like wildfire online, no one
could bail her out.
Patrick turned pale with anger.
What he thought was his trump card had be utterly useless.
"Dad, you''ve been pacing for ages; you''re making my head spin. What''s going on with Eliza? Did she
really kill Wendy?" Gillian had woken up to see Patrick pacing and was clueless about the unfolding
events.
Her mind was still preupied with dreams of marrying Percival.
Patrick sat down and asked, "Gillian, has Mara called you recently?"
"No, with their family in such a mess, why would she bother? Besides, I don''t want to deal with her
anymore. Percival has already cut ties with them, so she''s useless to me now." Gillian snorted with
disdain for her once close friend.
Why bother with someone useless?
Their friendship was one of mutual exploitation, nothing more.
Patrick frowned. "Gillian, call Mara. Tell her to find a way to get close to Vivienne and retrieve the Boyd
family si ring. And try to find the contract Wendy left behind. Tell her you can help her turn things
around."
Gillian was puzzled. "Dad, you still want to entangle with them? A family full of criminals?"
"Just do as I say. Those two items are crucial for our family. We won''t be at Vivienne''s mercy anymore
if you manage to get them. Hurry before Vivienne catches on."
Gillian wanted to probe further, but seeing Patrick''s ashen face, she swallowed her questions.
She had never seen her father so agitated.
Following Patrick''s instructions, Gillian dialed Mara''s number. For the Boyd family fortune, Mara readily
agreed.
Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.
Unbeknownst to them, Vivienne had heard every word of their conversation.
Vivienne took off her headphones, chuckling as she reviewed the tranted documents on the table.
"Patrick''s only managed to stay afloat all these years relying on GTO." Vivienne shook her head. The
man was foolish.
Even now, Patrick was fixated on the contract rather than ensuring his safety.
Percival was monitoring satellite imagery on hisputer, where three red dots were converging into a
trap around a factory at the center.
"If he had any sense, he''d realize that loyalty to my mentor is the wisest choice," Percival remarked
calmly.
Vivienne curved her lips. "Traitors always meet a traitor''s end."
Ten minutester, Mara''s call came through to Percival.
"Bro, it''s Mara."
Her voice wasced with sobs, still not fullyprehending how the Boyd family had fallen so far.
Percival turned on the speakerphone. "What''s up?"
"I don''t know what to do. With all this chaos at home, I... Can Ie to you? I want to apologize to
Vivienne, no, to your wife. I..."
"Head to the Ashford Mansion. Tell Gillian I’ll bring over what she wants."
With that, Percival hung up.
He had run out of patience for ying games with these two dimwits.
Vivienne looked up, her gaze settling on Percival''s expression with a hint of surprise. "What''s wrong?"
Why did he suddenly stop toying with them?
Vivienne''s brow creased slightly.
Someone had finally caught on to the real reason behind Percival''s visit to Sea City.
Initially, Percival had used the excuse of visiting the Boyd family to gain entry into Sea City. However,
his actual mission was to investigate the secretive virus research facility there. Updated at
Draмаnоvеls.cоm
This task had been assigned through a mysterious, ssified document found on Micah''s desk—not
through the proper channels of the central office.
Thus, Percival''s investigation into the Sea City docks and other rted activities had gone unnoticed
by the city''s main office.
Now, they had finally turned their attention to Percival.
Consequently, the role of Deputy Director at Rivenwood headquarters was endowed with nearly
equivalent authority.
With Micah''s suspension, Percival was set to take the reins at Rivenwood''s central office.
The more power bestowed upon him, the closer he would get to the epicenter of authority.
And the closer he would be to unmasking the traitor.