51


    Erica arrived at Cedarhill Estate with barbecue skewers and beer in tow, settling in to watch TV with


    Cam.


    “This is so boring,” Erica remarked as she eyed the yogurt in Cam’s hand.


    “Let’s drink together during the holidays. Be good for now.” Cam chuckled as she munched on the


    skewers. She had work the next day and could not indulge in more alcohol. After that cocktail at


    Rita’s bar opening, she had received cold stares from Connor for days.


    “How’s Lily’s divorce case going?” Erica asked.


    “Wesley got her a divorcewyer, found quite a bit of the assets Julian had transferred, and there’s


    also an affair. Julian’s worried the scandal could affect his job, so they’re still in mediation.”


    Lily has always been too romantic. Got married and had her kid so young, she couldn’t even finish


    her degree.”


    That’s why I say, a woman needs to eam her own money to stand tall.”


    The TV news shed a disturbing headline: [A man was shot in the spine during a home robbery,


    fears of paralysis.]


    Cam’s eyes widened with shock, a flurry of thoughts overwhelming her as she began to tremble


    slightly, clutching Erica’s sleeve tightly.


    “What’s wrong? You suddenly look so pale,” Erica asked, touching her forehead anxiously.


    “That man, he looks like Tucker…” Cam pointed at the TV, but the screen had already moved on


    to the next piece of news.


    N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    “I’ll check it out. Why would he be abroad?” Erica reactivated the long–silenced university group


    chat, which was buzzing with discussions.


    [Tucker mentionedst week he struck it rich and was moving abroad…]


    [Didn’t Cam break up with him?]


    [I asked my friend abroad. It’s really him. Seemed too shy and got envied.]


    [How did he suddenly get rich? Did he win the lottery?]


    [Not exactly, they said it was a windfall, but look what happened so soon.]


    * P F FSE 2 = ± 2 9 8 # F = 3 3 3 5 2 3


    “Cam, it really is him.”


    Cam scrolled through the group chat messages. The windfall, it was from Connor.


    “Erica, do you think Connor could be behind this incident in the U.S.?” Cam asked, staring


    nkly.


    “It’s probably a coincidence. Connor is powerful, but he can’t reach that far, can he?”


    “I need to ask him.”


    4ce they


    Cam tapped on Connor’s message thread, a nk pagé since they had never chatted before. At


    that moment, Connor was in a quiet video conference with a factory manager. His phone buzzed,


    and he swiped the screen casually.


    Cam: [Mr. Connor, I saw a news report. Did you do this? (link)]


    In the video feed, the factory manager saw Connor rub his brow and paused his speech. “Give me a


    few minutes.” He walked out with his phone to the balcony and lit a cigarette.


    Cam’s phone vibrated intensely, her heart pounding, “Connor’s calling.”


    “Answer it.”


    Cam walked to her room and pressed the call button. “Mr. Connor,”


    Connor exhaled a stream of smoke, “Yes, I did it.”


    Cam hadn’t expected him to admit it so directly. Tucker had been beaten badly, facing a possibly


    paralyzed future. “Isn’t that a bit too much?”


    At her words, Connor let out augh, his tone turning dangerous, “He took tens of millions from me


    and expects to livefortably? I’m not that generous.


    Cam felt a strange, ruthless vibe from Connor.


    You scared?”


    Facing Connor’s interrogation, Cam didn’t blink an eye, “Mr. Connor, this situation started


    because of me. I can’t pay you back those millions, but if it settles your anger, I can resign.”