Chapter 10 Devious Schemes

• Vanessa promptly fell silent. However, Lennox was still seething.
• D*mn it!
• The thought of Serena almost ending up beneath another man yesterday sent his temper flaring uncontrollably.
• Vanessa noticed how tightly he was gripping Serena’s wallet, nearly crushing it in his hand. She had worked with the CEO for about half a decade and had never seen him this furious before. She hesitated, then spoke up, “Mr. Savill, when I went down to the hotel rooms to find Victor, he was still asleep—it seems… he was drugged with a sleeping pill, most likely by Miss Stone.”
• Lennox’s rage cooled ever so slightly. The girl knew how to protect herself—he was pleased.
• Vanessa continued with the background information she had gathered. “Miss Stone is 21 years old, currently studying acting at the film academy. Her family situation is a bit complicated. She has a half-brother and a half-sister, both from a different mother.”
• Lennox frowned. “Was she born from an affair?”
• “No,” Vanessa explained. “Chuck Stone started dating Serena’s mother when he was already involved with another woman in a rural village. He held a traditional ceremony with her, but they didn’t register the marriage. Chuck pretended to be unmarried to gain control of Serena’s mother’s renovation company. After her mother passed away, he brought Serena’s stepmother and her two children to live in Alderspring.”
• Lennox’s expression turned colder. In his social circles, people liked to play around, but finding someone as despicable as Chuck Stone was rare. The man was willing to go to any lengths to climb up the social ladder—even using his own daughter as a bargaining chip.
• The thought made him even more frustrated with Serena. How could she be so clueless, letting her own father use her like that?
• “This is just basic information, sir. Should we dig deeper?”
• “No need.”
• This woman intrigued him and was certainly attractive, but she wasn’t important enough for him to investigate her entire past. Judging by her inexperience last night, she had probably kept herself fairly clean over the last five years.
• “Shall I arrange for a meeting with Miss Stone?”
• “That won’t be necessary.” He reclined on the couch, eyeing the photo on Serena’s ID. After a moment, he glanced at Vanessa and smirked. “I’ll have her come to me.”
• “And about Mr. Zoric…”
• “Fire him!”
• Anyone who dared to lay a hand on his woman would face the consequences.
• …
• At Stone Villa, Serena’s stepmother, Myrtle Leclerc, watched with dissatisfaction as Chuck ended his phone call. “You really gave the kids’ guardianship to Serena? Chuck, we can’t afford to make such a losing deal. We raised Serena and even took care of her two little brats. Now she lands us one business deal, and you’re just going to let her go? It’s not worth it.”
• Clara Stone, Serena’s half-sister, was lazily painting her nails beside Myrtle. She paused upon hearing Myrtle’s words, her expression hardening. Clara had always despised Serena—jealous of her prettier looks, the attention she received from teachers and classmates, and even the boy she liked, who preferred Serena.
• “Dad, Mom’s right. We shouldn’t waste all our efforts on those freeloaders. Serena is nothing but a vamp! You should bring her along to every business negotiation. With her around, there’s no deal you wouldn’t be able to close!” Clara gritted her teeth, consumed by jealousy and resentment toward Serena.
• “You think I haven’t thought of that?” Chuck snapped, glaring at the two women. “Something’s changed since Serena fell down the stairs a few days ago. She’s gotten smarter, harder to fool. When I told her I’d transferred the kids’ guardianship to her, she didn’t believe me until I sent her photos of the documents.”
• “So, you really gave her the guardianship?!”
• “What choice did I have? She got Victor wrapped around her finger. If I don’t give her what she wants, she can easily turn him against me and ruin my business!” Chuck grumbled.
• Both Myrtle and Clara fell silent. Myrtle couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a waste to hand Serena something she valued so dearly. Now that Serena had what she wanted, controlling her would be much more difficult.
• Clara, on the other hand, felt a smug satisfaction. She had seen Victor before—a lecherous old man with yellowed teeth and a foul-smelling breath. The thought of Serena being defiled by someone like him brought a twisted joy to her heart.
• She had found out which room Victor was staying in the day before and had bribed a hotel staff member to install a hidden camera there. Soon, she would have the footage. Once it was released online, she could expose Serena for having two children out of wedlock. Clara was eager to see if the men at the film academy would still consider Serena a goddess after that!