Chapter 100: The Unraveling

Andrew had quietly instructed a few trusted servants to clean the cottage before anyone else found out what had happened. Today was Eleanor’s engagement, and he didn’t want Daniel, Olivia, or the Ashridge family worrying on such a joyous occasion.

The broken furniture had been removed, the bloodstains had been cleaned, and only two bullet holes remained in the wall—silent evidence of the danger that had unfolded there.

William had already retired to rest.

Naturally, he dragged Jasper with him.

"Come and keep this old man company," William had ordered.

Jasper had rolled his eyes. "As if I have a choice."

Lucian shook his head at their familiar bickering.

Mindy couldn’t help but laugh.

"Mr. Ashridge is really adorable."

"You won’t be saying that for long," Lucian said, glancing at her with amusement. "Not once he starts talking about you marrying me."

Mindy smiled.

"It won’t be that bad."

"Really?" Lucian raised an eyebrow. "The moment he heard you were divorced, he ran straight to my room to start preparing your wedding gifts."

Mindy burst out laughing.

"I’m sorry."

"Don’t be," Lucian replied with a smile. "He genuinely likes you."

His expression softened.

"To be honest, he cherished your mother. He treated her like his own daughter. Our family only has sons, so he always wished he had a daughter to dote on."

Mindy smiled warmly.

"Then whoever marries you will be a very lucky girl."

Lucian’s smile froze for the briefest moment.

He looked at Mindy but said nothing.

Before she could notice the fleeting change in his expression, Lucian composed himself, politely said his goodbye, and walked away.

Mindy watched him leave, unaware of the thoughts he had chosen to keep to himself.

Andrew had asked Wade to accompany him back to the cottage.

When Wade arrived, Mindy and Ana came with him. Andrew was already waiting inside. The moment he saw Wade, he stepped forward.

"Mr. Wilson... I truly don’t know how to thank you. If you hadn’t arrived..."

He shook his head. "I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened." Wade smiled gently. "There’s really no need to thank me."

Ana then narrated everything that had happened inside the cottage—from being called away, to the men, to the gun, to Wade kicking the door open.

After she finished speaking, Wade looked at Mindy. Growing up together meant they hardly needed words anymore.

One glance was enough. Mindy understood immediately. There was more to today’s incident. She had to tell Andrew enough to make him cautious.

After a brief silence, Mindy spoke. "Mr. Bose... I don’t think today’s incident was simply about that land. I think it was planned."

Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"

Wade continued calmly. "Think about it. Why that particular land? It doesn’t have enough commercial value for someone to risk kidnapping and threatening people. And more importantly..."

He looked around the cottage. "Why today? The entire elite of Cracros, Greendale, and Rithol are gathered in your residence. If these men were caught—and they were bound to be—there was no escape. So why choose today?"

Andrew slowly frowned. As an experienced businessman, he immediately understood. Things weren’t as simple as they appeared. He nodded. "I’ll investigate."

Mindy suddenly asked, "Mr. Bose... why did you call Ana here?"

Andrew looked confused. "I didn’t. I never called her. In fact, I didn’t even know why she had come."

Ana’s eyes widened. All of them froze.

Only now did they realize that amidst all the chaos, they had completely forgotten the most important question—why would Andrew call Ana when he himself was walking into danger?

Ana frowned. "That waiter... he said you were asking for me."

Mindy nodded thoughtfully. "Either someone bribed that waiter... or he wasn’t your servant at all." Andrew’s expression darkened.

"But why?"

Andrew asked. "Why would they go through so much trouble just to get that land?"

Wade answered. "Maybe they were hired."

Andrew looked shocked.

Wade continued, "You need to investigate everyone around you. And be extra careful. Especially the people closest to you."

Mindy suddenly remembered something.

"When your assistant, Mr. Brooks, came looking for you... what exactly did he say?"

Andrew tried recalling. "He told me several thugs had entered the residence. They were asking for me. They kept mentioning the orphanage land. So I immediately followed him. I thought someone was trying to ruin Eleanor’s engagement."

Wade frowned.

"How did those men even enter the residence? The security here is extremely tight. No one without an invitation should’ve been able to enter."

Ana looked between them. "You think... someone let them in?" Neither sibling answered. Instead, both silently looked toward Andrew.

Andrew understood immediately. Mindy spoke softly, "Mr. Bose... please be careful. And don’t trust people too easily."

Andrew slowly nodded. "I will. They tried to hurt my daughter. I won’t let them get away with this."

Outside the cottage, someone quietly listened to every word. His fists slowly tightened. His jaw clenched.

Yeager Brooks.

His plan today had been flawless. He would’ve become Ana’s hero.

Andrew Bose would’ve trusted him completely afterward. Everything had been prepared perfectly.

Yet the Wilson siblings had destroyed everything. His eyes darkened. "...Now I have to be even more careful." Without another sound, he disappeared into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Layton had already left the Bose Residence. He wasn’t feeling well. At first, he thought it was exhaustion. But as the car drove toward the hotel, something felt terribly wrong.

His breathing became uneven. His body suddenly felt unbearably hot. Sweat formed on his forehead. His vision blurred. His fingers trembled.

He immediately took out his phone and called someone. The call connected after only two rings. "Hello?"

Layton struggled to speak. "...Meet...me... ...hotel..."

The person on the other end immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Layton? Are you alright? You don’t sound good."

Layton forced out a few words. "...No... ...Something’s wrong... ...Come...fast..."

He barely heard the reply. "Okay. I’m coming." The call disconnected.

The driver quickly arrived at the hotel. Layton somehow managed to reach his suite. The moment he entered, his legs almost gave way.

A decorative vase crashed onto the floor. He staggered toward the mirror. His face was flushed. His eyes were bloodshot.

His breathing was ragged. He immediately understood—he had been drugged. His vision grew blurrier by the second.

Thinking quickly, he grabbed the fruit knife from the table and clenched it tightly in his hand. He forced himself to stay awake.

A few moments later, he heard the suite door opening. Footsteps. High heels. His vision had already become hazy.

A familiar silhouette approached. He couldn’t clearly see her face—only the outline.

Missy hurried over. "Layton! Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Her lips moved, but her voice sounded distant. She gently held his face, then wrapped an arm around him.

"Come. You need to lie down."

Layton instinctively jerked away. "...No..." His voice was barely audible. Missy continued helping him toward the bed. As she lowered him onto the mattress, Layton’s blurred vision suddenly shifted.

For a brief second, the silhouette changed. "...Mindy...?" he whispered weakly. Missy’s expression stiffened.

But she didn’t correct him. Instead, she smiled faintly.

Just then, her phone rang. Emily. Missy answered immediately. Emily’s voice came through. "Is everything going according to plan?"

Missy glanced at Layton before replying. "He’s on the bed.... he called Mindy’s name." She gritted her teeth. "That bitch just has to interfere with everything."

Emily said coldly, "Just finish it. He won’t remember anything afterward."

Layton couldn’t fully understand their conversation. Only broken words reached his ears. "...plan..." "...drugged..." "...remember..."

His fingers tightened around the knife. The blade dug deeper into his palm. The sharp pain gave him a brief moment of clarity.

Suddenly, the suite door opened again. Sebastian walked inside. He headed straight toward the master bedroom.

Missy froze. "What are you doing here?"

Sebastian looked equally surprised. "I should be asking you that. Layton called me." Missy recovered almost instantly.

"He drank too much. He was staggering. So I helped him to bed."

Sebastian frowned.

"That’s strange. I was with him. He barely had two glasses. So how exactly did he get drunk?"

Missy snapped, "How would I know? You just said you were with him."

Sebastian looked at her for several seconds, then calmly said, "You should go. I’ll stay with him." Missy looked at Layton one last time. Her eyes filled with annoyance. Then she quietly left.

Sebastian closed the door behind her. Only then did he notice Layton’s hand. Blood slowly dripped from beneath the bandage. His grip around the fruit knife had already cut deeply into his palm.

Sebastian sighed. "You actually hurt yourself... to fight the drug."

Without another word, he supported Layton and guided him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower.

Ice-cold water poured over Layton’s head. Sebastian quietly stepped outside to give him privacy.

Fifteen minutes later, Layton finally walked out. His clothes were soaked. His breathing had stabilized. But his eyes were colder than Sebastian had ever seen. Sebastian folded his arms.

"We’re going to the hospital."

Layton ignored him. Instead, he picked up his phone. He dialed Mike. The call connected immediately. "Yes, Mr. Knight."

Layton’s voice was calm. Too calm.

"Freeze all of Missy’s cards. Cancel all her monthly allowance. Effective immediately." Silence filled the line.

After a few seconds, Mike replied, "...Yes, Mr. Knight." Despite keeping his tone professional, there was unmistakable excitement in his voice.

Finally, something had changed.