Chapter 24

Wyatt realized he had been careless. ‘How could I forget that behind Andrew the spoiled boy is Jeremiah, the key player in Betrico? What kind of luck does Andrew have to get on Jeremiah’s good side?’

Jeremiah’s arrival in Seacrity was significant, no matter the reason. Wyatt couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. If things went south, Jeremiah could ensure Wyatt would never get reassigned to Betrico.

Wyatt hung up the phone and wasted no time. He woke up all his team leaders and ordered an overnight investigation into the issue. By dawn, he finally figured out the arrangements and punishments for those involved.

What Wyatt didn’t expect was for Jeremiah to show up in his office. His heart raced, fearing Jeremiah was there to blame him.

“You handled it well, Mr. Langford,” Jeremiah said.

Wyatt wiped the sweat from his brow and quickly replied, “I appreciate that, but it’s all thanks to you for providing the evidence.

Without it, we couldn’t have brought the wrongdoers to justice.”

Jeremiah didn’t have time for small talk. After his comment, he left without saying another word. Wyatt saw him to the car respectfully, watching it drive away for what felt like an eternity before he finally headed back to his office, still trying to digest everything.

*****

In the Maybach, Andrew was driving. He had been busy for most of the night too. Technically, he could have gone to sleep after his call, but after watching that video, he felt too frustrated to rest.

“Jeremiah, are you really going to Argrol University? You’re not joking, right? You graduated years ago!” Andrew said, glancing in the rearview mirror. “You were at the top of your class, remember? They would be lucky to have you as a teacher.”

Jeremiah, sitting in the backseat, chose to ignore Andrew’s endless questions. He looked down, his expression weary, the top button of his white shirt undone, leaving a hint of well-defined abs-definitely eye-catching.

“Just to clarify, I’m not going to be a teacher. I’m going to be a librarian,” Jeremiah said calmly.

“What?” Andrew nearly shouted, disbelief coloring his voice. “You’re telling me you’re going to Argrol University and can’t even get a teaching job? A librarian? Come on, you’re kidding me, right? Oh man, I think I’m going to faint. Jeremiah...

Before Andrew could finish, Jeremiah cut him off. “If you keep talking, I’ll agree to your grandfather’s request and send you to the military.”

Andrew instantly fell silent, even making a “zip-it” gesture. He figured the idea of Jeremiah being a librarian at Argrol University was way better than the thought of himself in the military.

With Andrew focused on driving, the car was filled with radio chatter until he decided to turn it off, plunging the vehicle into silence.

Jeremiah didn’t come to Seacrity to rest or work as a university librarian. He was there for Siren-a genius in physics and a top hacker the country wanted to recruit.

However, he had found someone even more interesting. What happened on the street yesterday must have been due to those pills. That girl may be small, but she has quite a temper. She clearly inhaled something mind-altering, yet she still fought back.

Resistance to drugs? Interesting...

At the Chambers residence, Yvette was coming down the stairs when she saw Nellie, Winona, and Zeke in the living room, reading newspaper and chatting about something.

Seeing Yvette, both Nellie and Winona fell silent. With Zachary not around, they didn’t even bother to put on an act.

Zeke took the initiative to greet Yvette, pulling out the chair next to him so she could sit down. Yvette ignored him and chose to sit across the table instead. Undeterred, Zeke chuckled, “Did you sleep well, Yvette?”

Yvette gave a nonchalant “uh-huh” in response, barely paying any attention to him, but Zeke just smiled wider, unfazed by her indifference.

Nellie couldn’t stand watching her precious son trying to get Yvette’s attention only to be brushed off. Fuming, she snapped, “Yvette, Zeke is trying to talk to you. Can’t you just be decent for once?”

Yvette slammed her fork and knife onto her plate, leaning back lazily in her chair, crossing her legs. There was still a trace of yesterday’s hangover in her eyes. Her tone dripped with sarcasm. “Oh, so a dog bites me, and I should comfort it?”

Nellie was furious at Yvette’s c**y attitude. She glared at her, her face twisted. “Who do you think you are? How dare talk about Zeke like that?”

Yvette toyed with her silverware casually, spinning it in her hand, making the servants feel uneasy. “Why aren’t you pretending anymore, Mrs. Nellie Chambers?”

Nellie scoffed, trying to maintain some dignity. “What do you mean by that? I’ve been nothing but good to you since you came home, but you show no appreciation whatsoever. I’m Zachary’s wife now, the lady of the house, yet you keep disrespecting me.

Enough is enough. Today, I will teach you a lesson so you don’t embarrass yourself out there.”

Winona kept her head down, silent. Zeke glanced at Nellie’s face and decided to stay out of it. He didn’t want to get on his mother’s bad side. The living room felt like a battlefield, with all the tension between Yvette and Nellie.

Yvette still maintained her nonchalant attitude. Teach me a lesson? Yeah, there have been a few who tried, but they seem to have all said goodbye to this world.

She stood up and walked over to Nellie. In one quick motion, she flashed the knife-she preferred actions over words. Nellie felt something warm trickling down her neck. Instinctively, she touched it and found blood flowing down her skin.

Time seemed to freeze. Winona and Zeke were both stunned, while the servants stood frozen in fear-Yvette had actually cut Nellie!

The most panicked was Nellie herself. She stared at Yvette, who was smiling back at her. At that moment, Nellie saw a devil in her.

In a daze, Nellie felt her vision blur, and Yvette slowly morphed into Lilian. Over twenty years ago, Lilian looked just like this-

except back then, it was Lilian begging Nellie. Consumed by madness, Nellie flailed her arms wildly, shouting for Yvette to get away, her scream cutting through the entire mansion, so loud it reached the cleaners outside.

Yvette tossed the knife down in front of Nellie with a dismissive laugh and turned to leave, her exit swift and decisive.

Once Yvette walked away, the living room erupted into chaos. Zeke rushed to help Nellie up while the servants hurried to assist her as well. By the time Nellie settled down, an entire hour had passed.

Zeke headed downstairs, his face was dark. He couldn’t believe Yvette had the guts to act out at home. Even he had been taken aback by her ruthlessness. “Where did Winona go?” he asked.

The servants shook their heads. In the midst of all that chaos, no one had noticed where Winona went.

Winona had left for school earlier. Just before entering, she gave Zachary a quick call, exaggerating the whole situation.

She planned her arrival-carefully, stepping out of the car in a crowded spot at Argrol University’s entrance. As soon as she stepped out, she drew everyone’s attention.