Chapter 22 That Wretched Girl Cannot Live!

Nanci sneered, "But the company hasn't yet fallen into Dad's hands. What a shame, right?"

Her words stung Nicola.

Suddenly, the sinister look on Nicola's face suddenly vanished. She abruptly stepped forward and clung to Nanci's arm, her voice pitiful. "Nanci, calm down. If you don't agree, I won't take your shares, but please don't..."

Nanci felt annoyed and instinctively pulled her hand away.

Nicola seemed to stagger from the push, retreating several steps until her heel hit a step and she nearly fell.

A strong hand wrapped around her waist just in time. "Be careful!"

"Gavin, why are you here?"

"I was worried about you and came to check."

Gavin had just entered the yard when he saw Nanci pushing Nicola.

"Nanci, why are you still so rude? Nicola was trying to make peace. Even if you didn't even appreciate that, why did you go as far as to hurt her?" He frowned deeply, his voice stern in rebuke.

Nicola leaned weakly into the man's embrace, smirking triumphantly at Nanci.

Nanci was lost for words.

After three years, this woman hadn't changed, still loving to use such despicable tactics.

Fortunately, she now felt nothing for this man.

So naturally, she wasn't going to take these tricks too seriously.

Yet, Nicola never seemed to get tired of playing dirty. Perhaps she was too merciful, as she never managed to perform acts of violence.

She stared at Nicola for a few seconds. Suddenly, she stepped forward, yanked her hair, and slapped her across the face.

Nicola cried out in pain.

Gavin's face was a picture of disbelief.

Nanci spoke in a calm tone, "This is what I would do if I really wanted to hurt her."

With that, she got into her flashy red Bentley and drove away.

A couple with mixed thoughts was left behind in the yard, taking a long time to recover.

The night in Woodlands was beautiful, with neon lights flickering.

At the Kamar, Edward finished showering and came out when he received a call from Isaac.

Holding a towel to his hair with one hand and picking up the phone with the other, he swiped to answer.

"Mr. Clarkson, I've got some news. Brian has returned to Woodlands. The Ross family is hosting a grand birthday party for their daughter at the end of the month. He must be coming back to congratulate her, and we will definitely meet him there."

"Send a visiting card over."

Isaac was puzzled, asking, "A visiting card?"

Edward's lips curved slightly. "Ross Clinic has a special relationship with the Ross family. Brian wouldn't want, because of his own reasons, to attract unwanted attention to the Ross family."

Isaac paused for a moment before he answered, "Yes, Mr. Clarkson!"

For the next two days, Woodlands was calm on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents swirled.

On the surface, Joanne and Nicola appeared cordial, delighted by Nanci's return. However, behind closed doors, they were incredibly anxious.

They had just discovered that during Nanci's three-year disappearance, she had been married to Edward for three years.

No wonder she had the confidence to reclaim the Ross family.

Just on the second day after Nanci's return, the Clarkson family sent them a visiting card.

How could a mere birthday party, possibly draw the attention of the Clarkson family from Alderley? It must be because of Nanci...

"Mom, why scare yourself? The Clarkson family had a prominent affair scandal recently, and they've divorced. It can't be for Nanci that he's coming."

Nicola lay on the couch, admiring her freshly done nails.

Joanne looked at her with frustration. "Who can tell the true extent of the feuds in wealthy families? If it's not for Nanci, could it be for you?"

"It's not impossible. Think about Grandfather's will."

"That will means nothing. The Clarkson family might have forgotten it long ago!"

Nicola pouted, ignoring her mother's needless worries, and started chatting with her friends.

After this birthday, Nicola was set to take over Oakmont Properties as expected.

She was about to become the most valuable woman in Woodlands. At that moment, Joanne's anxious steps halted as a sinister glint in her eyes. "That wretched girl cannot live! We can't let her mess up your birthday party!" Nicola glanced at her briefly and asked, "Again? We are in Woodlands now, exposing this could be disastrous!" Joanne sneered, "She can't be lucky every time!"

The end of September in Woodlands was fervently warm. Even the night breeze was stifling. Having just finished freshening up, Nanci received an anonymous message.

"Internal corruption at Oakmont Properties, billions in losses. For more details, meet me at this address alone." She clicked on the address provided. It was on the southern part of Fifth Avenue, a relatively bustling area. If it was a trap, they wouldn't choose such a public spot.

She had just returned and had Amelia thoroughly check all internal communications of Oakmont Properties. She knew every quarterly report clearly. On the surface, it looked profitable. But in three years, the company would be completely eliminated from the market. She had been intending to contact someone on the inside when this opportunity presented itself. It was too coincidental.

She changed into simple clothes and grabbed her car keys. But as soon as she drove onto Fifth Avenue, Nanci noticed something was off. Through the rearview mirror, she could see a black sedan following her closely for a long distance. As she approached a crowded area, she planned to pull over and stop the car, but as she reached the traffic light, the car sped through at an alarming rate.

Nanci pressed hard on the brakes several times, but the car's speed did not decrease. Her brow furrowed, her eyes darkening. The brakes were not working. The southern stretch of Fifth Avenue was downhill, with almost no place to stop. The best option was to jump out. But with the area crowded with vehicles and people, abandoning the car would cause numerous accidents and injuries.

After weighing her options for a few seconds, she gripped the steering wheel and continued forward. After an unknown amount of time, her phone rang. She glanced at it from the corner of her eye and swiped to answer. "Brian..." Despite her effort to remain calm, her voice trembled.

"What's wrong?" Brian's tone became immediately serious. He had just sneaked out from the clinic and wanted to ask if she wanted some late-night snacks, but hearing her tone, his heart tightened. Nanci took a deep breath before replying, "I just received an anonymous tip about some internal financial issues with the company, then I went out, and now there's a problem."

"What issue? Where are you now?"

"Fifth Avenue."

Fifth Avenue was a busy district in downtown Woodlands, usually bustling with people and vehicles, unlikely to be the scene of the last incident. Brian let out a slight sigh of relief. "Send me your location. Stop and wait for me there."

Nanci clenched her teeth. "I can't stop."

Brian's heart sank.

"The brakes have failed. The car is out of control, and there's a vehicle following me. I'm heading south on Fifth Avenue now. Call the police first. My number is..." she calmed down for a moment and quickly said. Brian nearly cursed out loud, too late to blame her. He quickly turned back to find his car and rushed out. "Keep driving and wait for me to get there."

After a long wait with no response, he became anxious, raising his voice. "Do you hear me?" Then a loud bang followed by Nanci's very resigned voice. "Too late. It's really a small world after all!"