Chapter 112

"Yeah!" Olivia noticed Winnie quickly calming down, and it was the familiar Winnie she knew. She felt relieved. "Do you suspect that Darcy instigated Eva to frame you at the banquet? Let's then find evidence."

"It's probably more than that," based on Winnie's intuition, Darcy came so prepared, meaning her enmity towards her goes beyond the surface.

She must have strong feelings towards Lawrence, wanting to take him away.

"Oh, by the way," Olivia joyfully opened her computer. "Haven't you been waiting for Laura's investigation? Ava got support from international judges, and as for her backer, Laura contacted me today. Just wait a moment-"

Olivia immediately connected with Laura, who was oceans apart.

Winnie furrowed her brows slightly, suddenly recalling what Olivia said earlier in the morning, "You've been through a lot recently."

Ava revived in the competition, and shortly after, she framed Winnie by purchasing fake gemstones, resulting in her imprisonment. These two incidents seemed to have nothing to do with her recent entanglement with Lawrence.

However, was it really unrelated?

Winnie couldn't help but make a bold guess. What if Ava's backer was...

At that moment, the call connected, and Laura's voice came through. It had been a long time since Winnie had seen Laura, and Laura didn't seem overly excited, but just smiled tightly. "Winnie, it's been a while."

Among the three of them, Olivia was the liveliest, Winnie mischievous, but Laura was the most composed. She was like a cup of clear water, transparent and light, with a few tea leaves floating in it. At first glance, it wasn't stunning, but the more you drank, the more fragrant and mellow it became. If Winnie was sharp in her heart, then Laura was cold on the surface.

Laura didn't contact them often. She had been studying abroad for the past few years and only had brief meetings with them when she returned to the country.

But that's how friendship is. Victoria had close contact with them, but in the end, it was just a fake friendship.

"Laura, how is the investigation of the international judge going?" Olivia asked eagerly.

"Somebody intentionally invited the international judge to support Ava," Laura took a sip of water calmly, finding it somewhat funny, but her eyes didn't reflect her amusement.

"Can you find out who it is?" Winnie asked urgently. Without a doubt, this person is either Ava's backer or closely connected to the backer.

Suspicion flickered in Laura's eyes too, curling her cold lips. "It's my husband, Ray."

"What?"

"Laura, you're married!" Winnie and Olivia were both dumbfounded.

A bitter smile flashed across Laura's thin face, "Sorry, it's not a typical marriage. I don't feel like talking about it with you guys."

"Ray, isn't that the man you've always loved?" Olivia asked.

Laura kept her personal matters tightly concealed, but she vaguely knew a little. "When did you marry him?" Winnie asked.

"A year ago."

Olivia was shocked. "Sister, how many things did you hide from us while you were studying abroad? You really lacked sincerity. Isn't Ray a member of the Martin family? Why would he help that little bitch Ava..."

Winnie was also puzzled by this. But before they could ask, a slender man's hand suddenly appeared on Laura's screen.

The man rudely grabbed Laura and the computer fell to the ground, causing the screen to go black.

"Laura? Was the owner of that beautiful hand just now Ray, the second most handsome man in Lymington after Lawrence?" Winnie stared at the black screen, lost in thought.

On the other side of the ocean, it was late at night. Laura was caught off guard by being forcefully lifted. She was very thin, with a figure that resembled a typical slim and tall female model. In the palm of his hand, she appeared delicate in the front and curvaceous in the back, with a pair of long legs that were captivating.

Ray's eyes were bloodshot from intoxication. He was tall and imposing, with a resolute outline. His short hairstyle complemented his well-defined eyebrows, exuding a high level of masculinity.

He roughly threw Laura onto the edge of the bed in the bedroom without any mercy, and his solid body followed suit.

Without giving Laura a chance to speak, he kissed her lips until they bled. While in the midst of his passion, he murmured another woman's name.

Laura's originally infatuated eyes suddenly stiffened, and her heart felt as though it had been stabbed with a knife, causing immense pain.

That dull pain had never stopped torturing her.

Unable to bear the torment any longer, she grabbed the man's strong neck and coldly roared, "Take a good look, I am not her, I am not your crush, Ray. When you're drunk, go find a prostitute. After all, don't you have plenty of lovers?"

Ray woke up slightly and, upon seeing her expressionless face, a deep disgust flashed in his eyes.

He assaulted her while cynically mocking, "You spread rumors about me to my father, saying I ignored you for a year after our marriage. Isn't it because you were feeling empty and lonely and wanted me to come to you? You pushed me into a honeymoon with you after my father forced me out. I ignored you, so you investigated that international judge, digging up information on me, trying to grab my attention by all means necessary. Well, now that I've fulfilled your wishes, aren't you happy? Since you crawled into my bed the last time, it has been a whole year. Can't you endure your loneliness anymore?"

His insulting words pierced her heart like a cold wind.

No matter how cold Laura felt inside, her smile on the outside was radiant. She suddenly wrapped her hands around his neck and said with a cold face, "You're overthinking. I just don't want to get sick!"

"Do you think you're so clean? I can't stand women like you the most. If it weren't for her damaged liver and the urgent need for your liver donation, do you think I would have been coerced into marrying you? You're just like your mother, cold on the surface but seductive inside. I hate it the most when someone threatens me. Just wait and see how miserable you'll be in this marriage!"

Yes, in just a year, she went from being infatuated and delusional, thinking he would fall in love with her, to experiencing a life worse than death.

It was she who used schemes to force him to break up with his crush. No, Laura chuckled bitterly. The pain had already become unbearable.

Raising her head with a malicious look, she said, "Ray, don't act like you're fighting for love. Your crush, her heart is not for you at all. She treats other men incredibly well, oh, that man happens to be your best friend. After all, you're just a pitiful man."

Suddenly, he slapped her across the face, leaving her speechless. Ray's eyes turned red until the end.

He lit a cigarette with his trembling hand and coldly pinched her pale face, examining it repeatedly. His sober eyes were as dark as ink, filled with mockery. "You're nothing like her."

Laura closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling. He always managed to hurt her deeply with his icy words.

"I warned you, don't complain to my father. Even touching you disgusts me!" He put on his clothes and prepared to leave.

Wrapped in a pale blanket, Laura bore evident red marks that seemed to burn his eyes. She lifted her face and bit back at him. "You find it disgusting, yet you can't help lingering? You're the kind of man who is hypocritical and shameless, Mr. Martin!"

Ray glowered at her coldly and slammed the door before making a phone call, "Prepare the private jet quickly. I find it disgusting to look at this woman for even one more second."

If that's what she wanted, she would continue to disgust him.

Laura immediately booked a ticket to go back to her home country. She wanted to see for herself who he was really trying to help by commanding that international judge to support Ava.

There was only one person who could command Ray to help unconditionally, and that was his crush.

Besides, Olivia had contacted her recently, informing Laura that Winnie had encountered a major problem these past few months. Laura had to go back and see her sister.

Winnie and Olivia had been waiting in the coffee shop for an hour before Laura finally came back online.