Chapter 348

Olivia arched one delicate eyebrow, her lips curling into a knowing smile. "Is that so? Well, Lila dear, there's something I'd like to ask you. And I want everyone present to hear the answer."

Lila's pulse quickened at Olivia's words. A thrill of anticipation shot through her veins. She was certain Olivia was about to publicly declare her support. Why else would the Thomas matriarch make such a statement before all these important guests? Her heart hammered against her ribs as she leaned forward eagerly.

The gathered guests seemed to share Lila's assumption. Every eye in the room fixed on Olivia as she spoke with deliberate clarity. "Lila, you deliberately engineered our meeting. You even paid someone to stage that robbery. Tell me, what exactly were you hoping to achieve?"

A stunned silence descended upon the room, so complete one could hear a pin drop.

Lila's face drained of color, her eyes widening in shock. Panic flickered across her features before she schooled them into careful neutrality. She told herself Olivia couldn't possibly have proof. This was just a bluff, a tactic to make her slip up. She couldn't afford to crumble now.

Summoning all her acting skills, Lila forced her voice to tremble with apparent hurt. "Mrs. Caldwell, how could you say such things? I would never—" she began, then turned to the crowd with wounded eyes. "Can you believe these accusations?"

Murmurs broke out among the guests. "So that heroic rescue was all staged?"

"She's got some nerve, that one."

Olivia's smirk deepened. She gave a subtle nod toward the sound system. Moments later, crisp audio filled the room.

First came a gruff male voice: "What exactly do you need me to investigate?"

Then Lila's unmistakable tones: "Simple. Follow the woman in these photos for two days. Document her routine, especially any patterns. And check if she travels with security."

Every head swiveled toward Lila as her recorded voice continued.

"Perfect. Wait for my report," the man responded.

Ten seconds later, his voice returned: "I've tracked her for two days. Every morning at eleven, she visits a pottery studio on Aelbank Road. It's isolated—cars can't approach. She walks through a narrow alley alone."

"No bodyguards," he added.

"Good," Lila's voice purred in the recording. "Now I need you to arrange a fake robbery."

After a pause, her voice turned calculating: "I'll intervene as the hero. Tell your man he can rough me up slightly—but not too much. It needs to look convincing."

"What about the target? Should we hurt her?" the man asked.

Lila's reply was chillingly calm: "Just scare her. No actual injuries. Her husband is dangerously protective. If she's harmed, he'll investigate, and we can't risk that."

"Understood. Consider it done," the man concluded.

The recording ended, leaving the room in stunned silence.