Chapter 154: Twisted Motives
Once outside, Eric led Melissa into a private reception room intended for hosting personal guests of the company executives. He asked Melissa to take a seat on the couch while he sat down across from her.
"First off... how did you get into my building, and second, what’s your game here?" Eric asked directly, cutting straight to the chase.
Melissa stayed quiet, taking a moment to scan her surroundings, surveying the room and spotting two security cameras positioned in opposite corners that covered every angle of the space. She then set her cane aside and leaned back casually. Turning her gaze toward Eric, she smiled.
"Looks like you’ve gotten paranoid these days," Melissa noted.
"Cut the crap, Melissa. What do you want, and how did you get inside my building?" Eric demanded.
"Easy. You didn’t lock the door, essentially leaving it wide open for me," Melissa answered with a shrug.
Eric caught himself off guard. In his eagerness to show Caleb and Avery around, he couldn’t recall whether he had actually latched the door behind them. If Melissa was able to walk right in, that meant he had forgotten to lock it. As he sat there stunned, Melissa suddenly leaned forward, sliding her smartphone across the table toward Eric so he could see the screen.
"Read it yourself. That’s why I’m here," Melissa said.
Eric picked up Melissa’s smartphone and stared at the screen. His eyes widened as he read through the chat history between Melissa and Vanessa, her mother. As it turned out, Vanessa was begging Melissa to come back and help Jason, though Melissa made it clear in her messages that she no longer had anything to do with him. Vanessa kept pleading, and Melissa kept brushing her off, until the topic shifted.
Vanessa asked for Eric’s phone number and revealed to Melissa that Eric was actually her son with Ethan Reed, a hidden billionaire residing in the city. She wanted to reach out to Eric because she felt entitled to Ethan’s inheritance, which she believed Eric now controlled, reasoning that she was his mother. She also urged Melissa to get close to Eric and tell him that his mother was looking for him, that she had changed, and that all she wanted was for Eric to come back to her.
Finishing the text thread, Eric handed the smartphone back to Melissa, fixing her with a stern glare.
"So you came here hoping to tip off my mom and convince me to hand over my biological father’s inheritance to her, is that it?" Eric asked.
"Hahaha... is that really what you think? If I intended to leak your info to her, I would’ve done it long ago. I already had your phone number, knew which penthouse you lived in, knew your entire family tree, and besides, I even know your daily schedule," Melissa replied.
Hearing Melissa’s words, Eric instantly tensed up. He realized the woman sitting in front of him was truly terrifying and clearly unhinged. He stared at Melissa’s face as she offered a smug smile right back at him.
"Stop beating around the bush. What do you actually want?" Eric asked.
"Before we get into that, read this," Melissa said.
Melissa’s fingers danced across her smartphone screen once more before she handed the device back to Eric. This time, Eric’s throat completely tightened as he read what was on the display—a screenshot of a text exchange between Jason and his mother, Vanessa. The content was horrifying.
It detailed a plot to kill Martin, who had already contacted a lawyer to initiate divorce proceedings, draw up his will, and moved into a separate residence by staging a fatal accident. They planned to frame Eric, leveraging his well-known resentment toward his father, all so they could alter the will and funnel the entire estate and company into Jason’s hands. The exchange was explicit and granular, right down to the scheduled date and time.
Furthermore, something else in the texts made Eric’s blood boil, though he managed to maintain his composure. It turned out that the incident involving Ruby was also engineered by Jason. The older guy who had been arrested back then didn’t actually know Chad; Chad’s friends had brought him along to party at Ruby’s apartment. He was, in fact, a hitman hired by Jason to harm Ruby, aiming to send her father into a panic and lure him to the city, where he would then meet his end on his journey home.
What made Eric cover his mouth in sheer disgust was that Vanessa knew about the entire scheme and turned a blind eye to whatever fate awaited Ruby afterward. They had hatched this entire plot because Martin had caught Vanessa making out with his own brother, David, at their home and immediately filed for divorce. Eric raised his head and stared at Melissa.
"How did you get your hands on all this?" Eric asked.
"Remember when you visited me in the hospital? You told me we were even and that our lives had nothing to do with each other anymore... I had no purpose left, so I asked a friend who works as a private investigator to look into your family, and this is what turned up," Melissa answered.
"Why are you telling me this?" Eric asked.
"Simple reason: they’re desperate. Plus, their initial plan flopped since you managed to save Ruby, so they’re bound to look for another way. I just want you to be careful, they’re coming after you," Melissa replied, her face dead serious.
"Huh... wouldn’t my dad still be their main target?" Eric asked.
"Uncle Martin already knows everything. I met up with him two days ago and explained it all. Naturally, he was furious, but he isn’t acting recklessly right now. He’s staying here in the city and managing things remotely," Melissa answered casually.
"Okay... thanks for the heads-up then, but you still haven’t told me what you actually want," Eric countered.
Melissa went quiet for a moment, leaning back comfortably once more, her sharp eyes fixed entirely on Eric.
"I need a job... You took away my purpose in life, and now I want to find a new one. Plus... if I work here, I can protect you," Melissa said earnestly.
Hearing those words, Eric gasped, completely lost for words. He sat in silence, carefully weighing the situation. The woman sitting across from him was clearly out of her mind and had no shortage of enemies. If he took her on as an employee, he was certain she would spell trouble down the line. Yet, she had just handed him evidence he never could have imagined on his own, he never expected his half-brother and mother to be capable of such pure evil.
While Eric remained lost in thought, Melissa glanced over toward the door. She picked up her cane and slowly pulled herself up. Eric watched in surprise as Melissa ambled over to the entrance, stepped slightly to the side, and swung the door wide open.
"Whoaaah!"
Eric gasped as Jade, Ruby, Chloe, Emma, and Tania tumbled right into the room, landing in a chaotic heap on the floor.
"Well, well... quite the eavesdropping crew. I bet the rest of you are watching on the monitors too, aren’t you?" Melissa said, waving directly at the security camera. Sure enough, back in the security control room, Caleb, Katie, and Mike all flinched in shock as they saw Melissa wave right into the lens.
Eric stood up and helped Ruby, Jade, Emma, and Tania back onto their feet, immediately asking,
"Where are Priya, Monica, Heidi, Laura, and Chloe?" Eric asked.
"They’re upstairs with Avery," Emma answered.
"Katie, Caleb, and Mike are downstairs in the security room—they’re ready to dial 911," Tania added.
"Whoa... I have no bad intentions, I just wanted to talk," Melissa said, taking a step back while keeping that smug grin on her face.
"What do you actually want, huh? You can barely walk and your arm is still smashed up, yet here you are looking to stir up trouble!" Jade yelled, marching over to Melissa and grabbing her by the collar.
"Hmm... I need a job, that’s all," Melissa replied casually, not looking even remotely intimidated by Jade in front of her.
"What’s your deal anyway? Please just leave and stop bothering us!" Ruby shouted, stepping up beside Melissa.
"Sorry, can’t do that," Melissa said. Then, turning her eyes to Jade, "Do you remember that mysterious phone call telling you to head to Ruby’s apartment back then?" Melissa asked with a sly smile.
"Huh?" Jade gasped, clearly remembering that call. She had originally planned to grab her things after nursing school, but because of that phone call, she immediately rang Mike and rushed straight to Ruby’s apartment right then and there.
Once again, Melissa’s fingers danced across her smartphone using just one hand before she held the screen up to Jade’s face. Jade’s eyes widened as she looked at Melissa’s call history, which showed a scripted call to her phone at the exact date and time Ruby was in danger.
"W... what does this mean, Jade?" Ruby asked, turning to look at Jade.
"It means that if I hadn’t warned your cousin, you’d be blackmailed and turned into their slave by now, little princess," Melissa answered, answering Ruby’s question with a smirk.