Chapter 301 What happened to Ava?
"Stella?" Ava repeated, confused. "Who's that?"
Jasper showed her the contact on his phone. "Who is she?"
Ava frowned at the screen. "Someone added me to the company group chat last night after the Adeline scandal. She said she had issues with Adeline too, so we gossiped."
"And where's the chat history?" Jasper asked, his tone hard.
"Deleted." Ava shrugged. "Stella warned me Adeline might have a hacker watching our phones, so I erased everything. Didn't want to risk it."
Jasper's eyes narrowed. This "Stella" was definitely tied to Ava's assault. Why else would she insist on deleting their conversation?
After noting the contact details, Jasper handed the phone back to Ava, his expression cold.
"Get out," he ordered, his voice icy.
Ava blinked. "Mr. Foster? Aren't you taking me home?"
Jasper laughed without humor. "When did I say I'd take you home?" He glanced at Ryan in the driver's seat.
Ryan got the hint, stepped out, and opened the door for Ava. He handed her some cash. "For your trouble," he said curtly.
Ava rolled her eyes, grabbed the money, and got out.
As Ryan got back in, he asked, "Where to now, Mr. Foster?"
"Home," Jasper said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I need to confirm a few things."
The next morning, Stella woke to find Jasper asleep beside her. She noticed her phone had been tampered with.
Careful not to wake him, she tiptoed out with her phone. Just as she was about to check it, her hidden phone buzzed with a message from Ava: [Are you Stella?]
[Mr. Foster asked me about a Stella yesterday. I didn't tell him anything. Who are you, really?]
Stella realized why Jasper had gone through her phone. Luckily, she had told Ava to delete their chat and used a separate phone to contact her.
A frown crossed Stella's face. She remembered sending her men to deal with Ava around ten last night, luring her to a specific spot and ensuring the messages were deleted before Ava slept.
She hadn't expected Jasper to find Ava so late at night. Did Adeline's affairs really matter that much to him?
A sly smile spread across her lips as she replied to Ava:
[How could I be Stella? I am Adeline.]
A moment of silence.
[Impossible!] Ava typed.
[Impossible?] Stella replied.
[Do you really think you're the only one who can infiltrate the employee group chat?]
[Think, Ava. How did you end up getting roughed up last night?]
Ava, sitting on her worn couch, froze. It was true. "Stella" had led her to that spot.
Fury surged through her.
[Adeline, I thought you were different. I didn't expect this from you!]
Stella scoffed and typed: [You knew what I was capable of, yet you still clung to this naive image of me?]
With that final jab, Stella stretched, turned off the burner phone, and strolled to the backyard of the Blue Bay villa. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the phone into the artificial lake.
No evidence, no trace.
"What are you doing?" a chillingly familiar voice called from behind her.
Stella froze, her face paling.
Slowly, she turned around.
Jasper stood there, leaning against a pavilion pillar, his gaze intense and unnerving.
Relief washed over her as she realized their exchange had been through texts, not calls.
'He couldn't possibly know what happened, could he?' Fear crept in.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a casual smile. "Just an old backup phone I used for business abroad," she said. "It was busted, so I threw it in the lake out of frustration." She chuckled nervously. "Maybe a bit impulsive, huh?"
"Throwing a phone into the lake isn't exactly eco-friendly," Jasper remarked, his gaze steady.
"Right, not very green," Stella agreed, her voice a bit too high-pitched.
Jasper's eyes flicked to the now calm lake. "Why not have someone retrieve it?" he asked, his voice calm.
Stella bit her lip. "Is that really necessary?" she countered, turning away as if lost in thought. "The lake is huge. It would take forever to find it."
"Time-consuming and labor-intensive for a broken phone. Hardly worth it, don't you think?"
Jasper studied her for a moment before turning towards the villa. "Very well, Mrs. Foster. If you say so."
His words were a relief to her frayed nerves. She sighed, which Jasper noticed.
He continued walking, his stride steady. But the iciness in his eyes grew with each step.
The clock struck eight, marking the start of a new workday at the Foster Group.
Adeline stepped out of a taxi and headed into the building, bumping into Thomas.
"Miss Wilson," he greeted with a smile. "I'm the new security guard here. Nice to meet you."
"Focus on your duties," Adeline replied coolly.
After a night of mental prep, she had regained some composure. But unease lingered whenever she was near him.
"Maybe we could grab a bite after work?" Thomas suggested, smiling wider.
Adeline forced a polite smile. "Sure."
After a brief exchange, she entered the elevator, eager to escape.
The elevator was packed with employees, the air thick with morning chatter. Adeline stood at the front, watching the numbers tick by.
"She's gorgeous, but who knew she was such a homewrecker?" a voice whispered behind her.
"I didn't believe the rumors at first. Sleeping with a security guard? But I saw her with my own eyes, giggling with that new guy."
"She has no standards," another voice added.
Adeline's jaw clenched at their gossip. But she chose to ignore them. Some battles weren't worth fighting.
Then, a new voice cut through the whispers:
"Keep it down, will you? She can hear you."
"Remember what happened to Ava yesterday for badmouthing her?"
"She's ruthless. Poor Ava."
Adeline's brow furrowed. What had happened to Ava? She turned around, curious.
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