Chapter 406 The True Face
"Thank goodness we caught it early. Grandpa's not in critical condition yet. Believe in him, Emma. He'll pull through." Emma leaned gently on George's shoulder, "Don't worry."
Meantime, the Scarlett's apartment was a disaster zone. Furniture was toppled over, cracks ran across the walls, and the floor was littered with broken glass and shattered decorations. It was clear no one could live here anymore.
"Let's go. We'll find a hotel for now," Jack said, his voice tinged with irritation, as if all of this was Phoenix's fault.
Phoenix stayed silent, following him quietly, though her mind was in turmoil, waves of nausea hitting her. When they reached the hotel, Jack booked a luxury suite with a grand gesture. As soon as they entered, he eagerly moved closer to Phoenix, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist.
"Don't touch me!" Phoenix shoved him away, her voice dripping with disdain.
Jack's face darkened with anger at her reaction. "What kind of attitude is that? Don't forget, I'm the one paying for this room! I'm the one supporting you right now!"
Phoenix sneered, her tone mocking. "Supporting me? Jack, you're old and ugly, and you think you can take advantage of me? Disgusting!"
Jack was infuriated by her taunts. He grabbed her wrist and slammed her against the wall. "How dare you! You think you're any better? Scarlett, don't be ungrateful! Without me, you're nothing!"
Phoenix struggled desperately, but Jack's grip was too strong. She couldn't break free.
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
Jack ignored her, forcing a rough, violent kiss on her. Phoenix fought back with all her might, but in the end, he overpowered her. Silent tears streamed down her face, filled with humiliation and hatred.
Afterward, Jack lay on the bed, satisfied, soon snoring loudly. Phoenix sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes cold as she stared at him, gripping a fruit knife tightly, her mind racing with thoughts.
'Kill him, kill him!' The thought echoed in her mind, but reason told her that if she killed Jack, she wouldn't be able to escape the consequences. She took a deep breath and finally put the knife down, quietly getting dressed and heading to the bathroom.
She turned on the faucet, letting the hot water wash over her body, as if trying to scrub away every trace of Jack. She scrubbed her skin hard until it was red and sore, but the feeling of disgust remained.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
"Jack, just wait. One day, you'll pay for this," she whispered, her voice filled with venom.
However, Jack had discovered her secret—she wasn't really Scarlett.
But he didn't expose her. Instead, he enjoyed her young body. He didn't know who she was or why she was pretending to be Scarlett, but he didn't care.
As for the real Scarlett's whereabouts, he didn't care either.
No matter what, he and this woman were in the same boat. She couldn't hurt him.
So, she would never escape his grasp.
This woman was destined to be his plaything.
When he got bored, he could always play the victim and report her.
Phoenix didn't yet know Jack's malicious plans.
She stood in front of the mirror, staring at the face that wasn't hers—Scarlett's face.
If it weren't for this face, she wouldn't have been raped by that old man Jack.
She didn't want to live her life hiding behind this old woman's face, nor did she want to leave a criminal record because of this plan. She gritted her teeth, picked up her phone, and dialed a mysterious number only she knew.
"Kieran, I need your help," she said, her voice urgent and shaky. "I can't have a criminal record, and I can't keep living with this face. You have to help me reappear in public."
On the other end, Kieran chuckled lazily, his tone teasing. "Oh? What trouble have you gotten into this time? But you know, my help doesn't come cheap."
Phoenix took a deep breath, her voice tinged with desperation. "I'm willing to pay any price."
Kieran never wanted money.
Much of the money Phoenix spent came from Kieran.
He laughed softly, his voice low and cold. "Any price? Interesting. The price might be higher than you think."
Phoenix's heart tightened, but thinking of her situation, she forced herself to say, "I understand. As long as you help me, I'll accept any conditions."
"Alright," Kieran said nonchalantly, as if discussing something trivial. "I'll handle it. But you must follow my instructions to the letter."
After hanging up, Kieran set down his coffee and smirked.
He opened his computer and quickly pulled up information related to Phoenix's case.
First, he used his hacking skills to infiltrate the police's internal system, quietly erasing key evidence related to the case. Then, he contacted a few of his associates to create confusion during the police investigation, misleading their direction. To ensure everything went smoothly, Kieran even arranged for an accident. He had someone start a small fire in the police evidence room, destroying some of the evidence, including items that could incriminate Phoenix. The fire was staged to look like an electrical short circuit, and while the police were suspicious, they found no evidence of foul play.
As for the video, Kieran didn't overlook it. He used technical means to lower the video's resolution, making the crucial parts blurry and unusable as direct evidence. He also had his associates spread false information online, diverting public attention away from Phoenix.
After all this, the police couldn't find any substantial evidence against Phoenix. The only thing they had was the blurry video, which couldn't be used to convict her. Frustrated, the police had to temporarily shelve the case and continue investigating other suspects.
When Phoenix received Kieran's message, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of triumph. "Emma, you think you can defeat me? Dream on!"
The charge of attempted murder against Charles was dismissed.
She hadn't been prosecuted for the previous kidnapping case either.
All that was left was to publicly obtain Scarlett's forgiveness.
Then, she could return to Lakeside Haven.
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