Chapter 939 Vincent Had Already Figured Out Lily
Lily had planned to use the assault to her advantage, hoping media coverage would paint the Cunningham Group as thugs. Instead, her scheme backfired spectacularly.
Now the press was convinced Jasmine had attacked her for seducing Ethan.
"When did I ever seduce Ethan?" she fumed silently, grinding her teeth in frustration. The worst part was she couldn't even defend herself.
She hadn't anticipated Jasmine's lightning-quick response.
As reporters continued hounding her with questions, Lily's face darkened. She hurried away from the venue, her composure crumbling.
From a secluded corner, Vincent watched her hasty retreat with a satisfied smirk.
"Lily's a clever woman," Jasmine remarked, appearing beside him. "She won't abandon her partnership with the Murray family. You should remain vigilant."
"Of course she won't give up on Beck..." Vincent's smile widened. "She's like a leech—she won't stop until she's drained every last drop of value from the Murrays. But I suspect her real agenda is getting Beck to eliminate the Powell family. Only then can she truly escape being someone else's pawn."
Vincent had Lily figured out completely. When masters played against each other, every move was potentially lethal.
"Lily has shrewd backers, and if Beck helps her, he'll face consequences too. Either way, we come out ahead," Vincent reassured Jasmine.
"Beck is clinging to the Cunningham family. Nolan's disappearance has Lily's fingerprints all over it," Jasmine's eyes flashed with anger.
She never imagined Lily would become this person. Had she known, she would never have helped her.
"Don't worry too much. Ethan and your brothers aren't fools," Vincent teased, leaning against the wall. "If Ethan were really that stupid, you should divorce him and marry me instead."
"If you didn't speak, I might mistake you for being mute," Jasmine glared at him before walking away.
Vincent straightened up as his assistant approached.
"You were right, sir. Beck has been helping Lily against the Powell family behind the scenes," the assistant whispered.
"Leak some information to the Powells. Tell them Lily's ambitions are growing—that she and Beck plan to swallow them whole." Vincent smiled. Sowing discord was his specialty.
"Yes, Mr. Hamilton."
At Capital Hospital, Amelia was sleeping soundly. Since giving birth, she'd done little else—waking only to eat before drifting off again.
Cordelia watched her sleeping form and sighed. "I was worried about explaining Nolan's absence when she woke up. Thankfully, that hasn't been an issue."
When Jasmine arrived, Amelia was still deep in slumber.
"The baby's perfectly healthy," Cordelia said, her eyes welling up. "But Nolan..."
"He'll be fine. He's the brains of the family," Jasmine lied, trying to sound convincing.
Cordelia gave her a skeptical look. "If that were true, I wouldn't be this worried."
"I suspect there's more to this situation than meets the eye. Everyone in Silverlight City is watching us closely. Perhaps there are secrets they can't share with us yet," Jasmine speculated.
Vincent's comments had made her suspicious. Nolan had navigated the business world for years—he wouldn't be careless enough to get kidnapped just because his wife was in labor.
The Cunningham Group's power base remained strong in Muskow despite their strategic shift. Kidnapping and killing Nolan there seemed improbable.
Jasmine wondered if Nolan was deliberately trying to draw out the black market kingpin—the shadowy figure who had been supporting the Cunningham family while using them to smuggle contraband.
In an abandoned warehouse in Muskow, Nolan sat bound to a chair, studying his captors. They were desperate men, willing to do anything for money.
The Murray family had hired local thugs who valued cash over conscience. When Nolan mentioned his family's wealth, their greed had immediately taken over.
"Have you prepared the five million dollars? If we don't see the money in ten minutes, we'll kill him," one kidnapper threatened Edward over the phone.
Nolan had given them Edward's number, confident his brother would track him down.
He knew these were just hired kidnappers, and suspected the black market boss wouldn't want him dead. When his scheduled meeting had been downgraded to just an assistant, Nolan decided to stall the kidnappers to see if the black market operatives would rescue him.
"The money's in your account. I need confirmation Nolan is alive," Edward demanded.
"He's alive," the leader held the phone to Nolan's mouth. "Speak."
"I'm alive for now. Have you located me?" Nolan asked in the Silverlight City dialect.
"Soon," Edward replied calmly.
Nolan felt exasperated—he was the one facing death, after all.
"They paid the ransom. Are we still killing him?" one kidnapper asked their leader.
"Of course. Leave no witnesses," the leader decided.
Just as he aimed his gun at Nolan, several black sedans crashed through the warehouse doors. Nolan broke free from his restraints and took cover.
A gunfight erupted. The amateur kidnappers were no match for the professional mercenaries who had arrived.
A man in an impeccable black suit stepped out of one vehicle, his commanding presence filling the space.
"Mr. Cunningham, you're safe now," he announced. "Having you taken on our turf is a disgrace to our boss."
Nolan stood up. "I want to meet him."
"I apologize, but our boss says the time isn't right. Your wife has given birth to a beautiful daughter. You should return home promptly."
Nolan frowned, unsettled by how much they knew about his personal life.
"Who is he?" Nolan demanded.
"All will be revealed when the time is right," the man replied before returning to his vehicle. The entire team departed quickly.
Nolan cursed, picked up a phone from the ground, and called Edward. "Were you waiting for me to die before coming?"
"Patience. Ethan and the police are on their way. I'm following these mysterious rescuers. I intend to discover who this black market kingpin really is," Edward explained.
"There's only one reason he wouldn't show himself—he must be someone we know well. He's hidden in plain sight all this time... but who?" Nolan wondered aloud.
"I'll find out soon enough," Edward replied before hanging up to continue his pursuit.
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