Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Victor glanced at the faint dark circles under his eyes, barely noticeable. Disdain flickered in his gaze, but for Vivienne's sake, he softened his tone.

"Why are you panicking? As long as you stick to the story that Joseph Dyers committed harassment, I refuse to believe that little tramp can clear his name!" "But... what about the bribery accusations from before?" Phil Walker hesitated. If they were going to court, surely the opposition wouldn't stop at the toughest accusation.

Back in the day, Phil had done plenty to sabotage Joseph Dyers in his climb to power. If everything came to light, who would still trust his judgment?

Victor waved dismissively, unconcerned. "You took bribes? Do you think the people backing them didn't? She's just some village woman from nowhere-where would she get the power to bring you down?"

The implication lit up Phil Walker's face. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Exactly! Where would they get the capability unless her husband was helping? I know what to do now. Don't worry, this time, I won't let these bitches off easy!" Victor nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then get to it-and don't mess it up."

Elsa, Tina.

Did they really think handing over the formula would guarantee their safety? Just wait.

The real drama was yet to come.

Victor watched Phil Walker's eager departure, brushed the dust off his suit, and walked away.

No one noticed.

In the most secluded corner of the side hall, two people had been standing silently. Ella Bailey waited until the others were gone before stepping out of the shadows. She glanced in the direction Phil Walker had left, then looked at Victor's retreating figure.

Her expression was a mix of mockery and contemplation. "Tina must have some skills to push that old thing this far. Still, the old man's nothing but a useless fool!" Woods remained silent. Lately, Miss Bailey had grown increasingly unrestrained in her words.

She had just had a heated argument with Luke Gill earlier, and now she was ridiculing Victor behind his back.

It almost seemed like she was ready to openly declare her opposition to Victor.

Ella didn't expect Woods to respond. After venting, she remembered her purpose. "Did you find what I asked for?"

"Yes, Miss. Everything's on this flash drive," Woods said, instantly serious.

He handed over a sleek silver USB drive, which Ella Bailey toyed with for a moment before slipping it into her pocket.

"This should make things interesting. Tina better not disappoint me."novelbin

"Miss, do you want me to report this to Miss Reed?" Woods asked.

Ever since Ella had ordered him to secretly switch out the Dyer family's parents' ashes, Woods had stopped being surprised by anything she did.

After all, someone capable of sending her own grandmother's ashes to her father to provoke him was bound to be unpredictable.

Unaware of Woods' inner thoughts, Ella casually waved her hand. "No need. Tina must already know. We just need to handle our end and wait for her next move." She had other matters to attend to and couldn't risk exposing herself because of Tina.

Woods lowered his head. "Yes, Miss."

Their conversation remained a secret from everyone else.

Meanwhile, Phil Walker rushed out of the Bailey estate, jumped into his car, and immediately called Mrs. Ogden.

What they discussed, only the two of them knew.

By noon, the court session began.

Mrs. Ogden discreetly joined the jury as Dexter presented evidence piece by piece.

Phil Walker's side, however, seemed almost resigned. Their rebuttals were laughable at best, yet each one subtly steered the judge's attention elsewhere.

"The plaintiff's accusations are baseless. Back then, this young man lied himself. It's perfectly normal for my client to have made an error in judgment-it wasn't a deliberate act of retaliation against Joseph Dyers."

Dexter remained calm. He bent slightly and picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the table. "There's a difference between lying voluntarily and being coerced into lying. To frame Joseph Dyers, Phil Walker paid one thousand dollars and a year of college tuition to Milos Raonic, a poor student at the time, to accuse Dyers of accepting bribes."

"This is the receipt from back then. Take a look."

Though years had passed, Milos Raonic had always felt guilty toward Joseph Dyers and had carefully preserved the note Phil Walker had written as proof.

So even after all these years, the handwriting remained clear. And the court had no shortage of experts to verify it.

After a thorough comparison, it was confirmed without a doubt that the handwriting was Phil Walker's.

The presiding judge, clad in robes, looked sternly at Phil Walker. "The plaintiff's evidence is valid. Defendant, do you have anything to say in response?" "I object!"

Phil Walker hadn't expected Milos Raonic to keep such damning evidence.

His venomous glare swept toward Milos, but the man was no longer the vulnerable child he had once been. Milos met his gaze calmly, unyielding.

Phil Walker's lawyer, though not as skilled as Dexter, was still someone Victor had spent a fortune to hire. He quickly raised his hand. "Your Honor, handwriting can be forged. Without video evidence, how can you determine this was written by my client?"

Dexter smirked. "Do you think a child like Milos Raonic would have had access to an education official's handwriting to forge it accurately?"

"Or do you think someone among us could have obtained Phil Walker's handwriting for this purpose?"

The opposing lawyer faltered, momentarily speechless.

How could he answer? He knew Milos wouldn't have been able to forge the handwriting, but his job was to push for a second trial.

This uphill battle was proving to be a nightmare.

Suppressing a sigh, he maintained his composure. "Your Honor, the plaintiff lacks direct evidence that my client bribed the witness. I request a postponement for further deliberation."

When Tina received Dexter's call, she and Jared had just arrived at the hospital where Mrs. Ogden's daughter was staying.

Listening to Dexter's detailed account of the trial, Tina showed no surprise. "So the judge agreed to postpone the ruling?"

"

Dexter's voice was firm. "Yes. They claimed insufficient evidence. Phil Walker's team brought in former classmates of Milos Raonic, all of whom insisted that he had received special treatment from Mr. Dyers back then." "At this point, it's a stalemate."

Miss Tina, arm in arm with Jared, walked into the hospital. Her tone was calm. "Then we wait for the second trial. Keep an eye on things online too-Mrs. Ogden and her people won't give up so easily." The call was on speakerphone.

Elsa, who was teaching Sally math at the time, overheard the conversation. Lately, reporters had been swarming Sally's school, prompting Austin and his wife to pull her out temporarily and homeschool her.

Hearing Tina's words, Elsa handed the notebook to Austin and raised her voice. "Tina, do you think they'll try to manipulate public opinion again? Will they still use the harassment case as leverage?" Hayden, who had been hiding out in Tina's arranged villa to avoid Kelly, sat up from the couch at the mention of this.

"They might. It's their strongest card right now."