Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Ella Bailey shook off Luke Gill's hand and casually picked a seat to sit down. Legs crossed, she exuded a commanding queen-like aura, as though she wasn't here to visit a patient but to pick a fight.

With Luke Gill mediating for her, Victor uncharacteristically refrained from saying much. He merely gave Ella a disappointed look, as though scolding her silently: "Look at you! You've been married to Luke for so long, yet you haven't learned a thing about dealing with people. How on earth can I trust the Bailey family to you in the future?"

"If you don't trust me, then don't hand it over," Ella replied nonchalantly, though she sensed Luke's warning glance.

She smirked, quickly changing the topic before Victor could blow up. "I heard about today's trial results. Phil Walker's lawyer has already requested a deferred verdict. Dad, is the person you found to help him even reliable? I heard Elsa's side is using a renowned international case expert. Can Phil's lawyer handle this?"

Victor snorted coldly. "Does it matter whether they're reliable or not? We don't need to win right now. It's all about strategy. As long as Tina and her people are utterly disgraced before the next court date, who's going to believe them anymore?"

Vivienne leaned on Victor's shoulder, her gaze sharp and probing as she asked, "Ella, since when did you start caring about my brother's affairs?"

Ella instantly caught the hint of suspicion in Vivienne's tone. Her expression turned icy as she met Vivienne's gaze. "Didn't you say you wanted me to care more about your family? What now? I'm showing concern, and you're still not happy? Vivienne, you've got all the angles covered-no matter what I do, you'll find a way to tattle to my dad."

Vivienne stammered, "Victor, I...I didn't mean that. I was just curious, that's all..."

Luke Gill's eyes flashed coldly. "Ella is just curious too. After all, she's never gotten along with Elsa. If Phil Walker can put Elsa in her place this time, that's a win for everyone."

"Besides," he added, "defeating Elsa is as good as defeating Tina. It'll make it easier for us to deal with the Langdon family."novelbin

He turned his head, deliberately avoiding Vivienne's gaze. "Dad, Ella may be straightforward, but she does care about the Bailey family. After all, she's done so much already. No one wants to see all our plans go to waste, right?" Luke, as usual, had a silver tongue. Even Vivienne's sharp tongue couldn't compete with his.

Kelly, on the other hand, wanted to argue, but her mother quickly stopped her with a slap on the arm. Talking too much would only make things worse.

Luke Gill, with his eloquence and sharp mind, was far more dangerous than Ella Bailey's straightforwardness. He was someone to tread carefully around.

Victor was visibly pleased with Luke's words and didn't hesitate to share his plans with Ella. "There's no need to hide anything. Just take a look online-you'll see for yourself. No one's an old fool anymore. Tina knows how to use public opinion to her advantage, but do you think Mrs. Ogden and her people can't?"

Ella Bailey couldn't explain why, but she had a bad feeling about this.

She glanced at Woods, whose icy expression betrayed no emotion-except for the subtle worry only she could discern.

Without wasting a moment, Ella pulled out her phone, trying to appear curious as she unlocked it. The flood of notifications hit her immediately.

Her high-performance phone grew slightly warm as it struggled to keep up. After a brief lag, she finally opened the app.

The trial had only just ended, yet the case had already skyrocketed to the top of the trending topics. Alongside it were posts of Mrs. Ogden publicly supporting Phil Walker while subtly accusing Tina's team of bribing the judge.

The posts alleged abuse of power, claiming that Tina had coerced witnesses from years ago to fabricate evidence on her behalf.

Every word seemed so convincing, as though Mrs. Ogden had witnessed it all firsthand. She even used her real ID to report the matter, employing some clever tricks that actually managed to convince people. Comments flooded in:

> "I knew it! Who dares to sue the education department without being well-prepared?"

> "Isn't this just like what happened before? But who the hell is this Tina? Never heard of her."

> "You don't know her?! She's the future Mrs. Farrell! A super hacker, a fashion design master-she wears so many hats. Who knows what other secrets she's hiding?"

> "Honestly, someone this talented can't be ordinary. There's no way."

> "People who pull strings like this need to rot! Mr. Walker works so hard for justice, and this is how they treat him? If they're innocent, why not show some proof?!"

Ella's temples throbbed as she read the absurd comments. She paused for a moment before forcing herself to speak under Victor's smug gaze. "That Mrs. Ogden sure knows how to talk."

It was clear Mrs. Ogden hadn't said much, but one line-"The judge is close to Tina's people, and that witness from back then is now reportedly living in poverty"-was enough to plant seeds of doubt in everyone's minds. Some even tagged the local court in their posts, demanding an official explanation.

Victor was practically glowing with pride. Clearing his throat, he said, "I personally had her trained. Just wait-within two days, Tina and Elsa's reputations will be in shreds! Once it's proven that they abused their power and fabricated evidence, even if they win the case, no one will believe them."

Ella tapped her manicured fingers against her skin. "But... wouldn't the court clarifying things from the start put all these rumors to rest?"

"Ella, that's where you're mistaken," Luke said, clearly enjoying Tina's predicament.

He chuckled as he explained, "The internet loves conspiracy theories. As long as we stir the pot a little, even lies can become truth."

"The next step is to find the person testifying for Tina's side. Once we get them to recant, everything will fall into place." "Is that so?" Ella sneered, unimpressed.

What were they so smug about? Did they really think their amateur tactics could outsmart Tina?

Without missing a beat, she discreetly signaled Woods, who silently retreated and headed to a quiet corner to call Tina.

At that moment, Tina was lounging in her villa, scrolling through the increasingly aggressive comments online.

When she received the call, she quickly reassured Woods before hanging up.

Jared, noticing her engrossed expression, handed her a glass of water. "Tina, why are you so absorbed in those hateful comments? You've been staring at them for an hour."

Half-draped over Jared's body, Tina finally put down her phone. She playfully tapped his chin with her finger. "Uncle, are you even jealous of online comments now? Such a jealous man!"

Jared raised an eyebrow and tightened his hold on her. "If you know I'm jealous, shouldn't you behave yourself?"

He lightly pinched her delicate nose, the affectionate gesture making Hayden, the eternal bachelor, roll his eyes. "Serena, can you two tone it down? I can't take this anymore." Nathan kicked him. "What's a husky like you complaining about?"

"Don't bring that up, or we're done being friends," Hayden shot back with a deadpan look. "And for the record, we're in a new department now. That husky nickname is outdated!" Tina, now sitting upright, glanced at him mischievously. "I think 'husky' suits you. Anyway, Elsa, you'd better stay indoors for the next few days. I'll have food delivered to you."