Chapter 12
After figuring things out, Ashley stayed in her car all night. Around 8 or 9 in the morning, her face darkened when she finally saw what she wanted. “Yasmine… It was your doing all along.”
Ashley quickly took out her phone to film a video.
After testing all night, she confirmed Yasmine couldn’t capture anything with the flash on through glass. That was why she stayed outside Rose Villa until morning. Without solid proof, Yasmine’s claims were just empty words nobody would believe.
After Hayden gently escorted Yasmine into the car, Ashley stopped recording. Without delay, she drove straight to Zimmerman Group headquarters.
“Ms. Webster, Mr. Zimmerman’s in a meeting.” Truman stepped in her way with a blank expression.
Ashley raised her phone. “I have information about Yasmine’s whereabouts.”
Truman hesitated before reaching out, “Ms. Webster, I need to confirm this information.”
Ashley had expected Truman’s suspicion. She handed over her phone willingly, showing an edited video where she’d blurred Hayden’s face.
Three minutes later, she stood before Sebastian. He stood by the floor–to–ceiling window, a cigarette between his fingers. Through the hazy smoke, he studied Ashley with an inscrutable expression. “Your terms?” he asked.
His cold indifference hurt. “Sebastian, must we talk like this? I’ve already explained everything. Mandy even invited me to have dinner. Why won’t you forgive me?”
Sebastian stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze never leaving her.
His hawk–like eyes seemed to peer into her soul, making Ashley uneasy. She bit her lip. “I want the Maregem Group jewelry
endorsement.”
Maregem Group had recently announced their jewelry endorsement campaign, attracting top celebrities. Ashley wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip away.
Rumors claimed Maregem Group was backed by top capital from Hulasria. She wanted to leverage this opportunity to break into their inner circle and rub shoulders with the elite.
The Zimmerman family had maintained project collaborations with Maregem Group for years. When the Zimmermans faced a crisis three years ago, Maregem Group even stepped in to help them overcome it.
Sebastian thought for a second, and then nodded and reached out his hand.
“Add me on WhatsApp first. I’ll send it through the app,” Ashley pressed.
Sebastian called Truman over to help. Ashley tried to get Truman’s contact. Truman smiled politely, “Ms. Webster, I don’t use WhatsApp.
+15
Ashley suddenly felt like powerless. It was as if someone was jabbing her spine with a soft–bladed knife, and it really got under her skin, hurting deep inside. But there was nothing she could do.
After Truman helped Sebastian accept her friend request, she sent the complete video. “Yasmine’s living at Rose Villa right now,” she said. She paused for effect, and then added, “With a guy.”
That night, after finishing the Tieline Design project, Yasmine was driven home by Hayden. She leaned back in her seat, exhaustion forcing her eyes shut.
Hayden was driving and said, “Yasmine, you didn’t need to push yourself so hard. Tieline Design’s been falling apart under Bruce for two years. Some problems are just too deep to fix fast.”
He added, “The family tried to help over the past two years, but you know how Bruce uses that shield of his. We couldn’t get involved.
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