Chapter 1516

Lily discovered her phone had been hacked. Alexander, who had previously installed an anti-hacking system (complete with a siren alarm), had been teased by Lily for being overly cautious. After all, as a perfumer, she hadn't imagined anyone would want to eavesdrop on her calls; she had no secrets to hide. Now, however, she acknowledged his foresight.

After ending the call, she stared thoughtfully at her phone. "If I've been hacked, my conversations with Dominic and Alex might have leaked. I can't wait for trouble; I'll take the offensive." Lily turned her car around, obtained a new phone and number, and called Alexander. He didn't answer, but she assumed he screened unknown calls and proceeded to the research institute.

"Since I can't do this secretly, I'll do it openly. If I can't sneak in, I'll use the front door. No matter what secrets they're hiding or traps they've set, I doubt they'd dare do anything to me in broad daylight in Kingsland!" She messaged Dominic, informing him of her visit to the laboratory and assuring him she'd be at his place that evening. This served as a silent alarm; if she didn't arrive, he should call the police. She left a similar voice message for Alexander, adding she'd see him tomorrow.

With her bodyguards, Lily headed to the institute. The journey was short, but standing at the gate, she sighed. The place, where she'd once worked for months, had become so dangerous that extra precautions were necessary. Knowing the passcode had changed, she knocked.

A man peered out, frowning at her reappearance. "Do you have business here?"

"I do," Lily replied. "My belongings are still in the lab, and I need to retrieve them. Please let me in."

Before the guard could respond, she interrupted, "If you can't decide, inform someone and have the person in charge speak with me."

He remained silent, closing the gate. Lily waited patiently. If Thompson was still there, she could contact him directly; Austin's current status was unknown. Aside from former colleagues, she was unsure whom to approach. "Mike would stop me. Rhea Moore...?" Just then, the gate swung open wider.

"Go in!"

As Lily and her men approached, the guard stopped them. "Mrs. Russell, you may enter, but not them!"

Her bodyguards moved to protect her, but the guard stood firm. "Not everyone can enter the research institute. Mrs. Russell, you worked here. I hope you understand."