Chapter 137: Whereabouts Unknown

“Enough,” Raylee interrupted, her tone ice-cold. “No need to make yourself sound so noble. Do you really think I can’t see that you’ve been using me? A pawn. That’s all I am to you. A pawn with just enough value left to squeeze out, something to generate profits for the Goodridge family. Whether I live or die doesn’t actually matter, does it?”

Harriet’s eyes instantly welled with tears. “Ray—Ray, how can you say that? We’re mother and daughter… I never thought you’d see me this way.”

“Isn’t that the truth!” Raylee’s gaze was devoid of warmth as she looked at her.

Waverly stepped forward, unable to stay silent. “Raylee, Mom raised you for eighteen years. Even if she wasn’t perfect, she still endured a lot for you! How can you judge her so harshly!”

“Shut your mouth,” Raylee snapped. “It’s not your turn to speak.”

Samuel let out a frustrated sigh. “Raylee, I’m the one who made the mistake. I’m the one who wronged you. But do you have to lash out at everyone around you?”

Before Raylee could respond, Harriet’s phone suddenly rang. She picked up, and as she listened, her expression changed drastically.

“Ray—Ray,” Harriet’s voice was filled with urgency. “Ms. Layla couldn’t reach you—she was nearly frantic with worry! She said Jeremiah was deceived and lured to Musmeynia. His whereabouts are currently unknown.”

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Raylee was momentarily stunned. The son of the Lorimer family—the one who ruled the Jexburgh social circle—was tricked into going to Musmeynia? What kind of absurdity was this?

Just like in the East Aplothian region, Musmeynia was a haven for criminals. Lawless, chaotic, filled with every kind of scum imaginable. The underworld business there was thriving.

Given Jeremiah’s status, he should’ve had the resources to survive in such a place. In fact, he might have even owned property there. So what did they mean by “deceived”?

Everyone in the hospital room turned their gazes toward Raylee, confusion evident on their faces.

Kaylee frowned, irritation flashing in her eyes. “Why are you all looking at me like that?” she snapped. “I’m not the one who tricked him into going there.”

Casimir quickly turned to Harriet. “Mrs. Goodridge, what exactly is going on? Did Ms. Layla say anything else?”

Farmer’s voice turned serious. “Ray—Ray, call Ms. Layla and find out the details. You’re still engaged to Jeremiah. You can’t ignore something that concerns his life and death.”

Jeremiah was the son-in-law she had her sights set on. He hadn’t yet brought any benefits to the Goodridge family—so nothing could be allowed to happen to him.

Haylor, left with no other choice, temporarily set aside her grudges. She took Harriet’s phone and dialed Layla.

On the other end, Layla was frantically trying to arrange reinforcements. The moment she picked up, her voice was filled with anxiety. She summarized the situation in the shortest time possible before hanging up abruptly.

Ryder scanned the faces around her. A chilling aura surrounded her as she asked coldly, “Did the two of you leak Jeremiah’s…” Her sharp gaze honed onto Casimir and Samuel.

Gaumur looked utterly baffled. “He was tricked into going to Musmeynia. Does this have something to do with those…”

“Layla said the evidence landed in the hands of the Musmeynia Allied Forces. They connected the dots and uncovered an old…”

Raylee explained, her expression still…

Finished.

“Heh… What do they call this? If you play with fire, you’re bound to get burned. His retribution finally caught up to him—not that it wouldn’t, just that the timing hadn’t been right,” Samuel remarked with a faint smile. “Perfect. Now missing, you don’t have to marry him either. Two birds, one stone.”

Raylee’s glare was ice-cold as she stared Samuel down. “Did you leak the evidence?” she demanded. “Only you and Casimir saw that flash drive. It had to be one of you—or both of you working together!”

“I didn’t. I looked at it once. That’s it. I never even made a backup,” Casimir denied firmly.

“Then it was you!” Raylee turned her accusation on Samuel.

“It wasn’t me! But…” Samuel hesitated.

“But what?” Kaylee pressed, growing impatient. “Spit it out!”

“After I went through it that day, I uploaded part of it to the cloud. It’s possible that’s how it got stolen?” Samuel admitted, his brow furrowing.

“So it was you! You almost got both Jeremiah and me ruined!” Raylee snapped, her expression deadly serious.

That day, she had confronted Jeremiah to settle the score, warning him repeatedly—if he dared to be ben ngain, she’d expose every shred of evidence to both domestic and international media.

Judging from Layla’s tone earlier, she’d already assumed Raylee was the one who leaked the… the… eth… and she became the scapegoat for Samuel’s carelessness.

This whole situation had turned into a mess. If something happened to Jeremiah, it wouldn’t just be Layla coming after her; the entire Lorimer family would never let her off.

“Ray—Ray, what are you talking about?” Casimir asked, confused. “Jeremiah got caught, but how does that involve you?”