Chapter 153
Thalia opened the driver’s door, sat down, fastened her seatbelt, and made a call.
“I need you to check the business records of Ashcroft Group,” she said, her slender, pale fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. Her eyes were cold. “Also, find me a reliable private investigator. I want to investigate Drake Ashcroft.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After hanging up, Thalia tossed her phone onto the passenger seat, pressed the accelerator, and drove away. Dusk was falling, and the city lights were beginning to illuminate the streets. It was rush hour, and the roads were hopelessly congested. Her black Rolls-Royce Phantom was trapped in an endless queue of traffic. The gridlock was irritating and frustrating.
Just then, her phone rang. Thalia picked it up and glanced at the screen. It was Asher. After their breakup, Thalia had kept Asher’s number, though it hadn’t appeared in her call history for quite some time. She initially hesitated to answer, but then thought he might be calling about Lucy. After a moment, she answered.
Her tone was cold and distant. “Hello, what is it?”
“The police just called to say they’re discussing a plan with Russian authorities to rescue Lucy,” Asher said.
Thalia’s heart skipped a beat; her breathing quickened. “Do they think they can succeed?”
Asher paused. His cool voice came through the phone. “On that point, the police couldn’t give any guarantees.”
Thalia understood this well, but with her sister’s life at stake, she couldn’t help but ask. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Is there anything else?”
Asher hesitated, his voice slightly hoarse. “Lia, L…”
Sensing that what Asher was about to say had nothing to do with Lucy, Thalia interrupted, “If there’s nothing urgent, I’m going to hang up.”
“Wait,” Asher quickly said. “Lia, I’m sorry about what my grandmother said to you at our house earlier. I apologize on her behalf. I really am sorry.”
Thalia remained silent, looking up through the windscreen at the endless queue of traffic, her gaze unfocused. To say she hadn’t been affected by Lady Blackwood’s words would be a lie she wouldn’t believe herself. The person on the other end of the line also fell silent, seemingly waiting for her response. The air felt stifling. Thalia lowered the window slightly to improve the circulation. The cold wind rushed in, finally allowing her constricted chest to breathe normally.
After a moment, Thalia heard herself speak in a deliberately casual, indifferent tone. “No need. It’s not as if I ever wanted to marry you anyway.”
With that, not waiting for Asher’s response, she hung up. He didn’t call back.
By the time she reached the Winters estate, it was nine in the evening. Randolph was at the hospital with Victoria, and Lucy was gone. The grand Winters mansion felt cold and empty. The Rolls-Royce Phantom entered the underground garage. After parking, Thalia took her keys and rode the lift to the first floor. The live-in housekeeper was mopping the floor in the living room. Seeing Thalia return, she smiled warmly. “Good evening, Miss Thalia. Would you like something to eat?”
Thalia nodded and, thinking of Victoria in the hospital, asked, “Has Victoria had dinner? Is someone looking after her meals?”
The housekeeper replied, “Yes, Mr. Winters arranged for a cook at the hospital to prepare proper meals.”
“I see.” Thalia turned to go upstairs. “You should get some rest too.”
Back in her room, Thalia stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, allowing her mind to empty itself for a while. Thinking about her sister’s current situation, she felt a heavy ache in her heart. Asher had said the police were formulating a plan to rescue Lucy. She wanted to call and ask about the progress but, looking at the time, she restrained herself. The police would likely be off duty and resting by now.
After letting her mind wander for a while, something suddenly occurred to Thalia. She opened a storage box. Inside was a drawing. Thalia’s eyes flashed with pain as her trembling hand reached for the picture. Lucy had drawn it—a picture showing their happy family of four: Randolph and Victoria on either side, with Thalia and Lucy in the middle, all holding hands, harmonious and happy. Thalia’s slender, pale fingers gently brushed over the drawing, her fingertips lingering on Lucy’s figure. Almost instantly, Thalia’s eyelashes glistened with tears. “Lucy… sister…” A tear fell, landing on the drawing. Lucy had given this picture to Thalia shortly after she’d returned from Manchester. At that time, Thalia had been aloof towards her clingy little sister. But Lucy hadn’t been deterred by her attitude. Instead, she’d become increasingly attached, increasingly obedient and considerate. Her sister was the most well-behaved, adorable, and thoughtful child in the world. Thalia’s eyes were damp, her eyelids reddened. During the day at the Blackwood residence, she had strictly controlled her emotions. Now, at home, she no longer needed to maintain that restraint. Waves of pain shot through her heart; tears fell uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string. Thalia covered her face with both hands, lowering her head in anguish. “Lucy…”
After his call with Grace, Drake realized he had been used and had nearly indirectly caused Thalia’s death. He was filled with regret, pain, and self-reproach. He called Thalia several times, but she didn’t answer a single call. Sienna noticed his depressed mood and approached to comfort him, only to be pushed away.
In Drake’s office, Sienna fell to the floor, her gaze fixed on a spot on the ground, a cold light flashing in her eyes. Thalia Winters, you forced me to do this.
That evening, Sienna logged into her TikTok account and started a livestream. Sienna had previously posted videos of herself playing the piano on TikTok, gathering quite a following. By the time she returned to Britain, her account already had over a million followers. Recently, she had gained even more followers by posting a series of “CEO Boyfriend POV” and “Day in the Life of a CEO’s Girlfriend” TikToks. In her recent videos, she frequently showed glimpses of Drake’s luxury cars, his mansion, corners of his expensive bespoke suits, his well-defined hands, or his tall, straight silhouette from behind. Meanwhile, she always showed her face on camera, wearing meticulously applied makeup, dressed in luxury brands, carrying designer handbags—the complete image of a wealthy socialite. Netizens were obsessed. Whenever she posted a video, her comments section would explode with messages such as:
“The way I just GASPED. The wealth gap is real, bestie?” “My phone watching me watch people who can afford Hermès: ???” “No because WHY am I watching this while eating beans on toast?” “My toxic trait is thinking this could be me someday” “The algorithm is just bullying me at this point” “This is my villain origin story fr” “Living vicariously through you because my bank account could never” “Alexa, how to manifest a CEO boyfriend overnight” “Sorry, I think you’ve got my life by mistake. I’d like it back please x” “Your boyfriend’s HANDS?? Ma’am I’m on my knees” “Just a day in the life of the girl I wanted to be when I was 7?” “Your life is literally my dream scenario in the notes app” “Relationship goals! You two are MADE for each other?” “Does your boyfriend have a brother/cousin/friend who’s single? Asking for me actually”
Similar comments were endless, with each video flaunting her love life and luxury lifestyle receiving hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of likes and comments. Sienna loved the feeling of being admired. Every time she read the comments, her vanity was immensely satisfied. By latching onto Drake Ashcroft and showing off their relationship and wealth, her follower count had surpassed five million.
Tonight, within five minutes of starting her livestream, there were already over ten thousand viewers in her chatroom. In the livestream, Sienna appeared with perfect makeup, crying beautifully. The chat immediately flooded with concerned messages: “OMG WHAT’S WRONG” “Why are you crying queen?” “Who hurt you? I just wanna talk?” “Someone’s getting cancelled today”
Sienna gently bit her lower lip, her innocent and pitiful eyes looking into the camera. “Good evening, everyone. I’ve been struggling lately because there’s been a problem in my relationship with Mr. Ashcroft…”
“Someone’s been trying to come between us…”