As the call connected, William asked urgently, “Any progress?”

“We’ve fully restored it. The deleted footage clearly shows Miss Joy handing her bank card to Director Logan,” came the response, causing William’s eyes to brighten and his steps to become lighter.

Meanwhile, Jason stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, smoking. After Tyler finished updating him on Evelyn’s condition, he cautiously added, “I’ve checked; Mrs. Stark and William are truly just acquaintances. William is usually very prudent. When he learned about Mrs. Stark’s situation, he went to great lengths to leverage his connections. I really don’t understand it.”

“Men have only one kind of interest in women,” Jason scoffed. “I wonder how Mr. Leighton will feel once he learns about Evelyn and my relationship.”

“To help Mrs. Stark, William spent a fortune bringing in a data recovery team from the Capital city. Unfortunately, their speed still lagged behind ours by half an hour.”

“Everyone says Mr. Leighton is in his thirties, low-key, self-disciplined, and not easily swayed by emotions,” Jason exhaled a smoke ring slowly. “I’d like to gamble—will Mr. Leighton abandon his established rules for a woman?”

“Betting on Mrs. Stark?” As soon as the words left Tyler's mouth, he realized he had said something inappropriate and quickly covered his lips.

“Don’t forget, Evelyn is the woman who first plotted against me in marriage and only then became Mrs. Stark,” Jason's eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness. “In the past two years, the Stark Group has lost several major deals to SinoContinental. I’m curious to see how the calm and collected Mr. Leighton balances his career with his feelings for a woman.”

“What if William only sees it as a fling and decides to withdraw once he learns you’re married to her?”

“Then the game will have to end prematurely. However, based on my understanding of William, the odds of that happening are zero.” Jason spoke confidently.

Tyler finally understood, “I see. You’ve prepared for both scenarios. If William doesn’t act, you’ll still have me submit the restored footage to clear Mrs. Stark’s name. You’re giving him the opportunity now.”

Feeling a bit fatigued, Jason raised his hand to signal Tyler to leave.

Before Tyler exited, he remembered something. “Miss Brooks formally completed her discharge paperwork this morning and has called me over a dozen times, saying she knows she did wrong and wants to return to work.”

“She’s always complained about poor sleep. Let her take a month to rest at home; work can wait,” Jason replied, a hint of undisguised disdain in his eyes. “The matter of her publicly accusing Evelyn must be thoroughly investigated to see if John colluded with Cecilia.”

“We’re already looking into it; results should come in three to five days,” Tyler replied before bowing and leaving.

Jason quietly surveyed the scenery below, and Evelyn's image intruded uninvited.

Smiling, radiant, angry, aggrieved... they all lingered in his mind, refusing to dissipate.

When he decided to use Evelyn to scheme against William, he had hesitated, feeling a twinge of reluctance in his heart. That reluctance filled him with anxiety because he feared that losing control over it might lead to his ruin.

Evelyn was Victor’s pawn against him. He could sleep with her and have her bear his children, but he must never fall in love with her.

He never expected that fate would make a better arrangement, with William—who had always been at odds with him in business—voluntarily entering the fray.

With Evelyn's charm, she was sure to capture William’s heart. As long as he could hold onto his marriage with her, he would be the one in control.

It was supposed to be a sure-win game, yet his feelings were a tangled mess.

An ash from his cigarette fell onto his fingers, burning. Strangely, the searing pain didn’t compare to the turmoil in his heart.

His gaze sharpened, and he whispered four words to himself, “Once decided, I will not regret.”

When Evelyn woke up, the nurse was administering another IV drip, claiming it would replenish her nutrition and energy. Lying on the hospital bed, her mind felt foggy. By the time she had calmed her emotions and began to think rationally, night had fallen outside.

She no longer held any illusions about Jason and actively sought ways to save herself. The recording that had been in her favorites was now missing, and there was only one possibility: after her phone was confiscated, someone had cracked her password, seen her message to Jason, and deleted the recording. The person who reported her publicly was clearly intent on seeing her ruined.

Who would hate her this much?

The first name that came to mind was naturally Cecilia. Grace would rather harm her own grandchild than allow her to give birth to Jason's child, making her a prime suspect.

Her thoughts drifted to Lycheeville. Victor was still foolishly hoping to use her to secure more investments from the Stark Group. At this moment, he wouldn't risk doing anything against her.

Cecilia, Grace—these two names felt like daggers, twisting through her heart and flesh.

This unjust grievance ultimately connected back to Jason. The two most likely suspects were his long-time mistress and his own mother!

With Jason’s intelligence, how could he not know?

Had it really been almost a day? Surely Jason must have seen her message on WhatsApp by now?

It couldn’t be!

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, she began to laugh in despair. But as her laughter faded, tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking her pillow.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Two police officers entered, bringing her the release paperwork. The girl who had been watching over Evelyn in the hospital was even happier to hear the news than Evelyn was, eagerly handing her a pen.

“Miss Joy, someone has restored all the footage from the day John was bribed. You can clearly see you handing your bank card to Logan. You’re in the clear now; you should be able to go back to work tomorrow!”

Evelyn thought she must have heard wrong, but the document in front of her confirmed it in black and white. She quickly signed the papers and got out of bed.

“Who restored the deleted video?” she asked, desperate to prove to herself that Jason still cared for her.

“The person who helped you is waiting outside. You’ll see them as soon as you step out,” one of the staff members said.

Another employee placed her confiscated phone and bag on the table. “Miss Joy, please check your belongings. If everything’s okay, we can leave.”

Evelyn grabbed her phone and, without even looking at her bag, said it was fine. After the three of them left, Evelyn stepped out of the hospital room, straightened her clothes, and smoothed her messy hair.

Then she felt it wasn’t quite right and pulled out a compact mirror from her bag to apply a layer of foundation and a touch of pink lip gloss. She didn’t want to leave a shabby impression on Jason.

But when she opened the door, she was taken aback by the sight of William’s gentle face!

“Evelyn,” William said, his expression filled with joy as he rushed over.

Evelyn looked around but didn’t see Jason’s figure. Disappointment flickered across her face as she glanced back at William. “Mr. Leighton, It was you who helped me.”