Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 34

Evan did not meet the standards, yet he got into that private hospital and even secured a spot to study abroad.

From what I understand, it takes at least three months to half a year to finalize the list for studying abroad and to handle the transition work. But Vance said that Evan's spot was confirmed six months ago.

Doesn't this mean that Clara had been plotting against me and my unborn child as early as six months ago?

Vance specifically reminded me, "Ms. Turner, Clara is so determined to go after you, it seems she won't let you go. I feel it's not just because of Lawrence, so you should think carefully about when you had any interactions with her that made her want to harm you."

"You also heard the conversation between Clara and Lawrence in the car that day. She is not the weaker party in the relationship. On the contrary, Lawrence was the one lowering himself to please her.

Someone like Clara wouldn't listen to Lawrence. She targeted you several times, and I am more inclined to believe that she was the one who made Lawrence take action.

That day, she was manipulating Lawrence to act against you, using both soft and hard tactics.

Now, you not only have to guard against Lawrence, but Clara, the hidden viper, might be even more dangerous. So I suggest you deal with this trouble as soon as possible."

I tried hard to recall the face of Clara that Vance had shown me.

I am very sure that before that rear-end car accident, I had never met Clara.

Why is she so against me, wishing for my death?

Clearly, the only connection between us is Lawrence.

"Don't say you're confused; I'm even more puzzled. I also want to know what's going on, so please help me investigate why Clara is targeting me."

"Okay! By the way, I found out that Lawrence took over the Turner Group. The Turner Group's main businesses are building materials and hotels. Why would Lawrence want to start a tech company? It doesn't make sense, right? Ms. Turner, did you have any doubts at the time, or did you not know about the existence of this company?"

I smirked self-deprecatingly, "Of course I knew. Not only did I know, but I also had the same doubts as you. I asked him about it. He had a high school friend who was doing research in that field. His friend had the technology but lacked funding. He also had the future prospects evaluated, and it seemed promising, so I believed him at the time."

Vance didn't say anything sarcastic, perhaps because he had seen too many foolish women in his line of work.

He continued to ask, "What happened next? If the prospects were so great, did they make any money?"

I smiled bitterly, "No, at first he would often update me on the progress, but then, at some point, he started coming home very late and looking exhausted.

I noticed something was wrong and asked him about it. He told me that a member of his friend's team had run off with the technology. He was recruiting new people and working with colleagues and friends to solve the technical problems. He also contacted many people in the industry for help, but the funding was draining fast. He even sought out many business partners, which led to him drinking and entertaining clients every day."

I genuinely wanted to help him at the time and even suggested, "Maybe we should just let it go. He didn't need to work so hard. At worst, we could consider the money lost as a lesson learned."

But Lawrence was very stubborn then. He looked at me and said, "Melinda, I want to give you a better life and prove that I can achieve something beyond the Turner Group. Just promise me you won't blame me if this company goes bankrupt."

I didn't think anything was wrong at the time; I was just moved and promised not to blame him.

Later, Lawrence started leaving early and coming home late even more frequently. He would come back drunk every time, and one day he ended up in the hospital with a perforated stomach.

"Don't laugh at me, but when I saw him like that, I immediately withdrew some of my investments to help cover the funding gap."

Vance was silent for a moment, then said, "So, you gave him the money, and he took it?"

Thinking about my foolishness at the time, I wanted to slap myself, "No. But I said if he didn't accept it, I would be angry. He was 'forced' to take the money and promised to give me all the dividends once the company made money."

I even foolishly glared at him, "I'm not after your money; I'm just worried you'll drink yourself sick and make me worry."

"Vance, am I a fool? Lawrence probably thinks so." I smiled bitterly.

Vance, however, comforted me, "The fault is not with you. Some men are just deceitful. You are just too kind and naive. But don't be sad about the past. From what you just said, I think I found a breakthrough in my investigation."

Hearing this, I perked up. Indeed, now is not the time for me to be sad.

"What do you mean?" I asked urgently.

Vance organized his thoughts and replied, "As you said, Lawrence invested a lot of money in this tech company initially, so he was unwilling to give up halfway. But technical research requires a lot of funding and professionals to determine what is necessary and what is not.

So, even if we investigate, it's usually hard to find anything. This means there is a lot of room for manipulation, including the million dollars you transferred to him, which likely ended up in Lawrence's pocket."

Hearing Vance's analysis, I clenched my fists, my forehead veins bulging with anger.

However, I couldn't let my anger affect Vance.

"Then please investigate this matter," I said, holding back my anger.

"Okay!"

Lawrence really had a good plan. From the moment he started the company, he probably anticipated that I would transfer money to him later. It was a trap set for me from the beginning.

I felt so sorry for him back then. Did he think I was a fool? He must have been very pleased with himself, thinking it was so easy to deceive me.

Just thinking about it made my heart ache.

"By the way, is he still making you drink those supplements?" Vance asked again.

I initially came to Vance for this matter and almost forgot about it due to my emotions. "Yes! And now, instead of just in the morning, he gives me a cup in the morning and evening, watching me drink it before he leaves."

"Ms. Turner!"

Vance's voice suddenly became more serious, "It seems Lawrence is getting desperate. You need to be more careful. I didn't want to upset you earlier, but the test results you sent me last time, I had a professional friend look at them. That soup indeed has a problem."

As I suspected, "Is it poisonous? What kind of poison?"

"In small doses, it's not considered poison. However, it's a foreign medication used to treat neurological issues. If used in the doses Lawrence is giving you, it can cause significant nerve damage. This medication is usually not prescribed unless absolutely necessary due to its severe side effects."

My head felt like it was exploding.