Chapter 196
Seeing Marina hurry off, the employee asked respectfully, “Ms. Finley, where are you going?”
As Marina walked out, she pulled out her phone and quickly texted the buyer of the house. At the same time, she replied, need to check something. You all keep working.”
The employee nodded and walked over to the elevator, pressing the down button for her.
The elevator doors opened, and Marina walked in.
At that moment, Zoe was inside the elevator, about to step out, holding Lavern’s laptop.
Spotting Marina at the door, Zoe handed the laptop to her and said, “Ms. Finley, this is Lavern’s laptop”
Marina glanced down at the edge of the laptop, a flicker of suspicion crossing her face.
This wasn’t Lavern’s laptop at all. It was the one she used back at Ross Group.
It had been bumped before, so the edge was a little damaged.
She paused, opened the laptop for a quick check, then handed it to Zoe and said, “Put this one together with the computer we took from Lavern’s office. Let Zamora Group’s tech team check if there’s any hidden software.”
If Lavern gave up my laptop, then his must be stashed somewhere else, Marina thought.
She glanced at her phone. There was still no reply from the villa’s current owner.
At the same time, Daron’s phone rang.
He answered, his eyes cold and distant. The caller didn’t waste any time and said, “Mr. Zamora, Ms. Finley asked if she could check the villa for something she might’ve left.”
Daron’s frown deepened as he said, “Tell her there’s nothing left. Everything’s been cleared out.”
Then he cut the call without another word.
Marina waited in the elevator for a while. When the owner still hadn’t replied, she wanted to call him.
Before she could dial, a message popped up on her screen.
It was from the owner.
David: [Sorry, Ms. Finley. You know we renovated the villa right after taking over, so we tossed everything that was left inside. We reached out to you back then. Don’t you remember?]
Hearing this, Marina pressed her brow.
David had indeed reached out to her back then.
She’d already decided to sell off her shares in Ross Group, so she’d told him to treat everything she’d left behind at the villa
as trash.
She was convinced she could stay in Vrufield, never needing to return to Sicester or Ross Group. But fate had other ideas.
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Chapter 196
She quickly typed out a message.
20 vouchers
Marina: [Sorry for the trouble, David. Didn’t you mention you wanted to keep the books and the setup in the study upstairs? The thing I’m looking for is actually in that room. Would you mind letting me in just this once so I can check?]
David didn’t reply immediately.
Marina kept checking her phone, waiting for any sign of a message.
The elevator reached the underground garage. Just as she was about to get in her car, her phone finally lit up with a message.
David: [Ms. Finley, you already sold us the villa. And you said you didn’t want any of the stuff left behind. There’s no undo button in real life. Sorry, but I can’t let you in.]
Marina stared at his reply for a long moment, feeling heavy.
Honestly, she had no one to blame but herself.
It was only normal that David didn’t want her back in the villa.
Still, the villa was being renovated. With all those workers in and out for the renovations, there was really only one reason he’d say no.
Guess he was just afraid she’d regret it and come back for those books she’d left.
Marina messaged again, promising she wouldn’t touch any of the books she’d already agreed to leave behind.
David’s reply this time was brutally short. [No.]
He turned her down flat, even though Marina had been as polite as possible.
Marina sat in her car and sighed softly, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on her.
She didn’t start the engine and head for the villa until after dark.
Marina had lived here for ages, so the guards at the gate recognized her right away.
She had no trouble driving straight into the community.
She parked right outside the villa, where there was a sign indicating that it was under renovation, and no entry was allowed.
Marina punched in the old code she used back when she lived here, holding her breath as she hit the unlock button.
As expected, it didn’t work.
She pressed her lips together, her eyes landing on the big tree by the corner of the wall, which was her only shot at getting inside now.
She couldn’t help but feel happy she’d fought to keep that tree when the property management wanted it gone.
If she hadn’t, she’d have no way to sneak into the villa tonight.
She wasn’t exactly the athletic type. She hardly ever climbed trees or did any real exercise. After several failed attempts, she finally managed to clamber up.
From where she stayed, the wall looked impossibly high.
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Chapter 196
She’d already kicked off her high heels to make climbing easier.
There was a layer of sharp little stones scattered at the base of the wall.
Marina paused, thinking, ‘If I just jump down, those stones are definitely going to stab right into my feet.
So she carefully made her way along the wall toward the spot where she’d planted a few saplings back when she lived here.
They probably couldn’t support her weight, but at least they might break her fall a little so she wouldn’t end up hurting
herself.
Marina was carefully inching her way toward the other side of the wall. Suddenly, she heard the villa’s front door open.
She froze in place, her heart skipping a beat.
‘It’s already past midnight. Why is David here at this hour?‘ she thought, panic rising.
Marina just felt very embarrassed, instinctively hugging the wall for dear life, praying David wouldn’t catch her in the act. At the same time, she knew she really ought to just own up and apologize.
She had no other choice left. Sneaking into the villa was her last desperate move.
Marina was frantically trying to figure out how she’d face David when the footsteps got closer and closer.
Finally, it stopped right at the base of the wall where she was hiding.
The person didn’t say a word.
Marina could sense a cold, cutting stare fixed right on her.
She felt so helpless she could almost cry.
She took a deep breath and lifted her head. She was ready to face David, admit her mistake, and plead with him once more to let her inside,
“David…” Marina started, but the word caught in her throat.
Her gaze landed on the man stepping in from the front gate, and her eyes went wide with shock.
“You…”
She was so stunned, she completely forgot she was still sprawled awkwardly across the narrow wall.
The instant she raised her hand, she lost her balance and toppled straight toward the ground.
Dar
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
