Chapter 247: She Had Already Left, but I Invited Her Back

Pauline Shaw watched for a moment, her doubts completely dispelled.

Gordon Dawson put a hand on her shoulder. "Alright, you should hurry and leave. Beverly Lynch will be here any minute. It would be awkward for you to be here when things get messy."

Pauline Shaw nodded. She picked up her car keys to leave, but then she paused.

"You... as soon as Jay is in the room, have someone knock on the door immediately." Thinking about what was about to happen, Pauline Shaw’s palms grew clammy.

"If Beverly Lynch loses it, help hold her back. Don’t let it blow up. I’m sure Beverly doesn’t want to be embarrassed, either. Anyway... just calm her down and get the project back. And remember, whatever you do, don’t ruin Jay’s reputation!"

Gordon Dawson saw her internal struggle and sneered silently to himself.

’Sometimes, he felt Pauline Shaw was too sheltered. She was naive to the point of being foolish.’

’Does she really think tonight is just a little slap on the wrist? A way to put Jane Lancaster in her place and win Beverly Lynch’s trust, with no serious consequences?’

’How could that be possible?’

"Alright, don’t worry. I don’t want to blow this up, either. I just want to get the project back from Beverly Lynch," Gordon Dawson said, his voice gentle. "Go on, hurry."

As soon as Pauline Shaw left, his expression turned sinister.

He glanced at Jane Lancaster’s back, clenching his fists to suppress his excitement.

’Just a little longer,’ he thought, ’just a little longer, and I can claim my prize.’

—

’Now that the moment was here, Pauline Shaw had thought she’d be calm. But instead of the satisfaction of sweet revenge, she only felt an endless, gnawing guilt and a creeping fear.’

’What if Shawn Sutton forces himself on her... No, no, he wouldn’t.’

’Jane Lancaster is so fierce. If she’s not willing, what man could possibly force her?’

’What if they actually get drunk and do something... No, no, it won’t come to that.’

’Gordon Dawson’s men are watching the room. The moment they’re both inside, they’ll pretend to deliver fruit and knock on the door. There won’t be time for anything to happen.’

She pushed aside her scattered thoughts and hurried to leave, when a figure suddenly appeared before her.

"Miss Shaw, I’ve been waiting for you."

Pauline Shaw was startled and took a few wary steps back. "Who are you..."

The next second, a pair of hands appeared from behind, clamping down on her arms. She opened her mouth to scream, but the person in front of her quickly moved forward and covered her mouth.

The two of them worked in perfect concert, their movements fluid and so fast that they didn’t alert anyone.

—

The night was deep. Beverly Lynch walked hurriedly into the courtyard.

The scent of alcohol drifted through the air, and she faintly heard a startled cry from somewhere.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps in that direction.

It seemed some drunk had accidentally fallen into the decorative pond while wandering through the courtyard.

It was late at night, and the temperature on the mountain was low. A fall into the pond at this time would probably sober anyone up from the cold alone.

Seeing that a waiter had spotted the drunk in the pond, she didn’t bother getting involved and prepared to leave.

But a dozen seconds later, she stopped abruptly and walked back toward the decorative pond.

—

DING. The elevator doors opened.

The hallway was dimly lit and silent, without a soul in sight.

Perhaps because she was on edge, Jane Lancaster felt her heart beating a little too fast, and her head was heavy and dizzy.

She hurriedly took out her key card and opened the door. Before she could even turn on the lights, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

There was someone on the bed.

—

Gordon Dawson watched her enter the room with his own eyes, then waited a few more minutes.

’This is no time to be hasty,’ he thought. ’Good things come to those who wait.’

After a little while, he shot to his feet and silently made his way up the fire escape stairs.

He didn’t call Beverly Lynch as he had agreed with Pauline Shaw. Instead, he walked over quickly, took out a key card, and opened the door.

The room was pitch-black. Someone was lying on the bed. He smiled silently.

’Why did Pauline Shaw think he was so eager to help her plot and scheme? For personal gain, of course.’

’Was it enough to just have Jane Lancaster and Shawn Sutton discovered having an affair here?’

’Since Jane Lancaster dared to seduce him, she had to pay the price.’

’Did she think he would give up just because she was with Jasper Sterling? So naive. Men are driven by the desire to conquer. By taking her, not only would he be cuckolding Caleb Lowell, but he would also be cuckolding Jasper Sterling. What an accomplishment that would be.’

’Of course, the key card he’d had delivered to Shawn Sutton wasn’t for Jane Lancaster’s room. It was for a room he’d pulled all his strings to get privately.’

’He had put an aphrodisiac in both drinks, but he’d also added a sedative to Shawn Sutton’s. By now, Shawn was probably fast asleep in that other room.’

’When the other guy woke up, he would find himself in Jane Lancaster’s bed, and the manor’s surveillance system would just happen to be "broken" during that time.’

’Then, he would lure Beverly Lynch over to catch the "cheaters," and Shawn Sutton would be unable to defend himself.’

’As for Jane Lancaster, what could she do even if she knew it was him? She might even beg him to keep quiet to hide it from Jasper Sterling.’

Gordon Dawson quickly took off his jacket and tore off his tie.

The person on the bed seemed to be trembling slightly. ’The drug must be taking effect.’

He groped his way over, ready to enjoy his prize.

...

When he kissed the tears on the woman’s face, he froze for a second. ’Why does this feel... familiar?’

The next second, a whooshing sound cut through the air behind him, and a heavy blow landed on his back.

Gordon Dawson’s heart sank. ’There’s a third person in the room!’

He didn’t know where things had gone wrong, but he quickly realized this was bad. He snatched his clothes and tried to run.

The person behind him gave chase, landing several more blows.

Just as he was about to touch the doorknob, the lights suddenly blazed on, so bright he had to shut his eyes.

"It really is you." The voice was familiar, but at this moment, it was like a clap of thunder that shattered his soul.

He slowly turned his head to look at the two people in the room. The one wildly chasing him with a steel pipe was Jane Lancaster; standing by the bed was Pauline Shaw, who should have left long ago.

She was looking at him with tears streaming down her face, her expression a mixture of pain, shock, and utter disappointment.

Gordon Dawson clenched his fists, staring at Pauline Shaw in disbelief. "You fucking tricked me?"

Just then, the door opened, and Jasper Sterling walked in with several bodyguards.

"She didn’t trick you. She had already left, but I invited her back."

—

Jasper Sterling had been on edge all evening, feeling as if something was about to happen.

In the evening, when Will reported that Jane Lancaster had asked him to find some people and bring them over, he knew something was wrong and rushed to the manor.

He didn’t alert anyone upon arrival. Instead, he had his men intercept Pauline Shaw, forcibly bringing her into a room under the guise of an escort.

This room happened to be right next to Jane Lancaster’s.

The rooms at the manor all had spacious terraces; with a simple plank, one could easily climb from one to the next.

On this late night, he "asked" this Ms. Shaw to trouble herself with climbing over into Jane Lancaster’s room from the terrace.

Pauline Shaw was completely unwilling to climb, but this man was like a devil, having his bodyguards constantly pressure her until she had no choice but to scramble across for dear life.

At first, she thought he was just toying with her. But when Jane Lancaster entered the room, a terrifying suspicion began to form in her mind.

When Gordon Dawson came in, she knew it was him from the sound of his footsteps.

Her suspicion was confirmed. A searing pain tore through her heart, and tears streamed down her face.