Chapter 585: The Mysterious Woman

The woman lifted her chin. “Tell your men to leave. Is this how you deal with a woman? Hiding behind bodyguards? What I need to tell you is private. You know your father’s death wasn’t simple. I’m sure you’ve looked into it yourself.”

Blake fell silent for a moment. Then he waved his hand, and the men in black stepped back, leaving only one man standing behind him.

“He stays. I trust him,” Blake said. “Now talk.”

The woman slowly took off her sunglasses. When Blake looked at her, he didn’t recognize the face. But her eyes… there was something about her eyes. Something he’d seen before.

“Blake, it’s me. Ashley Evans,” she said calmly. “I used to be Ashley Scott… Bianca’s sister.”

She spoke like it was nothing, like she was talking about someone else’s life.

But her words hit Blake hard. His eyes widened in shock. He stared at her, unable to believe what he was hearing. The woman in front of him looked nothing like the Ashley he remembered.

“You…” he started, but the words caught in his throat. “You’re Ashley?”

“You’re surprised, aren’t you?” she said, almost smiling. “Six months ago, I went to Heliosara for plastic surgery and had my voice changed. As long as I stay quiet, no one can tell I’m the old Ashley.”

Ashley looked straight at Blake. “I did all of this to get revenge on Bianca and Dave.”

Blake swallowed, still trying to believe she had actually gone this far.

But it was real. She had done it.

This was the result of her talks with Rupert… and her final decision to leave her old life behind.

She was ready to live as Ashley Evans, starting over with a new face and a new name, just to get close enough to her enemies for revenge.

The pain from all those surgeries over the past six months had been unbearable, but she didn’t care. She had pushed through twenty operations, driven by nothing but hatred, until she became the woman standing here now.

“How do I look? Am I more beautiful now?” Ashley grinned at him.

Blake nodded. Ashley now had a high nose bridge and big, expressive eyes. Her features made her look like she came from a noble family. She looked completely different from before, but there was no doubt that she had become even more stunning.

"You just said you're Ashley Evans. What’s going on?" Blake was still unsure. He needed answers before working with her. "If you want us to work together, tell me your reason."

For a moment, Blake was caught off guard, but he quickly pulled himself together and gave a slight smile. Everything he had gone through taught him that no offer came without a hidden reason. He still didn’t understand why Ashley changed her last name to Evans.

"Because Peter Scott isn’t my real father. My biological father is Rupert Evans. I found out just months ago. My mom went crazy because of Dave and Bianca. She ended up losing her mind in prison. You already know I was sent to prison too. If you don’t believe me, feel free to look into it."

"You’re Rupert Evans’s daughter?" Blake asked, clearly surprised.

Ashley could tell what Blake was thinking, so she knew she had to gain his trust quickly.

"I'm Rupert’s illegitimate daughter. You’re one too, so I know you understand what that feels like. When I finally met my real father, I found out Dave had hurt him badly. If Dave and Bianca hadn’t gotten in the way, I would’ve met him much earlier. They tricked Lucas and caused my father, Rupert, to be locked up."

Blake narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "I’ll look into everything you said."

It felt like fate had played a cruel game. Two illegitimate children, both carrying similar scars, had finally crossed paths.

Her words hit Blake hard. They have the same enemies, Dave and Bianca. But unlike him, Ashley still had her father.

Blake slowly stood up and reached out his hand. “Let’s hope we can be good friends. After all, we have the same enemies.”

Ashley reached out and gave his hand a firm shake.

“Of course we can,” she said with a smile.

“And we’ll stand together as allies.”

“It can’t be a coincidence that you came to me today. If you’ve got something planned, why not share it with me?”

Blake squinted slightly. Ashley had said Rupert was locked up, which meant he couldn’t do much himself. Blake had just made a bold comeback and taken over the Lawson Group. That was likely why Ashley came to him, to finish what Rupert couldn’t.

“Or is there something you want me to do?” he asked bluntly.

Ashley smiled and walked around the table toward him. “Of course, I have a plan. You’ve probably heard that Universal Pictures is looking for a partner in Edenfield. Bianca’s been all over it, she even started preparing six months ago.”

Blake nodded, still a bit puzzled. “Yeah, I’ve heard. But they say the representative is very secretive. I’ve been trying to find out who it is myself.”

"You’re in luck. You don’t have to keep looking," Ashley said, pointing to herself. "Because the person you’re looking for is standing right in front of you."

Blake narrowed his eyes. "You?"

Ashley gave a cold smile. "I captured the real representative and had surgery to look like her. From now on, I’m Brenda McGee, the one in charge of the Universal Pictures project in Edenfield."

Blake stared at her, shocked. He looked her up and down. "Are you serious? You really pulled that off?"

"How else can we get close to our common enemy?" Ashley said as she lifted his chin with her hand. "But to make this identity more believable, I need the Lawson Group’s support."

Although Ashley’s touch made Blake a little uncomfortable, he quickly brushed it off and gave her a slight, polite smile.

“No worries, Ms. Brenda McGee. Welcome to Edenfield. The Lawson Group will work with you and support your efforts.”

“Thank you, Mr. Lawson,” Ashley replied.

Blake was already planning to hold a press conference soon. He wanted to help Ashley gain public support and solidify her new identity.

After Ashley left, Blake turned to his trusted assistant and said, “Keep everything that happened just now to yourself. For now, start spreading the word that the person in charge of the Universal Pictures project in Edenfield has arrived in Edenfield.”

"Understood! I’ll take care of it right away."