Third Person's POV
"Yes, Alpha Cliff." Beta Elliot said to Melinda, "Miss Coleman, please come with us."
Melinda was not afraid at all and followed him out.
As she was leaving, she glanced at Belinda lying on the ground.
Belinda understood the look in her eyes instantly—if she gave Melinda up now, both mother and daughter would be doomed; if she endured for a while, once Melinda became Mrs. Todd, she could hold her head high again!
With this thought, Belinda mustered her courage and looked at Cliff: "Alpha Cliff, everything I said is true. I did it all myself, no one ordered me!"
"Very good." Cliff sneered, "Lock her up. She can come out when she's ready to tell the truth."
"Yes!" Several bodyguards immediately stepped forward and grabbed Belinda's arms.
Although there was still fear in her eyes, with Melinda as her trump card, hope was rekindled.
After everyone had left, Cliff said to the bodyguard beside him, "Go investigate her background and personal information. Don't miss any details. Report to me as soon as you're done."
"Yes, Alpha Cliff."
The bodyguard also left the room.
Only Cliff was left in the office. He sat wearily in his chair, took out the only photo he had with Vanya from the drawer, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
It was taken the first time he accompanied Vanya shopping. While she was eating, he secretly snapped a selfie with his phone—the photo only showed half his face, while Vanya was looking down, eating a snack.
He had never told Vanya about this photo.
The moment he pressed the shutter, he was surprised himself—at that time, he clearly didn't like Vanya and was always cold and sarcastic toward her.
Cliff rubbed his brow and leaned back in his office chair.
Vanya... you're not dead, are you? Why won't you come back...
Dusk was falling, and the TV in the living room was broadcasting news about the Todd family president's wife being kidnapped and falling into the sea.
And the protagonist of the incident, Vanya, was sitting calmly on the sofa at that very moment, watching the news report.
Theodore placed a cup of medicine in front of her: "Your cold isn't better yet, and you're already running around?"
Vanya looked up at him, picked up the cup and held it in her hands: "It's been three days already. If I'd known, I wouldn't have chosen to fall into the sea. Making a fake video to fool Cliff would have been much easier."
At the time, she had made a deal with the kidnappers: as long as she faked her death, she would give them a hundred million dollars afterward.
The kidnappers were happy to make some extra money and agreed readily.
After falling into the water, she had planned to return by lifeboat, but Theodore and Derek suddenly appeared. She followed them to avoid the pursuing rescue team and went to Theodore's house first.
It all happened so suddenly; she hadn't expected Theodore to pinpoint her location so accurately.
Theodore said calmly, "Cliff has issued quite a few reward notices these past few days. Whoever finds you gets a ten million reward. Looks like he never believed you were dead."
Vanya drank the medicine in one gulp.
Cliff was deep and hard to read; she couldn't guess what he was thinking. But now that she had faked her death and escaped, their relationship was truly over—though it would still take some time.
Theodore added, "Think it through. Faking your death is only a temporary measure. Sooner or later, you'll have to return to the Todd family and settle things with him."
"Of course I've thought it through."
Vanya smiled, "Being Cliff's wife is too much trouble. It always gets in the way, and there are so many eyes watching me out there. To keep him from finding out, this was the only way. In a sense, those kidnappers actually helped me. I just haven't figured out yet who hired them."
Those three kidnappers were clearly professionals, at least the kind who did contract killings.
Not many people could get in touch with that sort of person; it definitely wouldn't be someone like Ginevra.
While Vanya was lost in thought, Theodore reached out and touched her forehead.
She was startled. Theodore said in a low voice, "Still a bit warm. Go get some rest. Let Derek handle the rest."
Vanya was silent for a moment, then asked, "You've been abroad for so many days. What were you doing?"
She knew Theodore's business was overseas.
According to the timeline from her previous life, Theodore and Cliff hadn't yet reached a standoff at this point.
But ever since she was reborn, everything had changed so quickly that she wasn't sure if things would unfold the same way as before.
Theodore looked at her serious expression, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. He reached out and tapped her forehead: "I went... to buy a gift."
Vanya didn't take Theodore's joke seriously, but the next morning, Los Angeles was rocked by shocking news: Old Mr. Winston had handed over all his businesses to Theodore, making him the head of the Winston family overnight.
Seeing this news, Vanya was stunned.
Old Mr. Winston was a shrewd and calculating man; he would never give up power for no reason.
Theodore must have done something to make him willing to hand over the vast Winston family.
The Winston family's status in Los Angeles was beyond question. Although they had faded from their peak in recent years, their influence was still considerable.
According to the timeline before her rebirth, Theodore would have to wait another three years before being recognized as the heir by Old Mr. Winston.
But after her rebirth, everything happened ahead of schedule—Theodore was not only recognized as the heir early, but now he also controlled all the Winston family businesses.
Vanya was a little shocked: this meant that the showdown between Theodore and Cliff had arrived much earlier than before.
And with the blow from the M Group, Cliff was probably no match for Theodore now.