Chapter 36: Desperate plea
"Erica?" Nicholas echoed with curiosity. "You mean Dylan’s cousin?"
"Yes," Ava confirmed with a nod. "She came to the office this morning and threatened me. She believes I am responsible for Gianna’s misery."
"I see. This is getting quite interesting." Nicholas’s face darkened with contemplation. The more he learned, the more confused he grew. He was unsure how Gianna’s alleged assault was connected to Ava, or if it was just someone else’s deliberate ploy to frame her.
Nicholas’s resolve hardened. He would get to the bottom of what really happened with Gianna and who was responsible for this. It was the only way to save Ava from public outrage.
"I’ll find out who is really responsible for this," he promised. His gaze held hers firmly, conveying the weight of his words. He believed whoever had been targeting Ava wouldn’t stop spreading lies about her. He had to stop it before it escalated further, putting Ava in more danger.
While Ava was talking to Nicholas, Dylan sat in the private room of the exclusive club, looking coldly at the five women kneeling before him. Their bodies trembled; heads bowed low.
His icy gaze swept over them. "Why did you attack my wife?" His cold and dangerous voice boomed inside the room, making the women tremble more and more. "Speak!" he barked, his patience wearing thin.
"Someone asked us to beat her," one of them said, the words tumbling out nervously.
Dylan stiffened in his place, his piercing glare cutting through them like ice. "Who told you to beat her up?" he demanded, his voice growing sharper.
The women exchanged nervous glances before looking back at him. "We don’t know her," one muttered. The others nodded quickly in agreement. "She was wearing a mask... we couldn’t see her face."
But then one of them added hesitantly, "She was wearing an expensive blue diamond bracelet. And... she carried a Hermes handbag."