Chapter 22
The voice of the staff at the Office of the Public Prosecutor pulled Janice back to the present. The officer in charge of processing the report observed the elegant yet cold woman before him as she gave a slight nod to confirm, “Yes. I have reason to suspect him of illegal business practices.”
Janice hadn’t forgotten what she was owed. The money for half the villa, seven years of blood and sweat–she was determined to make Simon cough up every bit of it.
She didn’t have direct evidence that some of the money
Simon’s bank account was her earnings, and Simon had always relied on
that fact, assuming she couldn’t take action against him. But he seemed to have forgotten where nearly every million–dollar investment she secured had come from.
Back when Simon was reveling in his newfound status as a big boss, he never questioned her explanations, simply believing the funds were investments or sponsorships she had procured.
What he didn’t know was that those amounts, credited to both his personal and company accounts, were her competition winnings. What if a financial investigation revealed these transactions, and Simon couldn’t provide a proper explanation?
Leaving the prosecutor’s office, Janice held her report slip up to the overcast sky. The streets of Greenfield City were still damp
the rain.
Her lips curved into a faint s
smile. Oh, and yes she had filed the report under her real name.
from
The night before the Fall Tournament, Janice, unable to settle her nerves, unframed her work and meticulously inspected every inch of it. Only after ensuring there were no flaws or inadequacies did she reassemble it and head to bed at 3:30 am.
The Fall Tournament for double–sided crochet was being held in Greenfield City the next day.
In order to promote this intricate crochet technique, the country organized quarterly competitions for double–sided crochet, while other crochet categories only held competitions once a year, typically by the New Year.
This meant that the winter winners of general crochet and double–side crochet would qualify to represent the country in the international competition early next year–the ultimate showdown.
For this Fall Tournament, several well–known companies, including Prosper Stitch Group, Refined Threads Co., and Melody & Loops Creations, were in attendance.
For years, Melody & Loops had dominated the top spots, while Prosper Stitch Group had been striving to break their hold. However, they had always been held back by their lack of mastery in double–sided crochet.
Janice knew several of Melody & Loops‘ top double–sided crochet seamstresses. As a child, she had visited them with her mother. Now, years later, they were competitors,
Inside the venue, Janice’s entrance caused quite a stir: first, due to her striking beauty–paired with an aura that matched Edward’s formidable presence–was hard to ignore. Second was because of her identity.
Whispers rippled through the crowd as people glanced at Simon, then turned their attention to Edward and Janice, greeting them enthusiastically.
“Mr. Moore, a pleasure to meet you.”
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