He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 281

A vicious glint flashed in Lydia's eyes as she ended the call.

Director Vance was still standing on a foreign street, eagerly awaiting the money she had promised. Instead, what arrived was a bullet. Panic instantly erupted on the street.

Guns weren't heavily restricted in this country, and public shootings were tragically common.

He clutched his chest and collapsed, absolute shock frozen in his eyes as he died.

He had thought he was fleeing to a paradise where he could spend the rest of his life rolling in cash. He never expected to be executed the moment he touched down.

Lydia's phone buzzed again. This time, it was a young man's voice on the line.

"It's handled. You have no loose ends left."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Is 'thank you' all I get? Lydia, I told you I'd do whatever you asked, but don't you think it's time you threw me a bone?"

Lydia knew this man was dangerous and hard to shake. She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow night. I'll text you the hotel room number."

The man chuckled, taking a deep, satisfied inhale. "Perfect."

After hanging up, Lydia was in a spectacular mood.

With Beatrice dead, Juniper had to be completely shattered, right?

But this was only the beginning. She had sworn she would drag every single person Juniper cared about down to hell with her.

She clenched her fists, her eyes brimming with pure malice.

*

Lydia had been spending a lot of time at the auction house lately. Between the auction house and her own studio, her schedule was packed to the brim. She was desperately trying to drown herself in work so she wouldn't have time to think about anything else.

After finishing appraisals on another massive batch of goods, she slumped exhaustedly into a chair.

Considering her past charity toward Juniper, Mirabelle was absolutely confident she couldn't refuse.

But Juniper had entirely stopped caring about social pleasantries. Her tone was completely flat. "Mrs. Thorne, I've already paid back every cent the Thorne family gave me. Find someone else. I'm busy. Excuse me."

Mirabelle's face turned ugly. She never expected Juniper to reject her so bluntly.

But Mirabelle wasn't the type to throw a tantrum in public. She sighed. "Alright, if you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll find someone else."

Juniper didn't bother offering a polite goodbye. She didn't even acknowledge the statement.

Leaving the auction house, Mirabelle pressed her lips into a tight line of fury. Her bodyguard leaned in and muttered, "That girl really doesn't know her place. If the other top masters hadn't already been booked solid, we would have never sought her out."

Mirabelle climbed into her car and massaged her temples. "Whatever. Girls raised in slums always have a twisted sense of pride. My original plan was to bring her on board and casually mention the charity we provided. It would have shown everyone that the Thorne family has a generous philanthropic wing."

"But ma'am, Miss Lydia has been incredibly upset lately because of her."

Mirabelle smiled thinly. "Exactly. No matter how spoiled my daughter might act, it is certainly not Juniper's place to bully her. I'll teach her some manners soon enough. Right now, the priority is Margot Harrington's birthday. I heard the old lady adores jadeite. The best piece from the last auction was snapped up by Yvonne Saint. Anything better than that won't ever see the public market. We just have to hope these rough stones yield something spectacular to win the old lady over."