Chapter 1427:
“Yes, Mr. Riley.”
The subordinate withdrew quietly, leaving Collin alone in the vast, dimly lit living room.
He swirled the wine in his glass, watching the crimson liquid catch the light. His gaze was distant, his expression unreadable.
For reasons he could not quite name, unease tugged at the edges of his thoughts—a nagging sense that something about the situation was not right.
What he could not know was that Yana, at that very moment, was inside the headquarters of the Green Group.
After Collin’s merciless retaliation against Winslow, the humiliated man had phoned Yana in a rage, berating her and revealing the truth—that her scheme had already been exposed.
She had never imagined Linsey would have such formidable support. To discover that Linsey was under the protection of none other than Collin shook her to the core.
No wonder Gorman had insisted she move against Linsey. He hadn’t dared confront her directly because Collin was standing behind her.
Collin—whose father ran the Riley Group, Dustin’s close confidant, and a man whose reputation reverberated through their circle—was not someone anyone could easily provoke.
His presence was like that of a predator in the wild: dangerous, commanding, impossible to ignore. Whenever she crossed paths with him, she could only offer a cautious nod before retreating quickly, as if escaping the notice of a beast.
Now her plotting had unraveled. Winslow—his body battered and bloodied, glass shards lodged in his scalp—had given her up in a desperate attempt to save himself.
As the mastermind behind the scheme, Yana knew Collin would not let her walk away unscathed.
The image of having her skull smashed with a bottle, or suffering something even worse than Winslow, haunted her relentlessly.
She had only one option left: to throw herself at Gorman’s mercy, praying he would shield her from Collin’s wrath.
Her thoughts were still spinning when a knock sounded on the lounge door. Gorman’s assistant stepped inside with a courteous bow. “Ms. Gates, Mr. Green will see you now.”
“Alright.” Yana rose quickly, forcing composure into her steps as she followed.
Inside the office, Gorman stood tall before the floor-to-ceiling window, the glittering skyline stretching endlessly beyond. His back was rigid, his silhouette sharp, the glass reflecting the hard lines of his face—utterly devoid of emotion.
The assistant guided Yana in, bowing slightly. “Mr. Green, Ms. Gates has arrived.”
“You may go,” Gorman instructed, his tone cool and dismissive.
“Yes, sir.” The assistant exited, the door closing softly behind him.
Gorman remained perfectly still, staring out at the city as though its brilliance concealed all his secrets.
