Arabella made a quick assessment of her situation.
She had slipped out when the guards at the entrance were off guard, planning to find a nearby place to borrow a phone to call the police.
By turning in Elijah, she would sever all ties with him in the public eye, and once he was locked up, she could finally be free.
She had fled in such a hurry that she hadn't even put on her shoes. She ran barefoot on the concrete pavement, eyeing a man in a black suit standing at the bus stop ahead.
"Sir, could I borrow your cellphone? I need to call the police!" She ran towards him, ignoring her raw and bleeding feet.
"Oh?" The man turned his face. His handsome looks made it hard to distinguish whether he was masculine or feminine, yet he was utterly aloof. "You need to call the police?"
"Yes, I've found a fugitive. I need to report him!" Arabella nodded frantically.
With a cold smirk, the man suddenly covered Arabella's mouth with his gloved hand, dragging her back to the basement.
Oh no!
A chill ran down Arabella's spine as she realized this man was in cahoots with Elijah.
"Useless!" The man threw Arabella at Elijah. "You can't even keep an eye on your own girl! She nearly ran off to the cops!"
"Mister!" Elijah had been lounging on the bed, looking like a disheveled mess. He scrambled to his knees at the sight of the man.
But after seeing Arabella, he couldn’t help but slap her harshly. “You traitor! How dare you betray me?!"
Arabella curled up, shivering. She was too frightened to make a sound.
"Have you forgotten who bailed you out of jail?!" Elijah lunged at Arabella.
"Worthless!" The man kicked Elijah onto the ground. "You're supposed to be here on a mission, but instead, you're messing around with perfume making, and you've ruined your reputation!"
"It was her. She encouraged me to challenge Vivienne!" Elijah quickly pointed at Arabella, blaming everything on her.
"You lost your mind over a woman? And you still have the balls to speak?" The man's voice grew colder.
"Sir, I beg you to let me make amends!" Elijah pleaded while kowtowing. "I promise I'll get my hands on Vivienne's perfume formulas!"
"No need." The man was ruthless. "From now on, I'll take over. You'll do as I say."
"Yes, yes." Elijah crawled like a dog on the ground, not daring to resist.
The man's gaze suddenly turned to Arabella, who was huddled to one side. Arabella had overheard their conversation and was wondering what they wanted Vivienne's perfume formulas for when the man's icy voice fell on her ears. "Didn't you want to call the police?"
"No! No! I was wrong! I won't do it again! I won't call the police!" Arabella couldn't help but tremble.
"Don't be afraid; here's the phone. Go ahead and call the police." The man took out his phone and handed it to Arabella.
Arabella blankly took the phone.
...
Bay Estates.
Vivienne had been busy settling in Riley and Raymond this week.
Given the publicity surrounding Riley being Vivienne's apprentice and Vivienne's low-profile approach to her perfume business, many well-known brands had turned their attention to Riley.
However, since Raymond and Riley had little experience in this field, Vivienne, fearing they would be taken advantage of, had Matthew arrange for a legal aid to review their contracts.
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