Chapter 110

The script company owner forced a tight-lipped smile, his fingers nervously tapping the desk. "It's... complicated. Our production house hasn't secured many projects lately. The upfront payment is proving difficult."

Vivian's phone vibrated with a bank notification showing her modest balance. Most of her wealth was tied in long-term investments, leaving little liquid cash. Biting her lip, she quickly typed a message to Adrian on WhatsApp.

"Adrian, I've found an extraordinary screenplay. The writer demands sixty percent advance."

Within seconds, three dots appeared. "Amount?"

"Six hundred thousand sterling."

Vivian wasn't concerned about the inflated price. Her ambitions stretched far beyond petty cash transactions. Becoming Mrs. Blackwood was the real prize.

Meanwhile, Serena paced her penthouse, checking her watch every thirty seconds. Just as she decided to abandon the deal, her phone pinged with a contract attachment.

"Review and sign. Funds will transfer immediately upon execution," the producer's message read.

Serena scanned the digital document with lawyer-like precision. Satisfied, she scribbled her signature with a stylus. The payment notification arrived before she could lock her phone. Without hesitation, she forwarded the entire sum to Adrian's offshore account.

At Seabreeze Villa, Adrian frowned at his banking app. Two identical transactions appeared simultaneously - one outgoing, one incoming. His knuckles whitened as he gripped the phone.

"Odd coincidence," he muttered, though his instincts screamed otherwise. The timing was too perfect. Vivian pleading with doctors about medical bills hours ago, now suddenly possessing six hundred thousand sterling?

Ethan extended a cordless phone. "Perhaps you should inform Mrs. Blackwood about the transfer?"

Adrian's laugh held no humor. "Since when do I personally confirm six-figure transactions?" Billion-dollar deals rarely warranted his direct attention.

Yet his gaze kept returning to those mirrored transactions. The numbers taunted him, whispering of hidden connections between two women who should have no ties.

Ethan remained statue-still, the phone still offered like a peace offering. The grandfather clock's ticking filled the heavy silence.

Adrian's jaw tightened. Somewhere in these numbers lay a truth he couldn't yet see - a truth that might unravel everything.