"What is going on, Ivy?" Zack stared at Ivy in disbelief.
Ivy shook her head, her lips quivering as she struggled to find the words to explain herself. But Zack didn’t wait for her response. His attention snapped to the officer. "Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? Ivy would never hurt anyone."
The officer’s expression remained stern and unwavering. "We have proof. She hired goons to kidnap Miss Isabella Dawn. She, along with the Hill family’s butler, was involved in the kidnapping and the shootout in the countryside two months ago."
Ivy’s face turned ghostly pale. She had believed this dark Chapter of her life was buried, never to be unearthed again. But now, it had resurfaced with a vengeance, threatening to destroy everything she had built.
Zack’s eyes darkened with fury as the truth hit him. "Kidnapping Bella?" he hissed, turning his dangerous glare at Ivy. "Because of your jealousy? I can’t believe you would do something so vile."
Disgust twisted in his gut as memories from the past flooded his mind. The loathing he felt for Ivy intensified, recalling how her actions had led to Rose’s misunderstanding and the terrible car crash that followed. And now, she had turned her malice toward Bella—just because she resembled Rose.
He inhaled deeply, struggling to keep his emotions in check. His voice was cold as ice when he finally spoke. "Officer, take her away."
"No!" Ivy screamed, her panic exploding as she rushed toward Zack. She clasped his hand tightly with desperation. "I didn’t do anything, Zack!"
Zack’s face remained hard as he felt a wave of disgust and anger. The more she pleaded, the more distant he became his resolve solidifying as he turned away from the woman who had once been his fiancée, now nothing more than a stranger caught in a web of her own making.
"Please, you have to believe me," Ivy continued to plead. "Someone is framing me. The Hill Group is being targeted, and now this accusation... It’s all part of a plan to destroy us. You have to believe me!"
Despite his wavering faith, Zack couldn’t ignore Ivy’s words or the dire situation facing the Hills. Could someone really be targeting the Hill family? And if so, why?
Just as he began to contemplate this, the officer’s chilling announcement shattered his thoughts. "Your partner in crime is dead," the officer stated coldly. "We have his call records and bank transaction details, all pointing to your involvement, Miss Ivy Hill."
Ivy stumbled back. Her heart sank as the realization settled in—her grip on Zack’s hand loosened, and the blood drained from her face, leaving her ashen. The butler was dead. The revelation left her reeling, her defenses crumbling.
But the officer wasn’t done. "The shooter you hired to eliminate the gang leader has already confessed," he continued with finality. "You have no choice but to admit your crime."
A heavy silence fell over the room, the atmosphere thick with shock and disbelief. Ivy staggered, her legs trembling beneath her. In the next moment, she collapsed to the floor, her eyes vacant and hollow.
Panic gripped her as she tried to process how everything had unraveled so quickly. She had been so careful, so meticulous in covering her tracks—how had the police uncovered her involvement?
Just then, a commanding voice echoed through the room, slicing through the tension. "Not only that, but she also leaked the designs."
All eyes turned toward the entrance, where Willow stood, her presence commanding the attention of everyone in the room. Bella and the rest of the team followed closely behind her, their expressions a mix of resolve and indignation.
Ivy’s heart raced with dread, her mind spinning. ’How did she find out so soon?’ she thought in a panic. It felt as though fate itself had turned against her, conspiring to reveal every dark secret she had tried to bury. Her world, once so carefully controlled, was unraveling before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Zack’s scowl deepened as the realization struck him. "Ivy leaked the designs!"
"Yes," Willow confirmed calmly but resolutely. She handed him her phone, displaying the evidence. "This is the surveillance footage from the café where she met with Trina."
Zack scrutinized the footage, his expression darkening when he saw Ivy sitting with Trina Young. The betrayal was evident, captured clearly on the screen.
"Zack, please listen to me!" Ivy’s voice trembled with desperation as she scooted toward him, clutching at his leg in a frantic attempt to salvage what was left of her crumbling world. "This is all a setup. Why would I leak the designs? This is our project—your project!"
Willow’s voice cut through Ivy’s pleas with icy finality. "Trina has already confessed. She revealed that you were the one who handed her the designs. Don’t worry—she’ll face the consequences too."
Ivy shook her head furiously, the desperation in her voice rising as she tried to cling to the last threads of her deception. "No, Zack, you have to believe me. I’m your fiancée... Don’t trust what they are saying! Remember my father helped you once. You can’t abandon me when I need you."
Zack’s patience snapped, his fury boiling over. "You vicious woman," he barked, kicking her away from him in disgust. "Are you seriously claiming that all this evidence is just a fabrication?"
"They’re trying to ruin me," Ivy insisted stubbornly, refusing to accept her crime.
Bella, who had remained silent until now, could no longer hold back. The sight of Ivy’s continued denial, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, ignited a fire within her. "Enough is enough, Ivy!" she roared, stepping forward with righteous anger blazing in her eyes.
"You’re exposed. Your lies and manipulations are out in the open for everyone to see. Olivia, your so-called trusted ally, sold you out. She told me everything about how you plotted against me, how you tried to make my life a living hell at work."
As she spoke, Bella pulled out her phone and played a recording, Olivia’s voice spilling Ivy’s secrets without hesitation. The room filled with the cold, hard truth of Ivy’s treachery.
Ivy’s face twisted with fury, her fists clenching tightly. Inside, her thoughts seethed with rage. ’That traitor! She went straight to Bella as soon as I kicked her out,’ she fumed silently. ’I’ll kill her for this.’
But her fury did nothing to change the reality that had descended upon her like a crushing weight. Her once well-constructed façade had been shattered, and all that was left was the ruin of her schemes, laid bare for everyone to see.
"Ivy, you crazy woman," Zack snarled as his fingers tightened around her throat, squeezing with a fury that left Ivy gasping for breath.
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