CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 323: VERA HANSEN’S RECORDED CONFESSION OF HIRING A HIT ON SERENA STERLING

Serena Sterling held tightly onto Seraphina’s hand.

Having Seraphina was her lifelong fortune.

The three of them left the baking class together.

In the distance, Julian Lawson watched their family of three from his car.

His phone displayed a message from the caregiver sent earlier.

Although the caregiver had messaged a few people, it seemed there was more hope placed on Julian Lawson.

So, she sent extra messages to Julian Lawson, with more detailed hints.

Julian Lawson gripped his phone tightly.

Vera Hansen, what else are you hiding from him?

...

That night, Serena Sterling couldn’t sleep at all.

She only managed to nap a bit when dawn broke and she could no longer resist the fatigue.

Time slowly passed.

Soon, it would be time to meet with the caregiver.

Upon arriving at the café, Serena Sterling and Silas Hawthorne didn’t expect to see Julian Lawson there.

Serena Sterling pursed her lips, said nothing, then withdrew her gaze and looked at the fully disguised woman beside them.

"Follow me," the caregiver said stealthily, her eyes darting around to ensure no one was watching, and she led the way into a private room.

Serena Sterling and Silas Hawthorne exchanged a glance, then followed the caregiver.

Julian Lawson watched the tacit understanding between the two, the darkness in his eyes deepening.

Under Jude Chaucer’s prompting, he followed them into the private room.

Once everyone had arrived, the caregiver closed the door and removed her mask.

"Speak up," Serena Sterling said, looking at the caregiver.

She was wary.

This person was, after all, close to Vera Hansen and might be deceitful.

The caregiver didn’t speak immediately, instead she looked at the four people present.

"Show your sincerity first," the caregiver said.

Serena Sterling and Silas Hawthorne placed the prepared documents on the table.

Julian Lawson gestured with his hand, and Jude Chaucer also handed over their documents.

The caregiver quickly grabbed them and started reading.

She soon finished reading all three, her eyes gleaming.

Serena Sterling watched the caregiver calmly, and when the caregiver finished reading, Serena Sterling said, "Since you’ve seen them, you should also present your evidence."

The caregiver put away the documents, steadied herself, then took her phone, opened the recording app.

Before pressing play, she said, "I have one more request."

"Speak," Silas Hawthorne responded.

"I need you to escort me safely back to Cygnus," the caregiver said.

Serena Sterling frowned, giving the caregiver a deep look.

The caregiver understood Serena Sterling’s doubts and pressed play, saying, "You’ll understand my concerns once you listen."

Everyone shifted their gaze to the phone on the table.

These are edited, highlighting only the important parts, segment by segment.

Including many things Vera Hansen had privately said recently.

"That bitch Serena Sterling!"

"Don’t let Julian Lawson find out about this, you understand?"

"Damn Silas Hawthorne."

"Don’t worry, just follow my instructions. I’ll cry to Julian Lawson later and he’ll soften."

"Once I become Mrs. Lawson, Jude Chaucer will pay!"

"Is everything handled? Why doesn’t Serena Sterling just drop dead!"

...

And so on and so on.

Various statements, dangerous speech.

Completely different from the image Vera Hansen portrayed on the surface.

As the recording played, Serena Sterling and Silas Hawthorne’s expressions didn’t change much, but beside them, Julian Lawson’s face grew increasingly grim.

Standing on the side and being insulted in the recording, Jude Chaucer felt his scalp tingle.

The persona was—kind, frail, actions might not have yielded good results but the intentions weren’t bad—Vera Hansen.

Yet her private words were vicious and harsh.

"Finally, the most important segment of all the recordings," the caregiver said, glancing at everyone present, then played the last part.

Then, Vera Hansen’s voice came through—

"I’ve been feeling uneasy lately," Vera Hansen said.

Then there was a quiet period, seemingly someone on the other end speaking.

After a while, Vera Hansen’s voice came again: "I don’t know now."

She paused briefly, then said, "Were all the traces wiped clean? No one will find out I had you crash Serena Sterling’s child, right?"

Upon hearing this, Serena Sterling’s heart felt like it had been hit.

In that moment, she almost couldn’t hear what the rest of the recording was about.

Blood rushed through her veins violently, roaring loudly.

But the recording wasn’t finished yet.

"You need to find a way back now, stop hiding in the forest," Vera Hansen continued.

"Yes, some preparations are needed, some people might need to be dealt with," she added.

"I know, you’re always thorough. If you hadn’t found out Serena Sterling went to the hospital because she was pregnant, things might not have gone so smoothly,"

Vera Hansen’s voice was filled with pride and pleasure.

"Our greatest success was eliminating that risk without anyone noticing," she said.

"Hahaha," Vera Hansen’s laughter came through the phone, "I bet Serena Sterling was crying her eyes out back then. If it weren’t just in case, I’d want to sneak a peek at her misery, it’d be so delightful!"

...

The recording ended here.

The tips of her fingers dug into her palm, and beneath the table, Serena Sterling’s hand clenched and shook.

An overwhelming surge of emotion filled her throat, making her unable to speak, and she could only turn with reddened eyes to look at Julian Lawson.

Julian Lawson had already turned to stone upon hearing that it was Vera Hansen who ordered someone to hit Serena Sterling.

The scene from that day kept replaying in his mind.

Vera Hansen coming to Lawson Tower, telling him things.

Serena Sterling’s phone call, which he assumed was another attempt to accuse him upon seeing him with Vera Hansen, led him to hang up.

All calls were cut off.

Later on...

It was Bianca Lynch’s call he answered impatiently, and Bianca Lynch said she’d been in an accident.

He rushed to the hospital, but Bianca Lynch blocked the doorway, stammering excuses to prevent him from entering.

Plus, with Vera Hansen’s later suspicions, he doubted why Bianca Lynch wouldn’t let him see Serena Sterling.

Even when at the police station, discovering Serena Sterling truly had a car accident back then, he didn’t feel Bianca Lynch was justified in barring him from seeing Serena Sterling.

He even believed Bianca Lynch and Serena Sterling were baselessly suspecting Vera Hansen out of dislike.

He never thought it was Vera Hansen who hired someone to hit Serena Sterling that day!

Bianca Lynch’s angry voice from that day echoed through time and space: "Vera Hansen, you’re jumping now in such haste, doesn’t that mean it was you who did it, trying to shift the blame?"

And he...

He stood in front of Vera Hansen, protecting her: "Vera was followed by paparazzi from 8:45 PM after leaving Vivian’s Floral Studio, her whereabouts fully exposed online, and she was with me all the time after that."

Bianca Lynch said: "She could have had someone do it."

But his reply was—"Bianca Lynch, don’t go overboard!"