Chapter 410

Bianca snapped the book shut as soon as she spotted the phone inside, shooting a nervous glance at the two female bodyguards. Luckily, they didn't notice a thing.

Feigning a stretch with the book in hand, Bianca casually strolled towards the bedroom.

The bodyguards barely gave her a second look. The bedroom was her and John's private space, strictly off-limits to them.

Once inside with the door securely closed, Bianca quickly retrieved the phone from the book's hidden compartment and powered it on. She didn't buy for a second that the bookstore owner had gifted her a phone out of kindness; someone else had to be behind it.

Instead of diving into the contacts, Bianca went straight to the photo gallery.

There was a single video. As she watched it, her eyes softened immediately.

The video was surveillance footage of a middle-aged woman watching TV. That woman was Bianca's missing mother.

Tears welled up in Bianca's eyes as she saw her mom on the screen. Suddenly, the phone vibrated, and she answered it right away.

"It's been a while. How've you been?" a man's voice came through.

Resentment flashed in Bianca's eyes. This was the guy who had driven her dad to suicide and was holding her mom hostage to manipulate her.

"I don't want to chit-chat. Just tell me, why'd you send the phone?" Bianca's voice was cold.

The man on the other end sighed. "Don't be so mad. I just wanted your dad to record a video, make it look like an escape, but he ended up killing himself. I underestimated his love for you and your mom."

Bianca's fists clenched, her tone icy. "You hypocrite, talking about understanding emotions?"

The man chuckled. "Looks like John's got you on lockdown, even took your phone. I went through a lot of trouble to get this to you, and you don't even thank me. Do you know how hard it is to fool John?"

Bianca's eyes narrowed. Not many people knew about her restrictions, so this guy had to have a spy close to her.

She fell silent, trying to figure out who the mole could be.

"Why so quiet? Trying to guess who my inside man is?" the annoying man laughed again, mocking her.

If it weren't for the guards outside, Bianca would've cursed and smashed the phone.

Sensing her thoughts, the man said calmly, "This is your last chance. Lose this phone, and you lose the chance to see your mom."

Bianca felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, the stress affecting her unborn baby.

She took a deep breath to calm down. "Why'd you reach out now? What do you want from me?" she asked.

The man dropped the jokes. "I need you to go after Isabella. Take control of those three companies ASAP," he said bluntly.

Bianca scoffed. "Are you even listening to yourself? I'm on lockdown, can't leave the house. How am I supposed to take over those companies?"

"Use someone else, like Paxton," the man suggested.

Bianca frowned. "Why Paxton? Wait, are you saying I should use the killer Paxton's investigating? The one who hurt Pearl-was that you?"

Anger surged through Bianca. If it hadn't been for that sudden urge to be with John at the hotel last time, that car bomb would've killed her.

The man denied it. "I've done a lot of bad things, but not that. Think about it, I don't play those torture games; I'm not a psychopath!"

Bianca paused, considering his words. Maybe he was telling the truth; he had no reason to lie about this.

"Do you want to frame Isabella for this? How exactly?" Bianca asked, trying to stay calm.

The man sounded surprised. "Isn't framing people your thing? Why ask me?"

"Everyone thinks I'm an idiot. I'm tired of thinking, and this pregnancy is making me dizzy. Just tell me your plan," Bianca said impatiently.

Every plan she made against Isabella had failed, so she preferred others to come up with solutions.

The man stopped mocking and laid out his plan. "I can have my people plant some evidence for Paxton to find, but we'll need John's help."

Bianca sneered. "So you do have a spy close to him."

"Now's not the time to argue. John doesn't want to get involved, so you have to push him. Tell him about the bomb incident; he'll have to agree for your sake and the baby's. Then my people can plant the evidence," the man said calmly.

Bianca took a deep breath and nodded. "Got it. I'll tell him. But why are you getting involved now? You've never let your people get involved in my fight with Isabella before."

Bianca wasn't stupid; she sensed the man was more anxious this time.

"Don't ask questions that don't concern you. Just follow my instructions, and your mother will be safe," the man said before hanging up.

Bianca stared at the ended call screen, took a deep breath, hid the phone, and walked out.

"Call John and tell him to come back. I have something important to discuss," Bianca instructed the bodyguard at the door.