Chapter 3

"How could your information be faster than the police?"

Kelly's face flickered with guilt after hearing my words, and she quickly explained, "I'm just worried."

Then she shifted all the blame onto me, yelling, "What are you implying, Rylan? Do you wish my daughter was dead? How could you, as her husband, let her drive back home alone!"

It reminded me how I had strongly advised against Ashley's trip home in the first place.

I was tied up with a client project and couldn't get away, though I usually drove her everywhere she needed to go.

When her childhood friend was getting married, I suggested we just send a wedding gift first, then visit home together with Kelly when I had time.

But no matter what I said, she would disagree and insist on going, even getting into a huge fight with me over it.

In the end, she ignored my warnings and secretly took the car onto the highway.

Usually, Ashley was gentle and rarely lost her temper with me. How could I have been so blind in my past life to miss these red flags?

"Rylan, your silence means I'm right, doesn't it?"

"Kelly, you've seen how I've treated Ashley all these years. I cherish her more than anything! How could I ever want her dead?"

I held Kelly's hand, my face twisted with grief and sorrow. "I want this situation less than anyone. All I want is for Ashley to return to me safely. I've made arrangements. Let's head to the scene now."

Kelly's face instantly lit up at my words, seemingly forgetting that her daughter's fate still hung in the balance.

Kelly and I got into the car one after another. Before this, I had hired a private investigator to monitor every movement around my house. The moment Ashley showed up, evidence would be secured.

After taking her seat, Kelly kept her hands behind her back, fingers flying across her phone screen.

When I asked what she was doing, she claimed she was checking the news, worried about the accident scene.

But the crash site had been cordoned off, and all vehicles cleared. Apart from the initial photos that leaked, there was nothing new online.

I knew Kelly was lying to me. She was actually updating Ashley about my every move.

Meanwhile, outside the villa, Ashley and her first love, Andrew Harris, were fully equipped, lying in wait.

Just as she was about to sneak in to grab some valuable jewelry to exchange for cash, the man beside her stopped her.

"What's going on? Who's that suspicious-looking guy lurking outside my house?"

"I'll check it out."

As Ashley started to move forward, Andrew quickly interjected, "No way! If you show up now, you'll blow your cover. Everything we've planned will go up in smoke."

She froze, her expression darkening. "Then what should we do? All my valuables and jewelry are inside."

When I rushed home from the accident scene in my past life, the house was in complete chaos. Many pieces of jewelry were missing, but I was too overwhelmed by Ashley's death to process it. Between dealing with the deceased's family causing a scene, I barely had time to address the theft. The case went cold.

This time, I wouldn't let her get away with it. She was already dead, yet she thought she could steal my money to support her boy toy. Dream on!

"No rush, we'll find our chance. Besides, after you're gone, he'll have to support your mother. We can get her to demand higher support payments for us," Andrew whispered.

Ashley and Andrew quietly slipped away from the villa.

Those two were still dreaming about living off my money, but little did they know I had deliberately arranged for two people—one operating in plain sight and another in the shadows to gather evidence against them.

Even though Ashley had assumed a new identity, her face remained unchanged. Once we had photos of her, this whole scheme of hers was already half defeated!