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Chapter 14

The bodyguards promptly followed Rachel’s instructions and positioned themselves at the entrance of the villa compound. The compound consisted of three spacious villas. The courtyard resembled a small garden enclosed by a low, four-foot-tall wall offering a clear view. Tessa and Randall were stopped at the entrance. Tessa put on a smile and tried to reason with the guards. “Hey there, we’re Ms. Carter’s business partners. Let us in. She’s being scammed by a con man who’s after her money and looks. If you don’t let us in, she might fall victim to his schemes.” The bodyguard remained stoic. “I’m sorry, but Ms. Carter isn’t receiving visitors. Please leave.” Glancing through the gate, Tessa saw the drawn curtains and inwardly cursed. How could Matthew make his move in broad daylight? But what frustrated Tessa even more was Rachel’s apparent blindness. How could such an intelligent and beautiful woman be so naïve when it came to relationships? She now understood that Rachel, despite her intellect and looks, was a hopeless romantic. It seemed like once Rachel became involved with a man, she was completely devoted, even placing him above her family. If Rachel and Matthew had already been intimate, there was no way she would believe anything Tessa said. Growing more desperate, Tessa shouted, “I’m telling you, that man with Ms. Carter is an ex-convict! If he does anything to her, would you be able to bear the consequences? Let us in!” … Inside the quiet room, Matthew directed Fred to lie down. He gathered eldernroot, dried ginger, ivoryroot, and sweetroot essence into a pot and simmered them for 15 minutes until three bowls of water condensed into half a bowl of potent medicine. The herbal aroma filled the room, offering a rejuvenating essence with every inhalation. Matthew then had Fred take the medicine. Next, he took out a box containing both gold and silver needles. Holding a silver needle in his left hand and a gold one in his right, he delicately inserted them into Fred’s M-HN-3 acupoint. Fred watched in astonishment. “Two needles in one acupuncture point?” Matthew remained silent. The Spectral Energy Balancing Technique could circulate energies and turn death into life. It required his total concentration to avoid any mistakes. Both of Matthew’s hands moved swiftly with precision. In moments, Fred’s head was covered with needles. Suddenly, a commotion outside interrupted the quiet atmosphere, causing Matthew’s hands to freeze mid-air. Since the treatment had been interrupted, Fred began to tremble and convulse while a look of intense pain washed over his face. At the same time, a wave of hatred surged within him. Matthew had stressed the need for a quiet environment, and now there was noise. This could be fatal. If Fred could move, he would hold the source of the disturbance at knifepoint. Matthew took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and resumed the treatment by inserting several more needles into dozens of acupuncture points. Then, Fred’s head drooped as he lost consciousness. Matthew started removing the needles after seeing Fred’s unconscious state. Each of the needles drew out droplets of black blood—an alarming yet promising sign of progress. Soon, Matthew removed all the needles. After ensuring Fred’s pulse was stable, Matthew wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled deeply in relief. He opened the door to find Rachel waiting. “What’s going on out there?” Rachel stood on tiptoe, trying to peer past Matthew into the room. “How is Grandpa?” Matthew replied angrily, “Something bad almost happened. Didn’t I ask for a quiet environment? What’s with the noise outside?” Rachel sighed, looking resigned. She explained, “Your ex-wife showed up. I didn’t want to see her, so I had the guards keep her quiet. It’s settled now.” Tessa again! Matthew frowned. “I’ll see what she wants.” Outside, Tessa and Randall were still arguing with the guards as they tried to get into the villa. Fuming, Matthew asked, “Tessa, what do you want now? You almost ruined everything just now!” Seeing Matthew, Tessa shouted even louder, “Matthew! I’m here to ruin your plans! What are you going to do about it?” Matthew trembled in fury. “Do you realize you almost jeopardized someone’s life?” Tessa was momentarily taken aback, then sneered. “Matthew, you sly bastard. You’re trying to marry Ms. Carter by getting her pregnant, aren’t you?” Pregnant? Matthew was baffled. “Pregnant?” Tessa scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. We all know what drawn curtains mean in broad daylight. Why don’t you take a look at yourself? “You’re just a worthless ex-convict; you’re divorced and useless. I dumped you because you weren’t good enough for me. Now you’re aiming for someone as high as Ms. Carter? Dream on!” Just then, Rachel appeared. She was supporting Fred. Seeing her, Tessa hurriedly waved to her. “Ms. Carter, I’m Tessa Sanders. There’s something important I didn’t get to say earlier. I was afraid that you might have been scammed, so I came here to tell you the truth.” Rachel’s expression was icy as she said, “I don’t want to listen to you, and I certainly don’t want to see you!” Tessa’s expression stiffened, but she quickly replied, “You’ve got me wrong. You’ll thank me once you get to know the truth. “Matthew served three years in prison and has only been out for a few days. He’s an ex-convict, which is why I divorced him. You shouldn’t throw yourself into a lion’s cave. You can’t trust him!” As she finished, Tessa waited for Rachel’s shocked reaction. She expected Rachel to show gratitude and maybe even discuss future business collaborations. She was already imagining signing partnership contracts and watching her career soar. But Rachel’s expression turned colder. She had already learned the truth from Matthew, and Fred had filled in the gaps about why Matthew had been in prison. “Well, I guess I should thank you,” she said coolly. Tessa was thrilled and finally felt vindicated. Her persistence had paid off! She thought success was within reach now, especially with a partnership with Wealthwave Group. Divorcing Matthew was the best decision she had ever made! Shedding that dead weight had allowed her to move forward quickly. Tessa’s voice trembled with excitement. “It’s my honor to help you. We women should support each other. I’m looking forward to working on more collaborations with you.” Randall chimed in, “Yes, we’re definitely looking forward to it.” Rachel’s voice was frosty. “I’m thanking you for divorcing Matthew. Now I can get engaged to him.” What? Tessa’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You… you’re going to marry him? Did you hear what I said? He’s been to prison!” Rachel gave Tessa a look as if she were the one who’d lost her mind. “I know. He went to prison for you. Doesn’t that show how responsible and courageous he is? “He’s one in a million. I can’t believe someone would be stupid enough to divorce a man like him.” Tessa froze, and her face was drained of color. So, Rachel had known about it all along. But she couldn’t understand why Rachel would choose Matthew. “You’re the president of a company worth hundreds of billions of dollars. You’re beautiful and influential. “But Matthew is just an ex-convict with no savings or career. He’s utterly worthless. With so many good men out there, why would you choose him?”