Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband?

Chapter 514 At least Mila wasn't spiraling further down the rabbit hole, and for now, all Miranda could do was sigh and tag along.

Truth be told, she didn't believe for a second that the person who'd been caught was Lysander.

If it really were him-if someone had pulled off that mask and found Lysander underneath-Jade wouldn't have sent someone to gently invite them over for a chat. The whole manor would be in chaos by now. Mila was just too rattled from a night of fear and anxiety to notice that detail.

Whoever they'd caught... well, it didn't matter.

Miranda's focus was elsewhere. She had to figure out how to coax Mila into playing along with this twisted 'game' to get her to help subdue that wild beast before things got out of control.

That man was already teetering on the edge.

No, he'd gone over it.

He'd faked his own death just to achieve a single goal. Someone like that-if he really managed to take Cosout of the equation, losing the one thing that could both distract and restrain him, then who would his next target be? And for that new goal, what would he be willing to do next? Miranda didn't even want to imagine.

She'd already witnessed his madness up close. In her mind, the only way to keep everyone safe was to figure out how to restrain Lysander before he lost Cosas his primary target. Otherwise, Mila would inevitably be the one to suffer.

The rest of them would just be collateral damage.

That lunatic wasn't the type to show mercy to anyone. If he couldn't get what he wanted, what if he decided to destroy everything in his path? It wouldn't be the first time.

She remembered what Mila had confided in her-how, back in college, her mind had been tampered with, memories manipulated without her knowledge. Miranda would never let that happen again.

No matter what, she had to try.

Even if she couldn't gain control, she needed to find something-someone-that could keep him in check. He couldn't be allowed to keep wreaking havoc on everyone's lives.

The manor, lounge.

"I swear, it wasn't me!" The man in the black cloak, flanked by security, had barely found his footing before he tore off the ghostly mask streaked with crimson tears. Beneath it was a typically Western face-brown hair, blue eyes-definitely not Lysander. He sounded desperate to clear his name.

"Mrs. Sutherland, I cat your invitation. I barely set foot on the grounds before someone jumped me. I never even saw Ms. Sutherland! I know nothing about any of this! If anything, shouldn't you be givingan explanation?" "An explanation?" Jade, seated on the sofa and sipping her tea, glanced at him coolly.

The man fell silent.

Forrest understood now.

This Harvey fellow was another of Jade's guests-one of the young men she'd invited for Mila to meet. Apparently, he'd barely made it into the garden before being attacked and knocked out cold.

The mask and cloak weren't even his.

"Whether it's you or not, we'll let Mila decide when she gets here," Jade said with a wave, signaling for Harvey to keep quiet.

Enough with all the arguing. Youth really was a double-edged sword-too quick to lose patience.

Her gaze slid over to Forrest, whose calm demeanor stood out. Suddenly, Jade remembered something and picked up a bottle of pills from the table, shaking it lightly. "By the way, I haven't asked-you're hurt? What do you need the painkillers for?" She was always extra cautious about these things.

After all, she knew that many people abroad got hooked on painkillers, and Forrest had lived overseas for seven or eight years. Even if she was being paranoid, she had to make sure he hadn't picked up any bad habits. Forrest understood her concern. He nodded and slowly opened his left hand, revealing a bloody, torn palm His face never changed-as if he felt nothing at all-as he explained lightly, "Earlier, in the gardend accidentally grabbed a rose bush. The thorns cutup pretty badly-might have hit a nerve, it's been aching." "Why didn't you say something sooner?" Jade scolded, her tone sharper than usual. She quickly called for a servant to clean anddress the wound, adding, "We'll have the doctor take a look, just in case. Don't want it to be anything serious." "It's nothing. Just a scratch," Forrest replied with a faint smile.

Relieved that Jade had dropped the subject of the painkillers, he finally relaxed, The truth was, the pain in the garden had almost been too much; he'd snapped off a rose branch and squeezed it in his hand to redirect his focus. It had actually helped.

A little while later, the lounge door swung open.

"Jade, did you find them? Where?" Mila strode in, eyes immediately landing on the man in the black cloak near the door, and the ghostly mask discarded at his feet.

She froze for a moment.

Jade turned to her. "Is that the one?" "...No." Mila's brow furrowed. "But that cloak, that mask..."

"Mrs. Sutherland, I told you-it's not me!" Harvey protested, clearly frustrated. "I've said it Wer and m didn't bring those things. When I over: I woke up, they were already on me. So... can I go now?" Jade glanced at her butler.

He stepped forward with a courteous smile. "Mr. Harvey, I apologize for the manor's poor hospitality tonight. Please accept our NO apologies-someone will make it up to you. Would you cwith me?" "No problem at all." Harvey didn't seem bothered. Compensation wasn't really the issue-he knew Jade, and that was enough. His family would understand.