For once, Nina got a genuinely good night’s sleep.
No endless mountain of Platinum Palace business.
No need to stay on guard against Tiffany’s open shots and dirty little tricks.
The whole person finally loosened up a bit.
Jordan had gone out early to deal with foreign affairs.
Inside the villa, aside from the guards rotating on duty, it was so quiet it almost felt unreal.
Then a report came from the front gate.
“Miss, you have a visitor.”
Nina frowned.
“Ethan?”
“No.” The guard’s tone was a little odd, like he didn’t quite know how to put it.
“It’s Vice President Roland Calnan.
He said…
he brought something you’d definitely be interested in.”
Nina’s brows drew together slightly.
Last time at the hospital, things had ended badly.
And now Roland, that sly old fox, had followed the scent and come right back.
Her first instinct was to refuse.
But after a second thought, if Roland had the nerve to show up this openly, then he was obviously holding something in his hand.
Rather than let him stir trouble behind her back, she might as well see him and figure out what game he was playing this time.
“Take him to the front hall and have him wait.”
In the front hall, Roland was standing before the antique display shelf, leisurely admiring several blue-and-white porcelain vases arranged on it, looking way too at ease.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around.
The second he saw Nina, a flash of undisguised amazement crossed his eyes.
“Your Highness looks radiant today.” He dipped slightly in a half-formal bow, the usual unreadable smile hanging at the corner of his lips.
“Seems the Crown Prince takes much better care of you than those snobs at the Platinum Palace.”
Nina let out a cold laugh.
“Vice President Calnan came to my door first thing in the morning just to praise my brother for being attentive?”
“Of course not.” Roland smiled and shook his head.
He took a kraft paper envelope from the briefcase he carried and set it on the tea table, then gently pushed it toward her.
“I’m here to bring a gift.
Last time at the hospital, Your Highness thought my sincerity wasn’t enough.
So this time, I prepared something a little heavier.”
Nina’s gaze landed on the envelope, but she didn’t reach for it right away.
“What is it?”
“Some…
interesting money trails.” Roland pulled out a chair and sat across from her, relaxed like this was his own place.
“Three years ago, when Ethan had just taken office, the country’s finances were a mess.
The previous president left behind a giant disaster zone.
The Blackwell family had money, sure, but the election had already burned through most of it.
There was no way they could plug that hole on their own.
That was when the Ashford family stepped in.”
He paused, watching her expression carefully before continuing, “Warren Ashford funneled a huge amount of money through three shell companies into accounts linked to the presidential office.
Enough to help Ethan secure that seat.”
“And in return, the very first economic policy Ethan pushed after taking office was a major tax cut for industries under the Ashford Group. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
On top of that, the land for the perfume industrial park that originally belonged to the Harlow family was handed over to the Ashfords at a price that was basically a giveaway.”
Nina’s fingers paused, just slightly.
Of course she knew her adoptive father’s perfume industrial park had ended up in the Ashford family’s hands.
But all this time, she’d thought it was just a normal business acquisition.
After the Harlow family fell, the Ashfords simply moved in fast and took advantage of the chaos.
She had never imagined Ethan had his fingerprints all over it too.
“Where did you get these files?” she asked, lifting her eyes.
“Your Highness.” Roland gave a low chuckle and leaned forward a little.
His upturned eyes glinted sharply, calculating, almost smug.
“I’ve been operating in Uppergate for years.
It’d be weird if I didn’t have a few decent information channels.
This stuff?
Barely the tip of the iceberg.
I’m still digging into the deeper parts.
But one thing I can tell you for sure—how did the Ashford family become the richest in Uppergate in just three short years?
They didn’t climb up by stepping only on the Harlow family’s corpse.
Your dear husband’s hands aren’t exactly clean either.”
He stressed the words “dear husband” on purpose, like he was waiting to see her crack.
Nina looked up at him, her gaze cool and clear as still water.
There was no fury on her face.
No heartbreak.
No expression of someone who had just been stabbed by betrayal.
She was so calm it almost felt unreal, like she was reviewing a contract that had nothing to do with her.
“So Vice President Calnan came here today,” she said evenly, “to tell me Ethan is corrupt, and the Ashford family is basically a nest of thieves?”
She set her teacup down lightly.
Porcelain tapped against the glass tea table with a crisp little sound.
“And then what?
You want me to take this evidence to Congress, report him, expose him to the media, and help you get rid of your political rival?”
The smile on Roland’s face froze for half a second.
“Your Highness really is sharp.” He recovered fast, smiling again as if nothing had happened.
“Fine, I admit it.
I do have my own agenda.
Ethan is my political enemy.
I want him out.
But you’ve seen the documents.
They’re real.
What happened to the Harlow family has everything to do with the Ashfords, and Ethan may not be innocent either.
Don’t you want the truth?
Don’t you want justice for Edmund Harlow and his wife?”
“I do,” Nina answered without even a beat of hesitation.
A flash of delight lit up Roland’s eyes.
“Then we can work together.
You’ve got leverage on Ethan from these past three years in office.
I’ve got connections in Congress and media resources.
As long as we—”
“Vice President Calnan.”
Nina cut him off.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it landed with real weight.
No room for argument.
“I’m investigating the Harlow family because I’m Edmund Harlow’s daughter.
Because I owe them my life.
Not because I want to be your knife.
And definitely not because I want to help you bring Ethan down.”
“Your Highness.” Roland stood up slowly.
The smile on his face faded at last, and for once there was a trace of genuine confusion in his tone.
“I really don’t understand.
Ethan has wronged you this badly, and he even joined hands with the Ashfords to swallow the property your adoptive parents left behind.
Don’t you hate him at all?
You clearly could use me and make him lose everything.
Ruin him completely.”
“Whether I hate him or not is my business.”
Holding the paper bag, Nina turned and walked toward the staircase.
“But I’m not going to rely on someone who won’t even be honest about his real motives to take revenge for me.
If I said yes to you today, tomorrow I’d end up as cannon fodder in your political game.
I’m not stupid enough to do that.”
At the turn of the stairs, she paused.
Then she looked down at him from above, her expression distant, her eyes cold and detached.
“Leave the things.
You can go now.”
Roland stood where he was and looked up at her.
“Your Highness.” He shook his head, picked up the suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, and slipped it on with maddening calm.
“A woman like you—if someone gets to keep you, that’s a blessing.
If they lose you…”
He paused, the corners of his mouth curling faintly.
“…that’s a disaster.”
He adjusted his cuffs and added, almost casually, “One more free piece of news for you.
Ethan has withdrawn your divorce agreement from Congress.”