In the Lap of Luxury
Chapter 550 An Unexpected Visit

It was the end of the month, and the construction of the Eastwood property had begun to slow down.

Desperate, Jessica had visited the construction site several times and gradually uncovered some shady dealings.

After shopping, she returned home to replace a car parked at her doorstep. Pushing the door open, she saw a burly figure inside.

"Ryan? What brings you here so suddenly?"

Ryan Madden, president of Eastwood Construction, turned around and immediately kneeled before her.

"Ms. Landon, please, you must help me!"

Jessica's expression turned sour.

Five minutes later, Jessica swept everything off the table onto the floor in a fit of rage.

"This is a government project, and you dared to misuse the funds! Are you out of your mind?"

Ryan kneeled with his head lowered and explained, "I never meant to use so much of the money. But then the hole just kept getting bigger, and I couldn't plug it."

Shaking with anger and breaking out in cold sweat, Jessica demanded, "How much is left?"

Ryan stammered, "H-Half ... Just under half of the funds."

Jessica pulled out her phone. "Damn it! I'm calling the police right now to have you arrested!"

"Please, no, Ms. Landon! Even if you get me arrested, you won't get the money back! Think twice! If the authorities investigate, I would be finished, but you'll also be held responsible!" Jessica froze, then collapsed onto the couch.

"The construction can't continue as planned. We're doomed."

More than half of the funds were gone. She had no way of raising that kind of money again!

Ryan pleaded, grasping at her, his eyes filled with greed. "I came to you to tell you I have a way to stop the loss!"

"What is it?"

Just then, they heard a car pulling over outside. Jessica stood up and peered out the window to see Benjamin's car. Why was he here now?

"Hide in the bathroom!" she instructed Ryan, who hurriedly complied.

Jessica quickly tidied up the mess and heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked in a panic.

"It's me," Benjamin answered in a hoarse voice.

Jessica took a deep breath and regained her composure before opening the door. "Benjamin? What brings you here?"

He furrowed his brows the moment he stepped in. "Do you have a guest over?"

"No. No one's here. What makes you think that?"

Benjamin's gaze lingered on the chaotic table as he caught a scent in the air. "There's a smell of cement."

"Your nose is really sharp."

Jessica turned to pour a glass of water, trying to change the subject. "Didn't Grace confront you about Willow? Why do you still have time to see me?"

"I didn't leak that information. She figured it out herself."

"So I should be praising her now?"

Benjamin fixed his gaze on her. "I just got a tip. The president of Eastwood Construction has made several trips to Meco with a lot of money. Were you aware of this?"

At the mention of this, Jessica stiffened, and there was some noise from the bathroom.

Benjamin immediately looked toward the bathroom.

"Is someone there?"

Jessica blocked his path and said, "Maybe a rat knocked something over."

His frown deepened. "You haven't answered my question."

"I wasn't aware. This is my first time hearing about it."

"I've told you before that real estate is very risky these days. It's still possible to withdraw your funds in time."

Jessica was sweating profusely. "Has the information been confirmed?"

"My sources are never wrong."

"Really? Then how do you explain Grace outsmarting you and allowing Byte Technologies to clear their name?" Benjamin's impatience grew, and he interjected, "Danielle, I'm only here to talk about Eastwood."