Chapter 42: The Puppet Master Revealed
Lily was admiring a painting in her bedroom. The artwork, procured by Andy at auction, had only arrived that morning. She’d replaced their wedding photo, which had hung on the bare wall since her disappearance, with the new piece. The wedding photo, honestly, wasn’t her style, but she hadn’t found a suitable replacement until now. The painting fit perfectly, as if it had always belonged there.
John hovered nearby, a little miffed.“The wedding photo was way better!” he mumbled under his breath, circling Lily like a persistent bee. One sharp look from her silenced him instantly.
Twenty minutes earlier, Lily had noticed tiny lettering in the bottom right corner of the frame – Andy’s name, in English. She’d called him to ask, learning that the delay in delivery was to allow for the custom frame, handcrafted by Andy himself.
Mother and son, clearly connected on a deeper level. Lily had given Andy a jade pendant, the knot in the cord hand–woven by her. He cherished it, immediately replacing his old necklace with her gift – one given fifteen years ago, and another fifteen years later. Before hanging up, Andy whispered, “Mom, welcome home.”
Lily’s heart swelled with joy. She couldn’t stop admiring the painting. That’s when John entered, showing her some photos.
“This is the person who met with Hanson.”
The photos showed a woman wearing a low–slung hat and a black mask obscuring her face. In a restaurant private room, she hadn’t eaten a bite, keeping her mask firmly in place. “She looks familiar…” Lily pointed to a photo showing the woman using a delicately extended finger to move a plate.
nudged
“Look at this one!” John swiped to another image, a live shot, capturing a fleeting moment where the woman’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second before being hastily replaced.
“Vivian?!” Lily gasped, then playfully nudged John.“Why the dramatic reveal?”
According to John’s investigation, David Brown had accumulated over $200,000 in gambling debts around the time Hanson finished middle school. The debt was mysteriously paid off shortly after Hanson transferred to Seattle High. The bank transfer originated from an account held by… Vivian.
“Hanson’s transfer was likely orchestrated by Vivian,” Lily deduced, taking a deep breath.“I suspect she used Hanson to manipulate Amy!”
Vivian was a distant relative, barely a cousin several times removed. Amy wasn’t obligated to listen to her, and Vivian couldn’t impose her seniority. If the twins weren’t close to her, and with Lily possibly dead, her connection to the Janson family would be severed. As the twins grew older, their connection with Vivian waned, except Amy who sometimes confided in her. To maintain her grip on the Janson family’s influence, she needed to control Amy.
Lily’s face hardened. Whatever happened with Hanson, Vivian was involved! Vivian was now the chief editor of a prominent international fashion magazine’s China branch, leveraging her connections to the Janson family to become a powerful figure in the industry.
“Eily, she won’t be using the Janson Group’s influence anymore!” John vowed, ready to cut off her → access to advertising deals, network connections, and other resources that were crucial to her
position. Without the Janson Group, Vivian wouldn’t last a week as editor–in–chief; the magazine was teeming with capable people vying for her position. Some things money couldn’t
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Chapter 42. The Puppet Master Revea
by; Vivian had access to certain fashion resources that the company couldn’t obtain. Now, John would be cutting off those avenues.
A supposed helper, a viper in her daughter’s midst!
“The housekeeper said Amy is coming home tomorrow alone,” Lily said. “Let’s see what happens then.” Amy’s decision to return without Hanson suggested that the initial infatuation had been tempered by the realities of the Brown family’s dysfunction. Lily sensed the time for an intervention was right.
John, though angry, accepted that the damage was done. His daughter’s situation could wait until tomorrow. His current focus was…
“Lily, can I sleep in the bedroom tonight?”
Meeting Lily’s narrowed eyes, John immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.T’ll be good!” His tone shifted, becoming pathetically pleading.“I want to hold you. I haven’t slept properly in days. I keep dreaming you’re gone again.”
His pitiful act worked. Boss Janson returned to their bedroom, pillow in hand. To be fair, the sleepless nights were real; he couldn’t rest unless Lily was beside him.
While some slept soundly, others tossed and turned. That night, Vivian couldn’t sleep. She, the hunter, had been outsmarted! Hanson dared to threaten her!
For so long, Vivian had kept her true identity hidden from Hanson, even using a voice changer for their calls. It had all started when Amy, after her middle school exams, gushed about a boy she’d seen at the test center, describing him as incredibly handsome. Vivian hadn’t initially paid much attention, but she noticed Amy becoming increasingly defiant and distant, possibly linked to her teenage rebelliousness. Amy would even pretend not to be home when Vivian visited despite being in the house.
Vivian couldn’t allow Amy to slip from her grasp. She set her sights on Hanson. Using Amy’s description, she identified Hanson and arranged his transfer to Seattle High, reuniting Amy with her “white moonlight.” Teenage crushes often bloom into something more. Since Amy hað mentioned Hanson to Vivian before, their renewed encounter prompted Amy to talk about him again. Vivian played the supportive aunt, offering advice and coordinating with Hanson. Her tactics worked like a charm. Each time there was a problem in her relationship, Amy sought out Vivian’s guidance, her trust growing with each interaction. Vivian kept Hanson dangling Amy, ensuring continuous “control.”
Everything went smoothly until a few days ago, when Vivian lost contact with both Amy and Hanson. A creeping sense of unease washed over her as she discovered Amy had run away and was now involved with Hanson. And her calls went unanswered!
Amy had deliberately ignored them. She suspected her aunt was working for her father and that any conversation would be filled with unwanted lectures. Besides, Vivian’s strange behavior lately had frightened her.
Tonight’s meeting wasn’t supposed to be in person. Or, rather, in the past, she would never have met Hanson directly. Times had changed.
While Hanson wasn’t entirely sure of her identity, he suspected she was close to Amy. He demanded they continue their collaboration, but this time, he’d be calling the shots. The ambitious young man! The thought of Hanson’s condescending attitude, promising to discuss the details of their future collaboration tomorrow, kept her awake. She, Vivian, had been outmaneuvered by a high school boy!
