Chapter 206 Hollywood Should Be Kicking Themselves 

“For years, I’ve been living in utter misery, worse off than a stray dog. It’s all your doing, Professor Paige Ashbourne! If you don’t give me a proper explanation, you’re stuck with me!” 

Paige tried to defuse the situation and offered the man a five–million–dollar compensation. The man shot back right away, demanding 10 million dollars instead. After a brief moment of hesitation, Paige gave in. 

Gordon didn’t catch a single word of what they said after that. He was so shocked that his ears were ringing like a bell. 

It took him about half an hour to finally calm down. Then he motioned for his assistant to come over. 

The car window rolled down. Gordon had regained his usual calm composure. He handed the phone back to his assistant. “Send this audio to my phone,” he said. 

The assistant took the phone and climbed into the driver’s seat. 

Gordon folded his hands on his lap and asked, “Where did this 

audio come from?” 

The assistant filled him in. “It was sent to me from an unknown 

number.” 

“Find out who owns that number!” 

The assistant knew he’d ask. He’d started the investigation as soon as he received the audio and just got the result before Gordon called him over. 

“I’ve had someone look into it. The number belongs to Derek Holloway.” 

Gordon’s expression turned serious. 

Just as he’d suspected! 

***** 

At Reed Villa, Leo had just gotten home when the butler rushed up to him. 

“Mr. Reed, you’re finally back!” 

Leo looked grim and strode inside. 

The butler had to jog to keep up, his voice full of panic and confusion. “Mrs. Paige Reed is okay now, but she’s really emotional. I’ve got the maids taking turns watching her to make sure nothing else happens.” 

Leo kept a straight face and said nothing. 

“Mr. Reed, Mrs. Paige Reed keeps saying she’s sorry to someone 

and wants to pay with her life… Mr. Reed, what on earth happened?” 

Suddenly, Leo came to an abrupt halt. The butler, caught off guard, nearly crashed into him. 

Leo fixed the butler with a cold, piercing stare. Normally, he was laid–back and friendly, but when he got serious, his presence was so overwhelming that it was almost impossible to meet his 

eyes. 

Leo spoke slowly and clearly, each word dripping with cold intent, “Are you seriously telling me you have no clue what’s going on?” 

The butler was visibly shaken. 

He quickly swiped the cold sweat off his forehead and stammered, “W–What’re you talking about, Mr. Reed? Seriously, I’ve got no clue.” 

Leo let out a derisive snort. Without another word, he just turned and continued on his way. 

The butler was Paige’s trusted aide. He’d accompanied her from Atlanta to New York, so there was no way he was in the dark about what was going on. 

“Is that Leo?” 

Just as Leo reached the bedroom door, he heard Paige’s feeble voice. Right after, the maid was trying to coax her back into lying down. 

There was a faint, sickly smell of blood hanging in the air. 

Leo’s eyes fell on a trash can. 

The wads of blood–soaked tissues inside were a horrifying sight. 

“I’m a sinner. I need to pay for what I’ve done. Let me go. Quit holding me back. Ahem!” 

Leo stood there for a long while. Then, he forced a bitter smile and stepped inside. 

There were a few people clustered around the bed, all in a flurry to soothe Paige. 

One of them walked over to Leo and murmured quietly, “Mr. Reed, Mrs. Paige Reed is really worked up. You…” 

Without waiting for her to finish, Leo walked toward the bed. 

Paige was as pale as a sheet, her eyes swollen from crying. “Leo, I’m sorry. I’m sorry to Miley. The dead can’t come back. As long as you forgive me, I will pay with her life, okay?” 

Before Leo could react, she suddenly mustered a burst of strength, broke free from the maids‘ hold, and staggered toward 

the wall. 

“Ah!” 

“Mrs. Paige Reed!” 

“Mr. Reed, stop Mrs. Paige Reed!” 

Paige was charging toward the wall where Leo was standing. It would’ve been easy for him to stop her. 

But he just stood there, cold and indifferent, watching the farce unfold as if his own mother’s life or death had nothing to do with 

him. 

Amidst the startled cries, Paige was finally tackled and held tightly by the nearest maid. 

Paige broke down in loud sobs, and several maids joined her in 

tears. 

“Mrs. Paige Reed, please don’t do anything stupid!” 

“Mrs. Paige Reed, if anything happens to you, what will become of us?” 

Leo stood there, as still as a statue. It felt like an eternity passed before he finally stirred. 

Slowly, he crouched down and reached out his hand toward 

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Paige, who was sobbing uncontrollably. 

Paige looked up, her eyes red and rimmed with tears. “Leo?” she said in a quivering voice. 

After a brief moment of hesitation, she clasped his hand tightly and wept even louder. “Leo, I messed up. I really get it this time. I never thought things would go this way. It’s all my fault… Please forgive me, will you?” she pleaded, her face streaked with tears as she stared at Leo. 

Leo pressed his lips together. In a swift motion, he used his other hand to quickly tug off the gauze wrapped around Paige’s 

left wrist. 

Paige jumped in surprise and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Leo was too quick. He grabbed her hand firmly and yanked it toward his face. 

Paige had sworn that she’d pay for what she did to Miley with her own life. 

But when Leo pulled off the blood–soaked gauze on her wrist, it was revealed that her skin was as smooth as a baby’s bottom, not a scratch on it. The smeared blood? Who knew where it came 

from? 

Leo couldn’t help but let out a soft scoff. 

Paige’s face went ghost–white, and her eyes went wide with pure, 

raw fear. 

No amount of makeup could ever capture that kind of real 

terror. 

Leo flashed a sarcastic smile at Paige and drawled, “Ms. Paige Ashbourne, with talent like yours, Hollywood should be kicking themselves for not signing you up.” 

With that, he dropped Paige’s hand and swept a cold glance around the room. 

Everyone there quickly looked away, shrinking back into silence like scolded puppies. 

Without a single backward look, Leo spun around and started walking off. 

“Leo!” Paige let out a shrill, panicked scream, her voice cracking with all the dread she felt. 

Leo didn’t even bother to turn his head. He just casually pushed aside the butler who rushed up to try and block his way. 

Paige crumpled to the floor, feeling utterly helpless. 

She had this sinking feeling that it was all over for her. 

When Leo called her “Ms. Paige Ashbourne” with that mocking smile, Paige felt like she was about to break down and cry. 

After she “got rid” of Derek, thinking she was in the clear, she wasted no time trying every trick in the book to win her son back. 

Her son had always been so dutiful. She figured if she really laid it on thick and played the poor, suffering mother, he might just soften up and give her another chance. 

But deep down, Paige just couldn’t go through with it. 

Paige, who was used to the high–life, would throw a fit over the tiniest scratch. Cutting her own wrist? That was out of the question. 

So she had someone kill a chicken and smeared the blood on her wrist. Then she had makeup applied to make her look like she was on the verge of passing out. 

She’d planned everything so carefully–the butler’s little speech to Leo, the blood–soaked tissues in the trash can, her soft moans of pain, and getting everyone else to react just right. 

But Paige never counted on her son pulling off that gauze on her wrist.