Chapter 67

"You don't need to worry-I know you weren't involved." Wyatt caught the flicker of anxiety in Amelia's eyes and quickly spoke up.

Amelia's nerves eased a little, and Wyatt continued, "Jaxton submitted the bid and files, but he got them straight from Dayna."

All the while, Davin had been monitoring Jaxton's every move, so he knew that Jaxton had submitted the bid and documents only after Dayna had visited him in the hospital.

The Morrison Group remained in the competition because, truthfully, Wyatt had planned for this exact outcome all along.

Dayna's name triggered Amelia to open her phone and launch the surveillanceapp.

The cozy apartment-once a birthday gift from Katrina-had always felt safe, but from day one,Amelia had installed a hidden camera for extra security.

Nobody else, not even Carlee, knew the camera existed.

A few taps, and Amelia wound the footage back to the previous night. She soon spotted a figure slipping into her place.

Dayna's disguise was thorough, but Amelia still recognized her in an instant.

Tempted to change the locks and alert the police, Amelia reached for her phone to call the police after landing,but Wyatt stopped her.

Catching her confused glance, Wyatt lowered his voice, an enigmatic smile on his lips."Let's wait.for a few days before involving the police."

Though not understanding why Wyatt was saying this, Amelia complied and put away her phone.

"Jaxton,the Morrison Group landed the bid! The project's officially ours. This is wonderful!"

Dayna couldn't hide her excitement, her eyes lighting up as she pointed at the notification on Jaxton's phone.

Pure joy took over Jaxton's expression, and remembering the documents Dayna had slipped him the night before, he grabbed her hand. "This win is all thanks to you, Dayna. You are a lot better than that cold-hearted woman Amelia."

Just the mention of Amelia sent a flicker of resentment through both Dayna and Jaxton.

For a second, unease pricked Dayna's conscience, but she quickly shrugged it off, reassured by how well she'd covered her tracks.

"Jaxton, is it really true? Did you really win the bid?"

Laura had rushed straight to the hospital as soon as she got wind of the news, so caught up in her excitement that she didn't even notice Dayna in the hospital room.

One look at the congratulatory message on Jaxton's phone screen, and Laura was finally convinced-he really had secured the bid.

Years of corporate experience kept Laura from celebrating too soon.

With so many eyes on the Stewart Group and every powerful family in Kretol fighting to claim the project, it felt a bit odd for the Morrison Group to walk away with such a lucrative deal so easily.

The more Laura thought about it, the more suspicious she became, prompting her to say to Jaxton, "Jaxton,don't signthe contract yet. I'll have someone investigate-"

"I've already asked Clayton to sign it," Jaxton interjected.

Worried that the Stewart Group might backtrack, he'd sent Clayton to seal the deal as soon as he won the bid. By now, he figured, the contract had already been signed.

Laura's face fell at the news, anger clouding her features. "Jaxton, this was a huge decision. Why didn't you check with me first? What if there's an issue with the project?"

Securing the project, Jaxton had been hoping for a few words of approval from Laura; her frustration now left him deflated and furious.

"Mom! You handed the matter over for me to manage.If I have to run every move past you, what's the point of giving me the project? And let's be real-have you ever seen a Stewart Group project go wrong in all these years?" Jaxton said.

Memories of the Stewart Group's spotless track record brought Laura a measure of comfort.

Still, a nagging doubt lingered about the legitimacy of their win. Sensing her suspicion, Jaxton reluctantly explained that Dayna had delivered the proposal documents to him.

Laura wasted no time turning her focus to Dayna. "How exactly did you get your hands on such sensitive materials?"

Under the watchful eyes of Jaxton and Laura, Dayna finally cracked and admitted to using a spare key to sneak into Amelia's apartment.

Finding out that Dayna had stolen the files right from Amelia's laptop, Laura scoffed, her gaze mocking.Yet,knowing her own company had profited, she didn't say anything about it.

Not long after, Clayton entered the hospital room, contract in hand, drawing Laura's and Jaxton's full attention.

Laura pored over the document-once, then a second time-and only when she found nothing out of place did shefinally look relieved, smiling.

Seeing her relax, Jaxton straightened up, a smug satisfaction in his tone. "See, Mom? Nothing's wrong.Now, you can breathe easy."