Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 441

"Looks like she can kiss her friendship with Sophie goodbye!" Janice said with a chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief. "Oh my god! This is the funniest thing I've heard all year! I haven't laughed this hard in ages! Hanging out with you guys is like it's Christmas every day!"

"You really think Jessica had a chance in hell of keeping in touch with Sophie?" Geneva piped in, her tone dripping with derision. "Sophie never really liked her to begin with. If it wasn't for that favor she owed me, she wouldn't have given Jessica the time of day. But I gotta hand it to Sophie, she nailed the job."

"Spill it, what happened next?" I urged, eager for more gossip.

"Well, Sophie just started giving her the cold shoulder. Jessica was like a cat on a hot tin roof, she was anxious." Geneva recounted with such vivid detail, you'd think she was watching a live show.

"I see... No wonder she was ignoring her mom's injury, all frazzled and fuming!" It suddenly clicked why Jessica was so restless and hot-tempered when Hazel got burned the other day.

"Exactly! She was lashing out at everyone, like a rooster that's had its feathers ruffled, always ready to scrap!" Geneva continued with a sneer. "One day at the office, Jesper slapped her across the face. She stomped her foot and stormed out."

"Why?" I asked, intrigued.

Geneva raised an eyebrow and I quickly added, "Was it because of that embezzled ten million?"

"Yep! But when Jesper mentioned hiring a new finance director, she came back, apologizing and taking her lumps. Jesper laid it out for her clear as day, saying if she so much as touched the company's money again, she'd be out on her ear!"

"How did Jesper find out about Jessica dipping into the company funds?" I inquired.

"She delayed a supplier's payment, only five days late, but I always nail the tasks you give me." Geneva gave a mock salute, which made me chuckle.

"You told me to make her life a living hell, right? So I deliberately held off those five days to give her a taste of purgatory. Only after I returned her investment with interest did she hustle to pay the supplier. Then I had the supplier casually drop the hint to Jesper, and Jesper is not dumb; he checked the accounts and everything clicked." Geneva spread her hands, a self-satisfied smile on her face.

I had to admire it; Geneva was a real ace up my sleeve.

"Reminds me, that call you made about the supplier... was it regarding Jessica's delayed payment?" I pressed.

"That's the one! You were in Silverdale City at the time, so I didn't elaborate, just took the initiative," Geneva explained.

I gave her a thumbs-up. "Brilliant!"

"Jesper warned her sternly not to let it happen again. But you know how it is, sometimes pressure just makes people more rebellious. The tighter you squeeze, the more they want to slip through your fingers. Jessica got a taste for easy money, and she was itching for more."

"People always crave for what they can't have," I said with a sly grin. "It's like a gambler's addiction - they can't resist the allure, even when they know the odds are stacked against them."

"Exactly. So when I finally got her in touch with that contact, she didn't hesitate one bit and dropped a cool thirty million." Geneva scoffed. "She was playing for keeps!"

A thought struck me, "Does she know this contact?"

Geneva shook her head. "No way I'd let her meet him. She tried to get Sophie to introduce them, but Sophie brushed her off, saying it wasn't necessary as they weren't close. Jessica didn't believe it, of course, and she contacted him.

But the contact claimed to be on official business overseas and couldn't meet her. Told her it was a private matter and it's better if they keep it under the table. Jessica ate it up with no suspicion. If it weren't for Medsafe Liyah Inc. hitting the rocks, and Jaylan scrambling to bail them out, only to find the accounts dry, none of this would've come to light. He blew his top, confronted Jesper, and the two had it out in the office. Jessica got caught in the crossfire!"

I couldn't help but smirk like the cat that got the cream, imagining Jaylan in a frenzy. "I made sure his fires kept burning."