A Replacement Bride

A little kid? Ha, it seems like the person controlling him is quite young.
The doubts Katherine had been harboring were gradually coming to the surface. She smirked while looking at Emmanuel with a
mocking expression and continued to push his buttons.
"Is that so? But all I see is that you're being bossed around by a little kid. He tells you to go east, then you won't dare go west.
He tells you to go south, then you won't dare go north. You can shout and be tough in front of me, but when you're in front of him,
you're as obedient as a dog."
As she spoke, she sighed mockingly.
"Actually, it was my fault. I was the one to make you hate me. He just took advantage of your situation and your hatred toward
me to make you work yourself to death for him. I bet if you had tricked and captured me yourself, you probably would have found
a way to humiliate me or even killed me directly. But now, all you can do is stand here and do nothing. You're probably afraid of
the people around you. After all, these thugs aren't your own men."
As she spoke, her gaze subtly scanned the surroundings, mentally calculating how many people were there. Including the four
guards outside the door and those guarding the area, there were probably less than 20 people.
Not bad. There are quite many of them. They must really think highly of me.
Emmanuel's face grew even uglier as he was being exposed. He was so angry that his face turned red and his veins bulged as
he denied her accusations. "Stop spouting nonsense!"
Seeing his reaction, Katherine laughed even more heartily. "How could I be spouting nonsense? After all, your thugs previously
fought with mine. Besides, compared to these people, they're not even on the same level. Even if you sent ten of your men, I
could still take them down. But these people here look like they're either your boss' men or hired by him. I'm really curious,
though. How can you stomach having so many spies around you all the time? Can you eat and sleep well?"
In an instant, Emmanuel's face turned pale.
"What? Don't you know that these people are actually your backer’s spies placed beside you? Otherwise, do you really think they
are here to help you? Ha, your every move is under their watchful eyes, and your backer will know everything you do. As long as
you have any thoughts of betrayal, he can easily sell you out or even eliminate you, let alone destroy Gray Corporation."

As Katherine spoke, her eyes narrowed slightly at Emmanuel’s expression, and she continued to lead Emmanuel toward the
truth.
"Don't forget. Everything you did for him is illegal. He's a criminal, and you are his accomplice. If anything goes wrong, he'll sell
you out first. And with all the secrets you know, do you really think he'll let you live if you become useless to him? If you're lucky
enough to be useful, you might survive, but if you become a worthless pawn, you might not be so lucky to keep your life."
Emmanuel's face turned white with fear. He knew that Jayden's men were monitoring him, but he never thought that they might
turn on him.
In an instant, fear rushed through his body, and he felt like he was in an icy cold cave where his hands and feet were becoming
cold. However, he couldn't show any signs of weakness in front of Katherine and had to refute her with a strong voice, "Do you
think you're a prophet? You should worry about yourself! As for my affairs, you don't need to worry about them! I know how to
handle things myself. No one can control me!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Katherine remained calm and composed, her expression was still cold and clear. "If you're not being controlled,
then what are you doing here? If it weren't for him asking you to trick me here, you would have acted against me by now. So,
what are you waiting for? If I'm not mistaken, you're waiting for Jayden's orders."
She spoke in a calm and steady tone, not forgetting to mention Jayden's name casually at the end. He was the person she had
suspected the most all along, and after this long conversation, she felt that he was most likely the culprit.
When she spoke before, she was not only trying to buy time but also intentionally trying to provoke Emmanuel. She wanted to
disrupt his emotions and momentum and catch him off guard. Now, the facts had proven that her thoughts were completely
correct.
Emmanuel was seething with anger, and Katherine's words had easily lit the fuse. He was so consumed by rage that he didn't
even register the mention of "Jayden".
"Why would I be waiting for his orders? What makes Jayden think he can lord over me? Even if I'm currently under his thumb, do
you think I'll be forever under his control? I'm just showing him respect for now. Once Gray Corporation stabilizes, he'll pay
dearly!"
But before he could continue, a burly man emerged from the shadows and barked, "Shut up!"
Emmanuel was momentarily stunned by the man's ferocity.

"You idiot! She's trying to trap you!" The man's gaze was razor-sharp and disdainful as if he were looking at a dead man walking.
It took Emmanuel a moment to grasp what was happening. He turned to Katherine with a glare. "You—"
Katherine's expression darkened. "Ah, so it really is him."
It seemed that Jayden wasn't afraid after getting injured. He continued to set traps for Katherine and caused trouble for her, and
he had done so seamlessly and in record time.
Katherine had underestimated Jayden's power. Before, she couldn't be completely sure that Emmanuel's backer was Jayden,
but now, she had reason to believe it was. In her opinion, although Jayden was the heir of the Hall family, the overall strength of
the Hall family was far inferior to that of the Gray Corporation. She had previously thought that while he might have some
mysterious identity, his influence alone was not enough to save the faltering Gray Corporation from bankruptcy.
But now, she realized that she had misjudged him. Jayden's power and influence went far beyond what she had expected.
This guy's identity is a mystery, and it seems like there's more to him than just being in charge of the lab. Or maybe, his lab is a
complex web of secrets.
"I'm quite surprised, really. Even you, the chairman of Gray Corporation, are being manipulated by a young upstart like Jayden.
It's true what they say, I guess. A tiger falling from grace is preyed upon by dogs."
She sneered and turned her attention to the burly man who had interrupted Emmanuel. "It seems that you're more useful than
this useless waste of space. So, tell me, why did Jayden go through all this trouble to lure me here?"