The moment I heard that, my face changed.

"That's impossible. Our company has always operated by the book. How could we be involved in money laundering? Could that be a scam call?"

The finance director immediately pulled a long face and handed me his phone, showing the notice that our corporate account had been frozen.

"Ms. McKinnon, the police are already on their way to the company. This is no mistake! And today is payday. With the account frozen, what are we supposed to do?"

I clenched my teeth and fell silent, my mind racing as I tried every possible solution, working my phone in an attempt to lift the freeze.

But no matter what I did, nothing worked.

By chance, I glanced at Chelsea. The faint curl of her lips gave her away—she was clearly reveling in my misfortune.

The moment she noticed my gaze, she quickly masked it, spreading her hands with feigned helplessness.

"Melissa, see? I told you not to accept Andy's bank card, but you wouldn't listen. Everyone in the circle is saying his money comes from illegal sources. You must have been dragged down with him."

Hearing her badmouth Andy to my face again, I let out a silent scoff.

In my previous life, I had been deceived into believing those so-called comments—that Andy harbored ill intentions toward me—and she had played no small part in that.

Every time—no matter when—as long as Andy did something kind for me, Chelsea would twist it into something sinister.

When the branch office opened, Andy introduced a major order.

She insisted there must be a trap behind it, that I'd be left holding the bag.

Only later did I find out the project had been taken over by her.

At my birthday banquet, Andy gifted me a rare blood diamond. She claimed it was some kind of southern sorcery—that wearing it would curse me, turning me into his puppet.

And now that the company's cash flow was in crisis, and Andy stepped in to help, she was once again spreading nonsense, insisting his money was dirty.

But if it really was dirty, then why in my previous life had she been able to use that very money to rise so spectacularly?

There had to be something more—some hidden scheme I didn't yet understand.

As I racked my brain, trying to pinpoint where things had gone wrong, something caught my eye.

I saw Chelsea and the finance director exchange a subtle glance—then nod to each other.

A chill shot through me, cold and piercing.

They weren't supposed to be close at all. Yet, that silent exchange spoke of a connection far deeper than mere acquaintances.

I suddenly looked up at the finance director.

He cleared his throat, the urgency on his face intensifying.

"Ms. McKinnon, can the company account be unfrozen or not? If salaries aren't paid today, the employees will definitely cause a scene."

Watching his feigned anxiety, everything in me snapped into clarity.

In my previous life, the company had lost bid after bid, only for Chelsea to snatch those projects away at just the right moment. Now, the mystery was finally solved. I didn't know what methods she had used to bring the finance director into her scheme—but the truth was undeniable.

I looked at him steadily, then let out a quiet sigh.

"Terry, you've been with McKinnon Group for years. Ever since my father took over, you've been here. So why would you do something like this now? The freezing of the company's account—this has something to do with you, doesn't it?"

His face went pale, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Ms. McKinnon, I wouldn't! For all these years, my dedication to the company is clear to everyone. You can't accuse me without evidence!"

As he spoke, he shot a glance at Chelsea.

Right on cue, she stepped in to defend him.

"Melissa, you must be misunderstanding Terry. He's a veteran who helped your father build the company. Treating him like this will only demotivate the other staff. I think the problem lies with Andy's bank card. If you don't believe me, ask Terry—wasn't it when he tried to transfer money from that card that the account suddenly got frozen?"

The finance director nodded eagerly in agreement.

I let out a cold laugh, sweeping my gaze over the two of them as I tapped lightly on the table.

"In that case, I'll just call Andy and ask him myself. I'll relay everything you've both said and demand to know whether it's true."

At my words, Chelsea instantly panicked. She lunged forward and snatched my phone from my hand, nearly losing control of her expression.

"I'm just calling my fiancé to ask about the bank card. Why are you so worked up?" I lowered my gaze slightly, a faint, knowing smile tugging at my lips as I questioned her.

She drew in a deep breath, taking a long moment to steady herself.

Only then did she release her grip on my phone, forcing a stiff, unnatural smile onto her face.

"Melissa, I just didn't want you to alarm Andy. If he senses something's off, he might find another way to target the company. But if you really want to call, go ahead… just don't mention my name."

As she spoke, her expression turned bitter.

"My family's little company is nothing compared to yours. If he finds out I exposed him behind his back, he definitely won't let me off."

Hearing those words again, anger surged through me. Even now, she was still playing her petty games.

In my previous life, I had believed her completely.

To keep Andy from taking things out on Chelsea because of me, I had always put in a few good words for her in front of him. Because of that, he never once knew she had been speaking ill of him behind his back.

Who would have thought that my so-called best friend had been scheming all along to take him from me? She had worked so hard to maintain a perfect image in Andy's eyes. If I repeated any of this to him, that carefully crafted facade would shatter instantly.

In my previous life, when Andy lost all faith in me and chose to marry Chelsea… I had truly played no small part in it. The thought made me clench my jaw, a self-mocking smile creeping onto my lips.

I could still see it clearly—the way he had walked away from me, utterly dejected. It was I who had betrayed his sincerity.

This time, I wouldn't let him down again.

I raised the phone and dialed his number.

"Melissa, you finally called me!"

The moment his delighted voice reached my ear, something in my chest stirred uncontrollably.

At the same time, the barrage of comments flooded my vision once more.

[Melissa, you idiot—don't mention the bank card, or Andy will trick you again!]

[She just won't listen. Poor Chelsea, trying so hard to help her, only to be unappreciated!]

[Go ahead, say it. Once she does, McKinnon Group is finished! Andy will bleed them dry, and her whole family won't even have a grave to rot in.]

I curled my lips into a cold smile, choosing once again to ignore the comments.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Chelsea.

Her gaze was vacant, clearly lost in thought—no doubt plotting her next move against me.

Since she wanted me to say it… then I would gladly oblige.

"Andy, is there something wrong with the bank card you gave me? My finance director said that right after transferring your money into the company's account, it got frozen. Even the police have called, and it still hasn't been resolved."

Andy's voice immediately turned grave.

"Melissa, don't panic. I'm on my way to your company right now. I want to see what kind of tricks are being played to frame me. No matter how big the problem is, I'll handle it for you."

Hearing his words, I finally let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. In my previous life, I had failed him again and again—doubted him, mistrusted him. Otherwise… how could I have ended up sold to an underground clinic, dismembered piece by piece?

Just as I hung up, I caught sight of Chelsea from the corner of my eye—her face was twisted, barely concealed. She exchanged a glance with the finance director across from her.

Both of them looked unsettled, their eyes darting with unease.

Chelsea's gaze toward me was filled with resentment. Under her breath, she muttered in disbelief, "How… how is this possible? Why didn't it work…"

I let out a silent scoff, then turned to her with a bright, curious smile.

"Chelsea, what were you just saying?"

Chelsea froze for a moment, a flicker of panic flashing through her eyes.

Then she quickly composed herself, letting out a hesitant sigh.

"Melissa… I don't even know what to say anymore. But since Andy is coming, I'd better stay out of it. I don't want to make things unpleasant between you two."

She tried to leave, but I grabbed her arm firmly, my smile bright and unyielding.

"Why the rush, Chelsea? You're my strategist. When Andy gets here, if there's anything wrong, you can question him directly. I won't blame you. You're my best friend. I'm going through the hardest time right now—how can you not stay with me?"

In the end, Chelsea couldn't leave. Because at that very moment, a group of police officers had already arrived at the company.

The officer in charge took out his credentials and spoke.

"Who is the CEO of McKinnon Group? We need your cooperation with an investigation."

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"I am Melissa McKinnon, CEO of McKinnon Group."

"Ms. McKinnon, based on relevant leads, your company is suspected of involvement in organized money laundering. We need to review some of your recent project accounts."

Before I could respond, Chelsea suddenly pointed at me, her face filled with grief, her voice heavy with disappointment.

"Melissa, I told you those projects weren't safe—you should never have gotten involved. Why wouldn't you listen?

"And now look—the truth is out. You haven't just harmed yourself, you've dragged the entire McKinnon family down with you!

"You got mixed up in something like this, ruining your own health with your reckless behavior—and now you're trying to pull me in too? I'm your best friend!"

For a moment, I couldn't even process what she was implying.

It wasn't until I caught sight of Andy standing behind the officers—his gaze filled with doubt, a trace of disappointment on his face—that it hit me like a thunderclap.

I pointed at Chelsea and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! I've always followed the rules. I've never been involved in anything illegal!"

But Chelsea calmly pulled up a series of documents and chat records on her phone.

Every page was filled with so-called evidence of my involvement in illegal activities.

"Melissa, what do you have to say now? These chat records—they're yours, aren't they?"

My heart jolted.

Suddenly, I remembered something from my previous life—one day, Chelsea claimed someone was harassing her, and she was too afraid to turn on her phone. She borrowed mine to call home and reassure her family.

For two full hours, my phone had been in her hands—and I had no idea what she did with it.

After that, my phone began receiving strange messages and calls. I blocked them all, thinking nothing of it.

I never imagined she would save everything… and bring it out now. There were even records of transfers from the company's accounts.

My hands clenched instinctively, my nails digging into my palms until they nearly drew blood.

Grinding my teeth, I looked at Chelsea and the finance director, forcing the words out one by one.

"I really underestimated you. You planned all of this to frame me from the very beginning."

Chelsea's face twisted into an expression of heartbreak.

"Melissa, don't blame me. I just didn't want you to keep falling further down this path."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Andy, her gaze brimming with barely concealed affection.

"Besides… how could you do this to Andy?"

The finance director chimed in as well, his face full of helplessness.

"I'm sorry, Ms. McKinnon. I just couldn't let you lead the company down a path of no return."

My face went deathly pale, drained of all color.

Andy remained silent the entire time—he had probably believed Chelsea's words and was completely disappointed in me.

The officers stepped forward, seizing my hands as they reviewed the materials Chelsea had submitted.

"Please come with us."

I bit down on my lip until it bled, refusing to give in.

"I didn't do this. I was never involved in any of it!"

"That's not for you to decide. We will conduct a full investigation."

I walked up to Andy, looking into his calm, unreadable face.

"Do you believe I didn't do this?"

He said nothing.

Just as I was about to speak again, someone shoved me from behind.

My forehead slammed into the sharp edge of the door, splitting the skin and leaving a deep, bleeding gash.

Afraid I might say something more, Chelsea clamped a hand over my mouth.

"Officer, take her away quickly. She might try to escape again!"

I was dragged out of the company.

All the employees pointed at me, whispering among themselves.

In this life… was I still destined to end the same way?