Jessica felt a surge of shock as she witnessed Chloe being beaten mercilessly. Unable to contain herself, she eximed, “You… what’s wrong with you?!”


    In that moment, Chloe was utterly devastated. To her, Jessica had always been a lifeline, but now, in an instant, Jessica had be ensnared in her own troubles. Desperation filled Chloe’s heart as she replied, “Don’t worry about me; first, please tell me what’s happening with you…”


    Jessica, in great distress, responded, “It’s not just because of our scheme to sell cigarettes at inted prices… That damn 1024, their family bought a thousand cigarettes from my sister all at once, handing over a million dors in cash. My sister had just organized the cigarettes when they were seized by the FBI, and I got arrested before I could even clock out from work…”


    “What did you just say?!”


    Chloe gasped, her mind racing. “1024’s family bought a thousand cigarettes?! Didn’t we agree to purchase only two today?!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    With gritted teeth, Jessica replied, “They did start by buying two, but then they decided to buy a thousand in one go.”


    Chloe’s next question came out in a rush: “Why didn’t you tell me about this? Were you nning to keep that money for yourself?!”


    Jessica shot back, “Stop with your usations! By the time I could have spilled the beans, it was toote! I wanted to make the money first and then tell you about it tomorrow, but I got caught by the FBI shortly after!”


    Chloe pressed on, “So… what charges are they pressing against you?”


    Jessica’s face fell as she said, “I’m now suspected of bribery, abuse of power for personal gain, and extortion…”


    Chloe gasped in horror, “You’re used of extortion? This… it’s not connected to me, right?”


    With a bitter smile, Jessica replied, “Chloe, don’t forget that you came up with the extortion n. You coerced people, including 1024, which means they’ll testify against us in court. I’m just an aplice; you’re the mastermind!”


    “What did you just say?!”


    Chloe felt dizzy from the revtion.


    Having spent considerable time in prison, Chloe was well-acquainted with the various inmates and had unwittingly absorbed a lot of the U.S. Federal Criminal Code. Listening to Jessica’s ount, she quickly assessed the potential consequences of their actions.


    She realized that extorting over one million dors could lead to the maximum penalty for such a crime. As the principal offender,bined with her previous sentence, it meant Chloe could be facing serious prison time.


    Overwhelmed by despair, Chloe turned to ine and cried, “Who are you?! If your family is so powerful, why are you here, caught with contraband? And if your family is so influential, why resort to smuggling in the first ce? Are you lying or just out of your mind?!”


    Feeling aggrieved, ine thought to herself, “I can’t believe my son-inw has such connections in New York, yet here I am, getting beaten by Jovie and Ste! It’s infuriating, and the more I ponder it, the angrier I be!” As Chloe used her of deceit, ine’s anger red, and she raised her hand again, striking Chloe repeatedly while shouting, “Who do you think you are, mocking your grandmother? I’ll have you know, I was framed!”


    Chloe, battered and nearly fainting, could hardly bear the relentless blows. ine seemed unstoppable, and as Chloe begged, “Grandma, please forgive me… If you hit me again, I swear I’ll…”


    ine interrupted with another p, “How dare you call me Grandma like that?!”


    Chloe’s face was bruised and swollen, a painful sight. Yet, even as she pleaded in agony, ine showed no signs of mercy. The other inmates, including Chloe’s former allies, looked on, secretly cheering ine on.<h3 ss="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong><fn2ac3> Checktest chapters at find?novel</fn2ac3>