Chapter 9
+25 BONUS
Next, it was his turn.
Oliver had invited me to a café. The location was nice, and the café exuded luxury, a perfect match for his façade of wealth that was just for show.
Today, he had dressed meticulously, wearing a tailored suit, his hair neatly styled, but the gauntness of his cheeks betrayed the toll the past weeks had taken on him.
As soon as I sat down, he eagerly poured me some water. “I remember you don’t like lemon water, so I specifically asked for plain water.”
I glanced at the cup he had touched, and a wave of disgust washed over me. “Cindy killed herself.”
His expression froze, and he looked at me with wide eyes, his voice trembling. “You said that you would let the winner go. Now that Cindy is dead, I’ve won, right? You’ll give me a chance to live, won’t you?”
“Did you ever love Cindy?”
Oliver shook his head without hesitation, urgency lacing his voice as he declared his loyalty. “No, I was only with her to gain access to the resources of the wealthy.
“In my heart, you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. The others were just flings; I never cared for them.
“Karen, you know my situation–I come from a poor family. If I want to succeed, I have to rely on myself.
“I truly regret it this time. I shouldn’t have been so naive to let that conniving woman, Cindy, deceive me. I’m begging you to forgive me and give me another chance to make things right.”
He reached out to grab my hand, but I instinctively recoiled, my disgust growing.
Looking at the face that once captivated me, I felt a surge of nausea rise in my stomach.
He claimed to be disadvantaged, so he needed to climb the social ladder.
He wanted to survive while simultaneously shoving Cindy into the abyss.
He had destroyed his own flesh and blood, yet now he avoided the topic, trying to manipulate me into giving him another shot.
What a cowardly man he was–fearful of consequences and desperately clinging to life. How distasteful.
I furrowed my brow at him. “For the sake of our eight years together, I’ll give you a chance.
“If my son comes back to life, I’ll let you go.”
Oliver stared at me, stunned, then sprang to his feet, excitement bubbling over. “Karen, you know a dead person can’t come back to life. If you want a son, we can…”
I rolled my eyes in disgust. “What makes you think a piece of trash like you could ever be in my bed again?
Oliver glared at me, his fists clenched tightly. Ignoring the curious stares from those around us, he shouted in a frenzy, “So from the beginning, you never intended to spare any of us.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 9
“Your request for online revelations was just a way to drive us mad.
“Now that Cindy is dead, are you trying to kill me too?”
I shrugged, nodding. “Exactly. Whoever killed my son shouldn’t expect to live.”
Oliver erupted into a maniacal laugh. “This is a society governed by law! Even if you’re the daughter of the richest man, you can’t control everything!“.
I lowered my gaze and picked up my phone before speaking into it. “Withdraw the funds lent to Ferguson Corporation immediately. Also, expose the news about their falsified materials and tax evasion. I want Ferguson Corporation to go bankrupt.”
Oliver lunged at me in a frenzy but was forcibly pinned to the ground by my bodyguards.
With wild eyes, he stared at me, struggling against their grip. “Karen, are you trying to kill me? That company is everything to me! If it’s gone, that’s the same as taking my life!”
I lifted my foot and pressed it hard against Oliver’s face. “Yeah, I just wanted the baby inside me to be born safely. I wanted to be a happy mother. Didn’t you also take my life?
“I’m just using your methods against you. Why can’t you handle it?”
Oliver lay despondently on the ground, a miserable laugh escaping his lips. “Karen, consider it a debt I owe you. Can’t you spare my life?”
I didn’t answer him.
Because the answer was no.
Two weeks later, Oliver’s company was shut down, leaving him buried under crippling debt. Unable to cope, he overdosed on sleeping pills and was found dead in his home.
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