Chapter 2
“Boss, the Lawsky Group has contacted three media outlets and is preparing to release a report questioning the qualifications of the Webster Group,” the assistant’s voice came through the phone.
I sat in the top-floor office of Webster Group, gazing out at the city nightscape. In just three days, Eric had already started to fight back aggressively. But this was exactly what I wanted.
“Let them release it,” I said calmly. “At the same time, release the evidence we’ve gathered on the Lawsky Group’s illegal activities, but only a tenth of it.”
“Got it, Boss.”
I hung up the phone, opened my computer, and logged into an account that only Mason and I knew about “Nyx.” This mysterious trader, a nightmare in the financial market, had already successfully shorted three companies connected to the Lawsky Group. And today, I was going to place the final bet.
A knock on the door interrupted me. Mason walked in, holding a stack of documents.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he frowned. “Once Eric finds out ‘Nyx’ is you, he’ll stop at nothing.”
“Will he stop at nothing more than when he pushed my sister down the stairs?” I forced a smile. “Mason, don’t forget our agreement.”
He was silent for a moment. “I haven’t forgotten, but I don’t want to see you make the same mistake again.”
“It won’t happen,” I whispered. “This time, he’s the one who’s going to die.”
Mason gave me a long look, then turned and left. Our relationship was strange partners in business, legally married, but we had never crossed that line. Sometimes I wonder, if not for revenge, would our ending have been different?
The next morning, I walked into the meeting room where the executives of Webster Group were already waiting.
“Everyone, the bidding for the Alexender project is imminent. We must leave no room for error.” I scanned the room. “The Lawsky Group has started to smear us, but that is exactly the sign of their fear.”
Halfway through the meeting, the assistant hurried in and whispered in my ear, “Boss, Master Peter from the Lawsky family is waiting for you in the lobby.”
My heart tightened. “Have him wait in my office.”
Peter was sitting on the sofa, his face full of defiance. When he saw me enter, he immediately jumped up. “Auntie!”
I instinctively opened my arms and embraced the child I treated like my own. “Peter, why did you come alone? Do Mr. and Mrs. Lawsky know?”
“I ran away secretly,” he whispered. “Dad said you’re a bad person and told me not to see you again, but I don’t believe him. You’ve taken care of me for eight years. How could you be a bad person?”
My heart ached. No matter how vile Eric was, Peter was still innocent. But I couldn’t show weakness. I couldn’t lose my way on this path of revenge.
“Peter, listen to your aunt,” I crouched down to meet his gaze. “Some things are complicated, but I promise you, no matter what happens, I will never hurt you.”
“Then can you stop going against Dad?” Peter asked innocently. “I want everyone to be okay.”
I fell silent. If I told him the truth, he would lose trust in his father forever. If I lied, I would be deceiving him.
“Peter, when you’re older, Auntie will tell you the whole truth,” I finally said. “For now, let me take you home.”
“No need,” a cold voice came from the door. “I’ll take him.”
Eric stood there; his eyes were full of hostility. Two bodyguards followed him, exuding an intimidating presence.
“Dad…” Peter shrank back.
“Come home with me,” Eric said forcefully, then turned to me. “Daisy, you don’t think that just because you’ve hooked up with the Lowes family, you can go against the Lawsky Group. Your company is nothing in the financial world.”
I stood up and calmly met his gaze. “Mr. Lawsky, welcome to Webster Group. Since you’re here, why not take a tour? Perhaps you’ll be interested in the project we’re about to release—an investigative report on how the Lawsky Group manipulated the stock market eight years ago and how it led to the ‘accidental’ deaths of some people.”
Eric’s pupils instantly contracted. “Are you threatening me?”
“No, I’m stating the facts.” I smiled. “Now, please take Peter and leave. I still have work to do.”
Eric glared at me and grabbed Peter’s hand. “Let’s go!”
Peter looked back at me reluctantly. I gave him a reassuring gesture. Once their figures disappeared, I slowly sat back in my chair, my hands trembling slightly.
“I’m sorry,” Mason said, standing by the door. “The security didn’t stop them when they barged in.”
“It’s fine,” I forced myself to calm down. “This is exactly the effect I wanted. The more frantic Eric becomes, the more likely he is to expose his weaknesses.”
Mason walked over and handed me a glass of water. “Are you really going to release that report? It’ll implicate a lot of innocent people.”
“Of course not, not yet,” I took the glass. “That’s my final trump card. Before that, I want him to taste the feeling of losing everything, just like I did eight years ago.”
At 3:00 PM, I was reviewing documents when suddenly there was a commotion outside. Cindy stormed in with a group of reporters.
“Daisy Webster!” she shouted, “How dare you sit here? The whole financial world knows how you got to where you are!”
I slowly looked up. “Mrs. Lawsky, this is a private office. I have the right to call the police.”
“Call them!” she said provocatively, signaling the reporters to start filming. “Let everyone see how the CEO of Webster Group seduced my husband!”
I sneered, pressing a button on my desk. Instantly, the large screen in the office lit up, showing a video of Cindy meeting with a wealthy businessman in a hotel.
“Mrs. Lawsky, are you sure you want to tear off the mask here?” I stood up. “Does Mr. Lawsky know about your little secrets with CEO William?”
Mrs. Lawsky’s face turned pale, and she was left speechless.
“Now, please take these reporters and leave,” I continued. “Otherwise, tomorrow’s headline won’t just be about the business competition between Webster Group and Lawsky Group.”
Mrs. Lawsky glared at me hatefully, then hurriedly led the reporters out of the office.
I let out a breath and sat back down. My phone on the desk suddenly lit up with an anonymous text message:
“Want to know the real cause of your sister’s death? Meet at the old place at 8 p.m.”
My heart raced. “The old place” could only refer to one location—the villa where my sister had the accident eight years ago.
“Boss,” my assistant entered, “Mr. Lowes asked me to inform you that he has an important meeting tonight and may be late.”
I nodded. Perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity to go to the meeting.
At 7:30 PM, I drove alone to the old villa in the suburbs. It had been abandoned for years, and after the bloodshed that occurred there, no one dared live in it anymore.
The villa was dark, with only the moonlight casting over the ruined garden. I gripped the gun in my handbag tightly and cautiously pushed open the rusted iron gate.
“Is anyone here?” I whispered, but all I heard was an echo.
Suddenly, a light turned on the second floor. I held my breath and carefully walked up the stairs. Every step revived the nightmare from eight years ago—my sister being pushed down these stairs, blood pouring everywhere…
The door to the master bedroom on the second floor was slightly open, and faint light streamed through. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door, only to be suddenly grabbed from behind and had my mouth covered!
“Don’t make a sound,” a familiar voice whispered in my ear. “There’s an ambush.”
Mason?! I turned in shock, meeting his serious gaze.
“Who told you to come?” I whispered.
“I followed you,” he replied briefly. “This is clearly a trap.”
As we spoke, footsteps came from downstairs. Mason and I quickly hid inside the closet. Through the crack, I saw Eric and a stranger walk into the bedroom.
“Where’s the stuff?” Eric asked urgently.
“Don’t rush,” the stranger said with a smile. “I still have the recording tape from eight years ago, but the price has gone up. Now that Daisy Webster’s worth a hundred times more, this evidence is even more valuable.”
Eric gritted his teeth. “Name your price.”
“Two hundred million,” the man held up two fingers. “Otherwise, I’ll give the tape to Daisy and let her know who personally killed her sister that day.”
My heart raced, nearly choking me. A recording tape? Someone recorded the process of my sister’s murder?
The closet was too cramped, and I accidentally brushed against a hanger. The slight noise felt deafening in the otherwise silent room.
Eric turned quickly. “Who’s there?”
Just as he moved toward the closet, Mason suddenly kicked the door open, shielding me behind him while drawing his gun.
“Don’t move, Eric,” Mason said calmly.
“Mason?” Eric froze, then his eyes widened in fear as he saw me. “You two…”
The stranger tried to escape but was shot in the leg by Mason.
“Where’s the tape?” I stepped forward, my voice trembling.
The man collapsed on the ground yet grinned wickedly. “Want to know how your sister died? Two hundred million, and I only accept cash.”
“Give it to me!” I nearly lost control, but Mason quickly pulled me back.
“Calm down,” he whispered. “Don’t fall into their trap.”
At that tense moment, the sound of police sirens suddenly blared from downstairs.
Eric smiled triumphantly. “Daisy Webster, who do you think you are? Trying to fight against me? I have already called the cops saying there are armed criminals here. Guess what the police will see when they walk in? The CEO of Webster Group and the president of Lowes Group holding guns and threatening someone. It’s over for you.”
I panicked and looked at Mason. But to my surprise, he remained calm, pulled out his phone, and pressed a button. “Now.”
In an instant, a team of armed officers burst into the villa, led by Police Chief Jake Carmen.
“Chief Carmen?” Eric’s face turned pale. “What’s going on?”
“Mr. Lawsky,” Chief Carmen said seriously, “We received a tip about illegal transactions and extortion happening here. It seems that the situation is as reported.”
Eric looked at Mason in disbelief. “You…”
“It was all planned in advance,” Mason said calmly. “The moment when Daisy got the text, I got one too. But I knew this was a trap.”
The police quickly arrested Eric and the injured man. During the search, they found a small recorder in the man’s pocket.
“This should be it,” Chief Carmen handed me the recorder. “You can listen to the content first. If it’s evidence, we’ll start the investigation.”
I held the recorder, my fingers trembling. The truth of the last eight years—was it all in this tiny device?
“Listen to it at home,” Mason said softly, “This place isn’t safe.”
I nodded and left the nightmare with him.
In the car, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “When did you know?”
“What do you mean?” Mason asked, still focused on driving.
“That tonight was a trap, that you had arranged for the police in advance.”
He was silent for a while. “Daisy, there are some things I can’t tell you. Not now.”
I stared at his profile and suddenly realized that this man, who had agreed to marry me for revenge, seemed far more complicated than I thought. Who is he really? Why is he helping me? Is it truly just because I saved his life?
When we got home, I hesitated whether to listen to the recording right away. If it really contained evidence of my sister’s murder, everything would change. But what if it’s another trap?
Mason walked over, gently taking the recorder from my hand. “I’ll listen first.”
I shook my head. “No, we’ll listen together. Whatever’s in there, I have to face it.”
We looked at each other, then pressed play.
The recording began with silence, then my sister’s voice: “Eric, you promised me! You said you would give me a name!”
“A name?” Eric sneered. “Bella Webster, do you even know your place? A mistress who can’t even make it to the stage, and you’re pregnant with my child?”
“This child is innocent! You can’t do this!”
“Get an abortion, I’ll give you five million. This is your last chance.”
“I won’t do it! This is my child, I’m keeping him!”
“Then don’t blame me.”
There was a struggle, followed by chilling screams, the sound of something heavy falling, and finally, Eric’s voice: “Make it clean, don’t leave any traces.”
The recording ended there.
I was frozen, my body cold, and tears silently fell. My sister’s child? Eric’s child? Whose child is Peter really?
“This can’t be,” I muttered, “Peter… he can’t be my sister’s child. The Lawsky family always said he was Eric and his ex-wife’s child.”
Mason took my hand. “Daisy, things might not be what we think. The recording didn’t say what happened to the child after.”
I suddenly looked up. “I need to know the truth. If Peter is my sister’s child, then Eric not only killed her, but he also stole her child!”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Mason said firmly. “But not now. Eric’s been detained, and we need to focus on the next step.”
“The next step?”
“The Alexender project bid,” he reminded me. “This is the key step in bringing down the Lawsky Group.”
I nodded, wiping away my tears. No matter what, the path to revenge cannot stop. And now, I must seek justice for my sister and for Peter, who might be her child.
“Mason,” I suddenly called to him as he prepared to leave, “Thank you.”
He turned back and his gaze was soft. “No need to thank me. This is what I owe you.”
As I watched him leave, for the first time, I felt a twinge of doubt. Had this marriage, which was originally just for revenge, quietly turned into something else?
But I quickly shook off the thought. Right now, I have one goal: to utterly destroy Eric and the Lawsky Group, avenge my sister, and seek the truth for Peter.
