Gerald dodged easily. As he glanced at the screen, his face immediately darkened.
"So you really were recording me! Planning to use this against me in court? Lorraine, you're vicious!"
My heart sank.
It's over. They've found out.
With a snarl, Gerald raised the phone high and smashed it to the ground.
Crash!
The screen shattered instantly, fragments scattered across the floor.
"No!" I cried, panic seizing me. If the phone was destroyed, I would lose my only evidence.
But Gerald wasn't finished. He ground his heel into the remains, again and again, until the device was nothing but useless shards.
"Let's see how you record anything now."
Breathing heavily, he looked down on me with scorn.
Beside him, Tiffany pretended to intervene with her soft, fake kindness.
"Gerald, forget it. Lorraine must have acted on impulse... after all, she just lost Miles. She's not herself right now."
Her words sounded gentle, but every line poured salt into my wounds.
Sure enough, Gerald's fury only deepened.
"Impulse? That gives her the right to hurt others? Don't defend her, Tiffany. A poisonous woman like this deserves punishment!"
He swept his gaze around the pool. The staff had long since hidden in fear, and the few guests watching from afar didn't dare interfere.
Seeing this, he grew even more brazen.
"Lorraine, I'll say it one last time—kneel and apologize to Tiffany."
He jabbed a finger at my face, his voice cold and commanding.
"Or don't even dream of walking out of here alive."
I lay on the ground, staring at the smashed phone, then at Miles' lifeless body not far away.
Something inside me broke. My heart... completely died.
And perhaps that was a blessing.
Because now, when it was time to strike back, I wouldn't hesitate.
Slowly, I lifted my head. My lips curved into a chilling smile.
"Gerald... do you know what the Olson Group's ‘Level One Contingency Plan' is?"
He froze for a second, then sneered.
"What kind of bullshit trick is that? Don't play games with me, Lorraine. The Olson family already disowned you!"
Tiffany quickly chimed in, feigning pity.
"Lorraine, are you hallucinating? The Olson Group is a giant. It has nothing to do with you anymore."
Yes. That's what everyone believed.
That after my fallout with the Olson family, I had nothing left.
Even Gerald thought so.
But he forgot one thing—my father was Luciano Olson.
He might have declared he no longer had a daughter, but I am still his only child. His blood runs in my veins.
He had even forgotten that those seemingly generous cooperation projects he signed in the beginning were bound by the harshest gambling agreements and the strictest risk-control clauses.
Once triggered, there was no escape.
The "Level One Contingency Plan" I mentioned, was the highest order of liquidation—Olson family's deadliest weapon, left behind as my final shield.
Once activated, the Olson Group would stop at nothing to annihilate its target.
And with my phone forcibly destroyed, the Olson family's alert system would have already been triggered.
It wouldn't take long before they traced the signal here.
The thought made me laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Gerald demanded, his eyes narrowing. Then he gave a short, derisive chuckle.
"Trying to act crazy to win my pity? Lorraine, your schemes never really end."
I shook my head, blood dripping from my lips, and whispered, "You're both fools."
"Gerald, by now your company's liquid funds should already be frozen."
His face twitched, though he quickly forced composure. "Bullshit! Who do you think you are? You think the banks belong to you?"
"And your properties, stocks, your investment funds..." I went on slowly, deliberately, "they should all be sealed off by now."
Tiffany giggled behind her hand and tugged at his sleeve.
"Gerald, she... she really has gone mad, hasn't she?"
But in Gerald's eyes, I caught a flicker of doubt.
Still, he scoffed, trying to sound steady.
"Do you believe what a lunatic says? My company is running perfectly—"
His words cut off abruptly when his phone rang.
He frowned, pulled it out, and glanced at the caller ID. His expression shifted.
It was his Chief Financial Officer.
Gerald answered the call, his tone was impatient.
"Hello? What is it? Didn't I say not to bother me unless it's urgent—"
On the other end, the voice of his CFO was so loud I could hear it clearly from where I stood.
"Mr. Hamilton! Something terrible happened! The bank suddenly froze all our accounts! They said we're suspected of illegal operations. Every single project's funding chain has collapsed!"
