Now, the one in Dad’s arms was Aunt Olivia.
A clap of thunder sounded.
Boom!
Aunt Olivia flinched in fright.
She pushed Dad away, asking anxiously, “Richard, do you think Julia’s ghost will come back to take revenge on us?”
Dad lost interest as well.
He let go of her, lit a cigarette, and said casually, “Don’t worry. The grave under that headstone in the cemetery is empty. I hired a highly skilled master from Portville—he wrapped the coffin with a red cord and pressed it down into a sealed dry well.”
“The master promised me that not only will she never come back for revenge—she won’t even be able to reincarnate for all eternity.”
My pupils dilated sharply.
Aunt Olivia playfully hit his shoulder. “You’re really ruthless!”
Then she asked, “What do you plan to do with Sophie?”
At the mention of me, Dad’s eyes darkened. “For now, we’ll keep her in the house. Once she transfers her shares, I’ll buy her a ticket and send her abroad.”
Aunt Olivia frowned. “You really plan to let her travel the world?”
Dad sneered. “The world is a dangerous place. If she gets kidnapped and killed, no one can blame us.”
Aunt Olivia hesitated. “Isn’t that a bit too cruel? She’s already given up her shares—there’s no need to wipe her out completely.”
Dad kissed her and said, “You’re silly. Sooner or later, she’ll notice something’s wrong. Rather than wait for her to make trouble, it’s better to strike first.”
“As soon as she’s dead, you can pretend to be ill, and I can naturally take over the company. Everything will be ours, and we won’t have to answer to those old fossils.”
Drip.
Tears slid down my cheeks and fell to the floor.
In my past life, even up until the moment the kidnappers slit my throat, I still held on to a shred of hope.
I thought maybe it was Aunt Olivia alone who wanted me dead so her and Dad’s son could rise to power.
After all, I was Dad’s biological daughter.
But I hadn’t expected that Dad would truly be so merciless.
Not only had he schemed to kill Mom,
even after I gave up my shares, he still wanted me dead.
Did he have no trace of fatherly affection in his heart?
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded behind me, followed by the voice of a servant.
I was startled—too late to hide.
So I simply knocked on the door openly.
Dad and Aunt Olivia looked toward the doorway as if they’d seen a ghost, their eyes meeting my tear-soaked gaze.
Dad forced an awkward smile. “Sophie, what’s wrong?”
I walked briskly to Aunt Olivia and threw my arms around her like a child. “I dreamed about Aunt Olivia’s ghost—she kept telling me she died in terrible pain.”
Her body went rigid.
In the window’s reflection, I could clearly see her and Dad exchanging a panicked glance.
After a moment, Aunt Olivia gently stroked my back. “Silly child, that was just a nightmare.”
I murmured softly, “I don’t want to stay home tomorrow. I want to go out for a bit—maybe I’ve just been scared these past couple of days. A little sunshine will make it better.”
Dad studied me for a moment before finally agreeing. “Alright.”
On the day the charity foundation was to be established, social elites and media outlets flocked to the venue.
After all, the Scott Group was a local powerhouse.
When my grandfather Robert Scott—a brilliant man of his time—passed away, the media predicted the company wouldn’t survive three years.
But Mom proved them wrong, relying on her talent to withstand the pressure and achieve new heights.
Over the years, she never crushed small and medium-sized businesses—instead, she formed strong partnerships, creating mutual benefit and earning widespread goodwill.
Now, with the matter of transferring shares on the table…
