A tragic incident occurred at the company, and the victims’ families were too distraught to be calmed.
George Johnson, holding his entire life savings, begged me to take him to the company to help appease the families.
When my husband learned I was bringing my father-in-law with money, he didn’t want others to benefit. He immediately ordered his secretary:
“Bella, arrange an accident for her dad. Let those families vent their anger, and you’ll get half the money.”
A flicker of delight flashed in her eyes, but she pretended to pout, using my threat against her as an excuse:
“Richard, I’m scared! Mrs. Johnson said if anyone touched her things, she’d tear them apart…”
Richard sneered:
“What’s there to be afraid of? Everything she owns is mine! I’ll use her dad’s presence to put those troublemakers in their place.”
It wasn’t until I saw the company group chat that I learned George had been locked inside a warehouse full of flammable and explosive materials by the angry families.
I begged Richard to save my father-in-law, but instead, he shouted to the families:
“Didn’t you want an explanation? She’s the one who pushed your son to work overtime, which drove him to suicide!”
Hearing this, the families completely lost control. They beat him harder, and in the end, they set the warehouse on fire.
As flames shot skyward, Bella panicked and ordered people to put out the fire, but Richard stopped her:
“Leave it. That old bastard will live forever anyway!”
He then handed George’s bank card to Bella:
“You little temptress, you’re really winning me over. This dog-eat-dog scheme was brilliant—perfect!”
By the time I risked everything to pull George out, he had already stopped breathing.
When Richard heard he was dead, he didn’t even frown. Instead, he gathered me and the shaken families in his office:
“One life for another. Your dad’s life for their son’s. We’ll call it even!”
He had actually orchestrated his own father’s death just to save the one million the families demanded!
I immediately called the police:
“Sign this settlement yourself and hand it to law enforcement!”
…
Richard slapped the phone out of my hand, the screen shattering instantly.
“Olivia, are you trying to ruin me further? The goods in that warehouse were worth millions, and your dad destroyed them all! I didn’t hold you or him accountable—you should be grateful!”
“Don’t think I don’t know what your dad was up to! He saw my company in trouble and tried to profit from the chaos! Luckily those families survived, or I’d have to die to repay their loss!”
Seeing Richard defend the families’ actions, they grew indignant too:
“That’s right! Your dad cursed our son, saying he deserved to die. We just argued back, and he lit the flammable materials, trying to take us down with him!”
I froze.
How could George ever say such a thing?
A guilty flicker crossed Richard’s eyes, and I understood instantly. He truly was a master at manipulating people.
George was brought by me to the company—he couldn’t die without clarity. And that young graduate shouldn’t have died unclear either, nor should his parents have been turned into pawns without knowing it.
I insisted on calling the police for a full investigation.
Seeing I wouldn’t yield, Richard dragged me into his office by force:
“Olivia, the families already agreed to settle. Why can’t you let it go? Do you want to see me and the company destroyed? Don’t you realize if the company faces a wrongful-death lawsuit, it will ruin our chance to go public?”
“Your dad’s life in exchange for peace—isn’t that better? I’ve practically solved your retirement problem for you. Shouldn’t you thank me?”
I couldn’t believe Richard could see a living life this way.
