Chapter 24

In Scarlett's Perspective:

Walking out of Gabriel's office, I finally let my guard down. I collapsed into Lucas's arms in an instant.

Things that happened these days were about to break me. I could no longer control my emotions and began to wail.

"Why?" I crouched by the roadside, my hands clenched so tightly they were almost bleeding. "Why does everyone leave me?"

Lucas was silent for a moment, then gently held my hand.

"Scarlett, it isn't your fault." His voice was very gentle, calming my tense and frantic emotions considerably.

But I still didn't understand why all of these were happening to me.

"Dad abandoned us, and Mom died from alcoholism." I held onto Lucas's hand, feeling his rough palm. "Now Olivia is gone too. Why do all the people I love leave me?" Scenes from the past flashed in my mind.

I didn't know how to describe my current feelings. I felt somewhat unreal facing this pain.

I couldn't believe everything that had just happened.

"Scarlett, you are a strong girl," Lucas patted my head and comforted me, "You should understand that farewells are to help us live better. Maybe you're in pain, but you still have me. Think carefully. Your mom and Olivia, they both loved you, didn't they?"

I had never seen Lucas with such a serious expression. I choked up and nodded.

Lucas was right. Although the past days were hard to endure, my mom and Olivia were good to me.

"Thank you." I looked at him and forced a smile.

"You don't have to pretend in front of me," Lucas said as he held me and guided me back to the car, "If you're feeling sad, just let it out. I'll always be here for you. But once you calm down, there's still a lot we need to do." 

I sat in the passenger seat, quietly listening to his comfort. I stopped crying and kept looking at Lucas.

"Let's take care of Olivia's funeral." I took a deep breath and straightened up, "Emily is still waiting for us at home."

I felt Lucas was right. I still had a lot to do.

"Let's go." I finally let go of Lucas's hand. "I must take care of Olivia's daughter."

On the way, Lucas suddenly brought up Alexander and suggested, "If you want, I can deal with Alexander for you. Or we can make the Cole family disappear from this world entirely."

I knew he wanted to vent my anger, but I had my own plans.

"I will seek revenge on him, but not through those means," I stated calmly, taking a deep breath and gazing out the window, "I will use the legal to hold him accountable."

"Punishing the Mafia through legal means is no easy feat," Lucas remarked with a hint of surprise, "It's challenging."

"But I support you." He lightly honked the horn, a hint of relief on his face.

Back at Olivia's house, Emily was drawing in the living room.

I walked over and saw a piece of paper on the table.

"Where is Mom?" Emily looked at me, then at the paper on the table.

My tears suddenly flowed again.

I struggled to find the words to tell Emily about Olivia's passing, knowing she couldn't comprehend the concept of death. 

Tears welled up, but I held back my emotions, hugging Emily tightly.

"Emily, listen to me." I wiped away my tears and calmed down before talking to Emily face-to-face. "Your mom has gone to a very faraway place, and she might not come back for a very long time. But she loves you very much; she's just too busy to come back and be with you. You will live with me from now on, okay?" I forced a smile, hoping Emily wouldn't worry. 

To my surprise, a hint of sadness appeared on Emily's face. Though she remained mostly stoic, her eyes darkened, and tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.

I couldn't believe it. Emily actually showed the emotion of "sadness." If Olivia knew Emily's condition had improved, she would be happy.

However, she could no longer hear anything. 

I owed Olivia so much; she had treated me like her own daughter. Yet, I had entangled her in these problems, leding to her demise.

"Mom." Emily cried even harder, continuously calling out loudly.

She could only intermittently call out Olivia's name but was unable to form complete sentences yet.

My heart was about to break.

Lucas watched Emily and me cry without urging or getting annoyed.

I waited until Emily cried herself to sleep before carrying her to her room and tucking her in.

"When she wakes up, you and Emily should move to my place," Lucas suggested until I carefully closed Emily's room door.

"Environment here isn't good for her growth," He said, looking around and frowning, "And she needs someone to take care of her at the special school."

Surveying the house, I couldn't argue with Lucas. It was in a state of disrepair. Olivia had prioritized saving money for Emily's education, leading to a lack of renovations. The water-damaged ceiling and moldy furniture were evident signs of neglect.

Although the living conditions were less than ideal, Olivia kept the house immaculately clean, helping them cope with their situation.

"But before that, I need to let Emily adjust for a while." I looked at the tightly closed door and couldn't help but think of Emily's crying face. "I'll take her over in a few days."

Emily had just shown signs of improvement in managing her autism. Now faced with such a significant change, there was a risk of her symptoms worsening if her living environment was abruptly altered. 

All of Olivia's efforts could potentially be rendered futile.

"Okay, I respect your decision." Lucas patted my shoulder as if cheering me on. "Contact me anytime if anything happens."

After Lucas left, I walked into Emily's room.

I couldn't shake off my concerns for her, so I stayed by her side. Emily must have been exhausted from crying, as she was still asleep when I woke up.

Looking at Emily's sleeping face, I seemed to hear Olivia's voice.

"Scarlett, time to get up. The milk will get cold." She often called me up like that.

I turned to the door, but the living room was empty. 

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Scarlett, look at this news!" The message was from Avery, my college friend.

She seemed to be in a hurry.

I clicked on the message with confusion, but I nearly dropped my phone after I read it.

"That bastard!" I couldn't help but curse, throwing my phone onto the bed.

Yesterday, the Cole family gave an interview where they alleged that Olivia's death occurred due to her harassment and blackmail of Alexander, leading to Alexander accidentally injuring Olivia in self-defense.

"We never intended to kill anyone, nor would we ever evade our problems." Alexander's father said to the camera, a smile always on his face.