Chapter 487 The Past!
The events took place twenty years ago.
At that time, under Anthony's leadership, the Johnson family was thriving in all aspects of their business in Houston!
The family's enterprises were booming, and according to Anthony's plan, it wouldn't be long before they became one of the top companies in Houston!
By then, there would even be opportunities to expand further into New York City!
However, amidst this harmony, internal family conflicts began to emerge!
The main reason was the relationship between Anthony and his wife, Heather!
Once Anthony had built the Johnson family into a powerhouse, Heather began stacking the company with her own relatives—and not just in any roles, but key positions!
That didn't sit right with Anthony at all!
On the one hand, Heather's family members knew nothing about the building materials market and made completely haphazard decisions!
On the other hand, these relatives were very good at embezzling; they never missed any opportunity to profit from their positions!
Because of this, Anthony and Heather argued many times!
But they never reached any resolution!
Of course, Heather's excesses didn't stop there!
When the Johnson family's building materials business was booming, Anthony's sister Laura was a huge part of the success—right alongside Anthony.
But Laura kept getting undermined and pushed around by Heather.
Eventually, Heather forced Laura out of the Johnson family and even out of Houston!
At that time, Anthony was away on business and didn't know about this. When he returned and found out, he was furious!
He and Heather had a massive blowout—shouting, screaming, even throwing punches.
Anthony ended up knocking out three of Heather's teeth!
If it hadn't been for family and friends stepping in, they would've divorced right then and there.
They didn't split, but they might as well have—they started living like strangers, completely separate.
All that resentment just kept building, turning into full-blown hatred!
Heather continuously showed her intention to seize power within the Johnson family, while Anthony kept suppressing the relatives Heather had placed in the company!
Their struggle continued for nearly two years!
Anthony finally used his strong abilities to remove all the people Heather had placed within the Johnson family, gaining absolute control over the power struggle!
Then, out of nowhere, Heather came to Anthony, claiming she was done with the power struggles and wanted to make amends.
She said she'd changed and hoped Anthony would give their relationship another shot.
She seemed genuinely remorseful and sincere, and Anthony let his guard down and agreed.
But he had no idea—this was just the start of a nightmare.
Less than a week later, one night when Anthony was driving alone to a neighboring city for business, he was ambushed!
He was knocked unconscious!
When he woke up, he found himself locked in a dark basement, his body bound with metal chains!
At first, Anthony thought he had been kidnapped and hoped to survive by losing some money!
However, to his surprise, the person who appeared in the basement was none other than Heather!
Her goal was simple: make it look like Anthony had vanished so she could swoop in and take over the Johnson family!
Back then, with forensics still in the Stone Age, the cops got called in, but the case went cold fast—just another missing person file collecting dust!
No one knew that Anthony was hidden in a basement beneath Heather's bedroom!
From that day on, he was trapped in a living hell—beaten, starved, and left to rot!
Whenever Heather encountered any trouble outside, she would come back and abuse Anthony!
This tragic experience in the basement lasted for nearly twenty years before it finally ended!
Sarah's jaw dropped as she listened, her face a mix of shock and fury.
"She went that far?!" she snapped, her voice tight with anger. "Putting you through all that—it's flat-out criminal. Unforgivable!"
Anthony let out a heavy sigh. "She's gone now. What's done is done. But I'm grateful you found me, and I get to see you again. While I still have some pull in this family, there's something I need you to think about—something important."
Sarah asked softly, "What is it?"
Anthony slightly tightened his grip on Sarah's wrist and said seriously, "I'm making you the head of the Johnson family. Starting today, you'll be running the show. What do you think?"
"Wait, what?!" Sarah's eyes went wide, her mind reeling. This was not what she saw coming!
For years, she'd always been at the bottom of the Johnson family totem pole.
She never aimed to run the show—just wanted to do her part and help out.
But as tensions with Heather and the rest of the Johnsons piled up, she had no choice but to walk away.
Now, Anthony wanted to make her the head of the Johnson family, which seemed unrealistic!
"Sarah," he pressed, "I know what you're capable of. You're light-years ahead of the rest of these clowns in the family. If I hand it over to them, it's gonna go down the drain. I can't stand by and watch everything we've built for decades get wrecked!"
Sarah took a deep breath and replied, "Grandpa, I get it, but honestly, you're the one who should keep steering the ship. You've got the wisdom, the experience—you're gonna outlive all of us! You're the one who can take the Johnson family to the next level. You're way better at this than I am. Plus, I've got my own gig going on now, and juggling both would be a total nightmare."
Hearing this, Anthony sighed and smiled bitterly, "I understand, I know your difficulties! But even if you don't accept, I've made up my mind. As long as I'm alive, everything in the Johnson family will be yours! I don't trust anyone else with it!"
These words brought tears to Sarah's eyes!
This was the rare warmth of family affection she had felt in the Johnson family in over twenty years!
Anthony took two tissues from the bedside table and handed them to Sarah, "Wipe your tears, there's nothing to cry about! That's all I have to say to you. Now, go out and wait for a while; I have something to discuss with your husband alone!"
Although Sarah didn't know why Anthony wanted to talk to Ryder!
Sarah had no clue what Anthony wanted with Ryder, but she nodded and walked over to Ryder, whispering a quick reminder to keep his cool, then headed out of the room.
Now, it was just Ryder and Anthony in the ward.
Anthony's gaze slowly shifted to Ryder.
His expression became serious, and he suddenly spoke, "Ryder! You are John's son, right?"
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