Chapter 531 Keeping the Appointment
At seven in the morning, Scarlett had already been sitting at her vanity for two hours. She mechanically applied layers of heavy foundation to her face, but nothing could hide the dark circles under her eyes. Her phone screen lit up with another anonymous text: "Don't try anything funny. We know your every move."
She angrily threw her powder puff at the mirror, causing her expensive makeup to scatter across the floor. She took a deep breath and retrieved a USB drive from a hidden compartment in her suitcase. This was her last bargaining chip, containing evidence of all the murders committed by the assassin organization with which she had dealings.
"If worse comes to worst, I'll take them down with me," she muttered to herself, tucking the USB drive into a secret pocket in her bra.
She was filled with regret. Yes, she had hired a hitman, but her luck had been terrible. After paying the money, she was kidnapped by that bastard Phoenix and spent days in a dark dungeon.
But to her surprise, those people were quite reliable. When she didn't show up, they went ahead and caused the car accident that led to Emma and George's divorce.
What did she have to fear?
She wasn't at the scene of the accident, so she could clear herself of any suspicion!
And she was George's mother. George wouldn't let anything happen to her!
At exactly ten o'clock, Scarlett arrived at the entrance of an abandoned chemical plant on the outskirts of town in a taxi. The sharp sound of her high heels echoed on the damp concrete, and the air was thick with the smell of rust and chemicals.
"Come out!" Her voice echoed through the empty factory, "Stop playing games!"
Three men wearing black masks emerged from the shadows. The leader, a tall, thin man in a well-tailored suit, was the same electronic voice from the phone call last night.
"Mrs. Russell, you're two minutes late," the man said, toying with a Swiss Army knife.
"Cut the crap!" Scarlett threw a check from her bag, "Here's double the money. Give me the original recording!"
The man chuckled and snapped his fingers. A large screen behind him lit up, showing footage of her secret meeting with the hitman.
"Did you think we only had audio?" The man stepped closer, "What do you think George would do if he saw a video of his mother hiring a hitman?"
"Damn it!" Scarlett lunged at him, her sharp nails scratching his cheek, "I just wanted George and Emma to break up! I wanted Emma dead! Who told you to blind my George?"
Blood dripped from the man's chin. He calmly wiped it away, his eyes turning cold: "It seems Mrs. Russell needs to calm down."
"You bastards!" Scarlett grabbed an iron rod, "I'll expose all your dirty deeds! That USB drive, I already..."
Before she could finish, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. She staggered and turned to see a young woman wearing a mask putting away a stun gun.
"Clean this up," the woman said softly, adjusting her glasses, "The boss will appreciate this gift."
Scarlett woke up with a pounding headache, finding herself tied to a rusty iron chair. In the dim light, the masked woman was adjusting a camera.
"Awake?" The woman turned and smiled sweetly, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Anna Jones."
Scarlett's eyes widened. "Anna? How are you still alive?"
"Shh." Anna pressed a finger to Scarlett's lips. "We just need you to cooperate and make a little video. Admit that you planned to murder your own child..."
"Never!" Scarlett spat. "If I die, you get nothing!"
Anna calmly took a syringe from her bag. "Do you know what this is? It's a truth serum." The needle glinted in the light. "Once it takes effect, you'll beg to hand over the USB drive."
Just as the needle was about to pierce her skin, the factory suddenly went dark. Sounds of a struggle and screams filled the air, and Scarlett felt someone untying her ropes.
"Don't make a sound." A familiar female voice whispered in her ear. "It's Emma."
Scarlett froze. She never expected the person rescuing her to be the one she despised the most, Emma.
"Why?" Her voice choked with emotion.
"Because you're George's mother." Emma swiftly put night-vision goggles on her. "Hold on to me. There's a car outside."
They stumbled through the warehouse, with Anna's furious shouts echoing behind them. "Stop them! The USB drive is on the old woman!"
As they burst out of the factory, blinding headlights shone on them. Emma pushed Scarlett into the bushes but was hit by a speeding SUV, crashing heavily onto the concrete.
"Emma!" Scarlett screamed, crawling towards her.
Four burly men jumped out of the SUV. Just in time, three black SUVs surrounded them, with Joshua stepping out of the lead vehicle.
"Get down!" He fired two precise shots at the attackers, moving with swift efficiency.
Seeing this, Anna fled in her car, with Joshua in hot pursuit, ignoring Scarlett's desperate cries. "Emma is bleeding!"
As Joshua's taillights disappeared, four shadows emerged from the factory's darkness. Moving like phantoms, they struck Scarlett on the back of the neck as she cradled the unconscious Emma.
"Hurry up!" The leader whispered. "The Russell family could arrive any moment."
Before losing consciousness, Scarlett clung to Emma's clothes. In a daze, she saw one of the men pull out a syringe and inject it into Emma's neck.
The smell of mold filled her nostrils as Scarlett woke up with a splitting headache. She found herself in a damp concrete room, her wrists tied to an iron pipe with rough rope. In the dim light, she saw Emma lying in a corner, her forehead wound crusted with dried blood.
"Emma!" She called out hoarsely, her voice barely recognizable.
There was no response.
Emma's breathing was so faint, her chest barely moved.
"This foolish girl." Scarlett's tears fell onto the concrete floor.
The iron door was suddenly flung open, and a familiar figure stepped into the harsh light. Scarlett squinted, gasping when she recognized the person.
"Phoenix?" Her voice trembled. "What do you want?"
Phoenix calmly removed his gloves, crouching in front of Emma and tracing her pale cheek with a ringed finger. "Aunt Scarlett, long time no see."
"Don't touch her!" Scarlett found a surge of strength, dragging the iron pipe two feet forward. "If you want revenge, come at me!"
Phoenix chuckled. "Don't be hasty, Aunt Scarlett. The game has just begun." He snapped his fingers, and two people in doctor uniforms entered. "Check them, especially my dear aunt."
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