Chapter 90

For the past three years, she had no information about Albert and assumed he had returned to his home country. But now, here he stood, the very person funding Kate and her accomplice in their schemes.

“Albert, how…?”

“How am I here?” Albert interrupted.

Alexander had furrowed his brows the moment Albert entered the scene. Seeing Albert as the one plotting his downfall was not entirely unexpected.

“How could you, Albert? I can’t recall doing anything wrong to you, nor has Alexander, to warrant this.”

Albert erupted in laughter, loud and unrestrained, before abruptly stopping and fixing a stern look on Alexander.

“Didn’t he tell you what he did?”

Lily’s eyes darted between them. “What’s he talking about, Alexander?”

Alexander tightened his grip on Lily. “Ignore him.”

“Ignore me?!” Albert fumed. “You don’t want her to know how you nearly destroyed my life?!”

He turned to Lily. “Did he not tell you how he ruined my business? After I approached him for a partnership that day you were there, my company started collapsing—all because of him!” Albert’s voice shook with anger as he pointed accusingly at Alexander.

Alexander stood unmoved by his words.

Lily looked at Alexander, waiting for him to deny Albert’s claims, but he remained silent.

Kate sat nearby, enjoying the unfolding drama.

“Your dear husband felt threatened by my sudden presence in Aurora City because I’m your ex. His jealousy consumed him, leading him to destroy my company, bleed it dry until it went under, and then ensure I left the country with nothing!”

Lily was shocked by what Albert had just revealed. She looked at Alexander, whose expression confirmed that what Albert said was true. Was it really jealousy that drove him to such lengths? She hadn’t thought Alexander capable of that, especially since Albert had not made any inappropriate advances toward her—unless there was another reason.

“Alexander, is what he’s saying true?”

“We’ll discuss that later,” he responded, turning his attention back to Albert. “Where is my daughter? Hand her over.”

Albert frowned. “I advise you not to use that tone; you’re on my turf.”

Alexander smiled at the remark. “Seems like you want to be ruined again.”

His words ignited a fiery rage in Albert.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his skin. “When I’m done with you, you won’t even have a tongue left to speak!” he threatened. Albert then turned to Kate. “Bring her out.”

Kate stood up, nodding. “It’s about time,” she said, clearly excited. This was the moment she had been waiting for—the moment to see fear and despair in Lily.

Kate signaled to the men, and soon, little Viola was brought into the room.

Lily and Alexander smiled upon seeing their daughter.

“Mummy! Daddy!” Viola cried out, struggling to break free from the person holding her, but she couldn’t, and soon, tears began to flow.

“Viola, don’t cry. We’ll be out of here soon, okay? Daddy and I will take you out of here soon,” Lily reassured her.

Hearing her mother’s voice, Viola stopped crying and wiped away her tears, trusting that her parents would take her home soon.

Alexander felt a sense of relief seeing his daughter, even though he wasn’t holding her yet. It was only a matter of time before all of this was over.

“Aww, what a touching mother-daughter moment,” Kate mocked before turning serious. “Move her to the center,” she ordered, and the person holding Viola placed her in the middle of the room, not far from where Lily and Alexander were standing.

Viola was set down on the floor, and the person who had been holding her moved away.

Seeing this, Lily instinctively wanted to rush to her daughter and pick her up, but the sudden sound of a gunshot froze her in place. She looked towards Viola, fearing the worst, but felt a wave of relief when she saw that Viola was unharmed, though she was crying.

Who was shot? Lily wondered, her heart racing. She quickly turned around, and her world shattered.

“Alexander!” Lily screamed when she saw that Alexander had been shot in his right leg.

He made no sound, enduring the pain in silence, his attention focused on Lily and Viola, who were both crying. Seeing them like this hurt him more than the wound.

Lily was about to rush to his side, but the sound of a second gunshot stopped her in her tracks. Her heart pounded in fear.

Who was shot this time? She was looking at Alexander, so it wasn’t him. Slowly, she turned, dread filling her, and saw a gun pointed at Viola’s head, her mouth now covered with tape.

“She was crying too much, so I had to quiet her,” Kate said, her voice dripping with malice. “If I were you, I wouldn’t move from that spot. If you do, one of them will die.”

Lily looked between Alexander and Viola, seeing Viola trembling in fear while Alexander appeared calm, though she knew he was in pain from the shot. If they didn’t treat him soon, the wound could become infected.

“Alexander…”

“I’m fine,” he assured her.

“It’ll get infected,” Lily said, tears streaming down her face.

“Relax, trust me,” he urged her.

Understanding his meaning, she tried to calm herself.

“Viola, don’t be afraid, okay? Remember what Daddy taught you,” Alexander said to his daughter.

Viola nodded. Despite being so young, she understood the situation she was in. Her father had always prepared her for dangerous situations and taught her not to be paralyzed by fear.

“Aww, what a beautiful family,” Albert finally spoke after watching in silence. “I love how you all support each other, but how long can that last?”

“Kate, let’s move on to the next stage,” Albert said.

“Your wish is my command,” Kate replied with a mocking laugh.

“You both have lost your minds,” Lily said.

“I’ve certainly lost mine,” Kate agreed with a grin.

“But I haven’t,” Albert said. “Anyone in my position would seek justice.”

“You call this justice?!” Lily shouted.

“Yes.”

“Alexander never shot you in the foot!”

“I enjoy seeing him suffer! After this, he’ll face more torture, and then I’ll make sure he signs all his wealth over to me. He’ll be left with nothing!” Albert declared, his face twisted with rage.

“You still have a chance to stop, Albert, and I’ll forgive you.”

Albert laughed. “There’s no turning back now.”

“Kate, you can end this. I promise I won’t take your life; I’ll just send you back to prison. But if you continue, and by any chance I survive this, I’ll make sure you’re dead,” Lily threatened, her tone deadly serious.

Albert expected Kate to laugh as usual, but instead, he saw fear in her eyes. Was Kate now afraid of Lily? He remembered Kate as the ruthless and wicked stepsister.

Kate remained silent, recognizing the seriousness in Lily’s eyes. But how could Lily kill her when she was the one destined to die first?

Kate’s fear was quickly replaced by confidence as she recalled the traps she had set for Lily. Lily wouldn’t survive.

“Open the floor!” Kate shouted.

A subordinate pressed a button on the wall, and the ground beneath Lily began to shift.

“What the hell…”

“Lily!!” Alexander wanted to rush to her aid but was stopped.

“Take one more step, and I’ll blow her head off,” Kate threatened, pointing a gun at Lily.

Alexander couldn’t move. He watched in horror as the ground around Lily opened up, leaving her stranded on a narrow ledge. She looked down and saw a deep, dark pit below, sending a shiver down her spine. One wrong move, and she would fall in.

Alexander felt terrified for her. What was her stepsister planning? “My love, look at me, don’t look down.”

Lily heard his voice and turned her gaze towards him.

“Stay calm and don’t move, okay?”

She nodded, then glanced at Viola, who was still crying.

“What now?” she asked Kate.

“I like how you’re always ready for the next challenge,” Kate said with a smile. “Now we move on to the fun part.”

She turned to her subordinates. “Turn it on,” she ordered, and another button was pressed.

The ground beneath Lily began to heat up, and before she could fully grasp what was happening, flames erupted from below.

Fire encircled her, trapping her in place with no escape.

Lily was stunned, completely unprepared for this. She looked around, but the fire blocked her view of Alexander and Viola. The heat was unbearable, like she was in hell.

“Lily! Lily!” She heard Alexander calling her name.

Was this how she would die? The thought crossed her mind as she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and tried to endure the intense heat.