Chapter 371
As Cassie was marched away, the expressions in the room varied. After a prolonged silence, Mrs. Hernandez remarked, "I didn't expect the girl to be so tough."
Juliette scoffed. "Grandma, don't be fooled by her act. Starve her for a few days with no food or water, and she'll be begging for mercy."
"Shut it. She could die from that," Liam snapped irritably.
"Why lash out at me? It's not like she's fond of you anyway," Juliette retorted, clearly upset.
"Enough, people need to live," Grandma said with complexity in her voice, "After Megan Ray passed, Joseph nearly lost his mind. If something happens to Cassie, I'm afraid Joey would truly go crazy."
The room fell silent.
After everyone left, Celeste went back to her room and called Vera.
Over the phone, Vera couldn't contain her joy. She quickly said, "Just help me take out Cassie down in the basement, and I'll cover the five hundred million your company is short of reaching its target."
Celeste's resolve wavered fiercely. She currently managed the insurance division of Hernandez Enterprises, which had yet to see growth in profits year over year, leading to a lack of recognition within the family. Achieving this quarter's target would undoubtedly earn her father's respect.
But then she remembered Joseph's past illness.
A shiver of fear ran through her. "I can't kill her."
"What's the issue? You're not still afraid of Joseph, are you? His life's over; he's done for."
"No, it's not possible," Celeste insisted. "But as long as she's breathing, anything else goes."
Vera thought for a moment before a sinister grin crossed her lips. "That works. Sometimes, living is more painful than death. She likes tempting people. Let's make her so hideous that men would be disgusted just by looking at her."
"That's doable."
-----
In the basement
She was shoved inside harshly, and not long after, the single dim light above the staircase went out.
The darkness was absolute; she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face.
Her cell phone had no signal either.
Using the phone's flashlight, she searched the place and found nothing but a narrow iron-barred window in a corner and a thin blanket.
At least it was better than the time she'd been locked up in the old Hernandez family mansion—here, there was a blanket.
She was reluctant to use her phone, fearing the battery would die out fast, and then she wouldn't even know the time.
The next morning, someone brought a bowl of corn soup.
To her surprise, she felt relieved. There was food, and it wasn't spoiled.
The same soup was served for lunch. Halfway through, someone came down the stairs; only when they were at the door did she barely make out it was Liam.
Liam looked at her with complexity, the meager gruel in her hand saying, "I can beg my grandfather for mercy. Just promise never to return to Madison, never to be with Joseph, and maybe you can leave this place."
Cassie withdrew her gaze, ignoring him as if she hadn't heard, and kept sipping her soup.
"Cassie, didn't you hear me? That food won't sustain you forever. It's cold and dark down here; this is no place for anyone," Liam shouted, desperate, "The last person who stayed here half a month went mad."
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