Chapter 20
In less than half a month, the Harper Family crumbled into ruin. The once- proud Edward Harper, who had strutted through life with an air of authority, now stumbled along the streets, a shadow of his former self. His clothes, wrinkled and ill- fitted, hung on him like a bad memory and his unshaven face hore the marks of sleepless nights filled with regret. Martha fared no better. The woman who once radiated elegance now sat in a dingy motel mom, her swollen eyes red from incessant crying. Their fall from grace was a stark reminder of how quickly the tides of fortune could turn.
Martha often stared into the cracked mirror, replaying the past in her mind. She remembered how, in the early years, she had genuinely adored Bianca. Back then, Bianca had been the light of their home. her laughter filling the halls and her gentle demeanor endearing her to all. But that
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love had faded and completely replaced by disdain when Sabrina returned. Martha’s chest tightened as she realized the
consequences of her choice were unbearable.
Edward, consumed by his own demons, sat in a dimly lit bar one night, nursing a glass of cheap whiskey. He muttered to himself, “If only… If only we had treated her differently.” But regret could not undo the
past, nor could it shield him from the
storm that was about to come.
大火大
It wasn’t long before Nathan made his
move. Edward was ambushed by Nathan’s. men one evening and dragged to a secluded estate on the outskirts of the city. By the time he was shoved into a chair in Nathan’s opulent yet cold study, his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.
Nathan, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, exuded an air of unrelenting menace. His reputation preceded him–whispers of
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his ruthlessness were enough to make event the boldest men think twice. Leaning casually against his desk, Nathan gazed down at Edward with a chilling smile.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Nathan asked, his voice low and deliberate, the kind that made one’s blood run cold.
Edward swallowed hard, his throat dry. “I… I don’t know. Mr. Lawson. Please, if I’ve done anything-
Before he could finish, Nathan’s polished shoe collided with his chest, sending him sprawling onto the floor. The impact knocked the air out of Edward’s lungs and he let out a guttural scream of pain..
Nathan’s calm demeanor didn’t waver. “You still dare to pretend? Tell me how you kidnapped Bianca years ago!” he hissed, his tone dangerously even as he adjusted his cufflinks.
Edward scrambled to his knees, clutching his ribs. “I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you.
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everything!” he pleaded, his voice cracking.
Words spilled from his mouth like water
from a broken dam as he confessed to the
kidnapping.
Nathan listened in silence, his face
unreadable. When Edward finished,
Nathan turned to his men. “Verify it,” he ordered, his voice like ice. The guards nodded and left the room, leaving Edward to wallow in his own despair.
Meanwhile, back in the motel, Martha was growing increasingly hysterical. She hadn’t seen Edward in days and feared the worst. Assuming Erick was behind his disappearance, she wailed, “Where’s Sabrina? Tell her to plead with Erick! He’ll
listen to her!”
But Sabrina was unreachable. Since
Bianca’s death, Erick had confined her to one of his estates, cutting her off from the outside world. Days turned into weeks and the isolation gnawed at her sanity. She
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paced her room like a caged animal, her nails bitten to the quick and her once flawless complexion marred by stress. Her desperation peaked when Erick finally appeared one afternoon.
“Eric!” she cried, her voice breaking as she ran toward him. She clung to him as if he were her last lifeline.
But her relief was short–lived. Erick shoved her away with such force that she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. “Give it to her,” he said coldly to his
assistant.
The man stepped forward and handed Sabrina a tablet. Her trembling hands took it, her eyes searching Erick’s face for any hint of compassion. There was none.
Sabrina hesitated before looking at the screen. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Photos of her in bed with Erick–images meant to solidify their love story–were now a weapon against her. Her social media accounts were flooded
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with vitriol: hateful comments, threats and scorn from fans who had once adored her.
Her hands went limp, the tablet slipping from her grasp and clattering onto the floor. Her mind buzzed with disbelief. How could this have happened? How had the private moments she’d cherished turned into ammunition for her destruction?
Her reputation was in tatters. Her agency had terminated her contract and with the Harper Family bankrupt, she had no safety net. Her chest heaved as panic took hold, her screams echoing off the walls. She clawed at her hair, tears streaming down her face in a torrent of despair.
Erick stood unmoved, watching her meltdown with a cold detachment. Once her cries subsided, he turned to his men. “Put her in the car,” he commanded.
The guards obeyed, grabbing Sabrina and dragging her to a waiting vehicle. Her protests were frantic, her voice hoarse as she pleaded, “Eric, please! Where are you
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taking me?”
Erick said nothing. He climbed into the driver’s seat, his expression eerily calm as he started the engine. Sabrina’s heart raced as the car sped away, the city lights fading into the distance.
The winding mountain road ahead loomed like a scene from a nightmare. Sabrina’s hands gripped the edge of her seat, her knuckles white. “Eric,” she whimpered, her voice barely audible. “Please, talk to me. Where are we going?”
He finally spoke, his voice soft yet laced. with something unhinged. “Since it was you and I who caused Bianca’s death,” he said, his lips curling into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “let’s join her in the grave.”
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