Chapter 541-550
“Is that so?” Anastasia frowned slightly as a scheming look began to form in her eyes. She said, “Mr.
Lewinsky, go back to Tillman Constructions with your men first. I’m gonna hand the finance department
over to Alex. I’ve got to devote myself to looking after my dad.”
Gregory was startled for a moment before he nodded. “Okay.”
After the meeting ended, Anastasia asked Gregory to stay. She said to him, “Mr. Lewinsky, please help
me keep a close eye on the ounts.”
Gregory understood what she meant. “I got it, Miss Tillman.”
After the subordinates left, Anastasia picked up her phone and dialed Alex’s number.
“Hey, Anastasia. Is there anything?” Alex sounded somewhat excited.
“Well, I have to devote myself to taking care of my dad, so I may not have time to care about the
company’s finances anymore. I’m gonna hand thepany’s finances back to you.”
“Dad’s condition matters more than anything else. Anastasia, you can leave thepany to me with
peace of mind. I’ll definitely save thepany from its hopeless situation.”
“Alright. You can rehire your former subordinates into the finance department. My people are gonna
leave the department.”
Alex replied, “No problem. Thank you so much, Anastasia.” Inwardly, though, he was overjoyed. Now
that Anastasia was going to keep her hands off Tillman Constructions, the wholepany would fall
under hisplete control.
“Oh, by the way, the Silverstar Enterprise still owes us 30 million, so take note of it.” Anastasia
reminded him.
“30 million?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright! What a timely help it is. As it happens, thepany needs the money to stay afloat.”
“Is that so?” Anastasia frowned slightly as a scheming look began to form in her eyes. She said, “Mr.
Lewinsky, go back to Tillman Constructions with your men first. I’m gonna hand the finance department
over to Alex. I’ve got to devote myself to looking after my dad.”
“Alright, that’s all,” Anastasia said before hanging up.
Alex clenched his fists excitedly in his office. Not only was the finance department back in his hands,
but thepany was going to receive a huge sum of payment. To him, this would really solve the
urgent situation.
However, after he was happy for a few seconds, his eyes suddenly darkened. If he could take the 30
million away, the money would be enough for him to start his own business. And besides, could Tillman
Constructions still be saved? There was no way the few small projects could sustain thepany for
long, so it wouldn’t take long before thepany went bankrupt. In other words, the 30 million would
only go down the drain if it was invested into thepany. So, why don’t I keep the 30 million in my
hands instead? This will be a real cash flow!
Alex had long been impatient to abandon his position as Tillman Constructions’ president. Whoever
wants to be president can take up the position. Luckily, he had a secret trick up his sleevest time.
The agreement to transfer Naomi’s shares included an additional use added by him whereby he
could give up his rights to the shares anytime. In the end, Erica would be the only person who had to
bear the consequences of Tillman Constructions’ bankruptcy. By then, he would divorce her and live in
another city with Hayley and the money. Now that’s an enjoyment.
He took everything into ount as reality forced him into doing so. It had only been less than two
weeks since his appointment as president, but he had learned how difficult it was to run apany. He
was already mentally and physically exhausted thanks to all kinds of troubles. If he were to keep on
working as thepany’s president, he might end up suffering from heart disease. For the sake of his
health, he decided to quit.
Meanwhile, Anastasia was standing next to Francis’ sickbed in the hospital. She sincerely hoped that
he could wake up immediately and see the looks and ambitions of those around him. “Dad, I’ll make
them pay the price,” she whispered softly to him.
That very afternoon, Alex summoned his former subordinates back. Silverstar Enterprise promised to
credit the money into Tillman Constructions’ bank ount by 10:00 AM tomorrow, but to Alex’s
surprise, they credited the money before the off-work hours.
Sitting before hisptop, Alex looked at the 30 million in Tillman Constructions’ bank ount with his
eyes full of greed. With his capabilities, it wouldn’t be difficult to extract the 30 million. After all, Tillman
Constructions needed money for everything right now. As long as he cooked the books a little bit, it
would be easy for him to extract the money. Moreover, he was experienced in this.
Meanwhile, Erica was also on pins and needles at home. She couldn’t share the matter with anyone
other than Naomi; she dared not even tell Alex about it.
There was no other way but to kill Mrs. Garner to bury the secret forever.
It was obvious at a nce that her biological father had a plebeian mentality. As long as she gave him
a little money, he would promise to keep the secret forever. Mrs. Garner was different, though. Even if
she took the money, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t tell Anastasia the secret after she
finished spending all the money in the future.
By then, she would be able to get a sum of money from Anastasia.
Mrs. Garner was such a greedy person that Erica would only put her mind at rest if the former vanished
completely from the face of the earth. Now that Naomi wasn’t by her side, she had to make all the
decisions on her own. Moreover, she inherited Naomi’s ruthless side. She had no other way out; she
had to snuff out the secret. If her parentage were toe to light, she would lose all the glory that
belonged to her.
Just then, it urred to her that she hadn’t been intimate with Alex for a long time. The thought made
her crave hispany tonight, so she dialed his number, wanting to have dinner with him in the
evening.
Alex agreed; he would do his best at ying the part of her husband before the 30 million fell into his
hands. What gave him the nerve to target the 30 million now was the currentck of oversight on
Tillman Constructions. Anastasia was putting her heart and soul into saving Francis, who couldn’t
regain consciousness, whereas Erica knew nothing about business. This was a great opportunity for
him.
Just then, Erica said, “Alex, I’m afraid that it’s gonna be difficult for my mom to be removed from
suspicion. Anastasia refuses to let her off, whereas my dad’s stitose. So, you’ve got to stay by
my side and help me, okay?” She dared not look down on Alex anymore now that she had to depend
on him.
“I’ll help you through everything, of course. Now that you’ve given me the power to run thepany,
I’m not gonna let you down,” Alex replied.
By then, she would be able to get a sum of money from Anastasia.
Erica raised her wine ss. “I love you, Alex.”
“I love you too.” Alex clinked sses with her.
That night, Alex stayed at Erica’s ce. She grabbed his cell phone and wanted to take a look at its
messages, only to find that it was locked with a passcode. They were already husband and wife, but
Alex didn’t give her open ess to his phone. “Alex, what’s your phone’s passcode? I wanna check
something,” she asked him.
Alex stretched out his hand and took his phone from her, asking, “What do you want to check? Let me
help you.”
Seeing that the phone was back in his hands, Erica couldn’t help but pout her lips. “Alex, why don’t you
just tell me the passcode?”
Alex held her for a moment with a smile. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you the passcode. It’s just that
my phone contains a lot of stuff about thepany, so I’m afraid that you might delete them by
ident. Trust me; you’re the only woman I love the most.”
Erica was inwardly speechless for a moment. Like hell I’ll believe you, she thought. Alex was merely
married to her, but the woman he loved the most was Anastasia. It was just that he couldn’t get his
hands on thetter.
The night passed, and Alex went to work in the morning.
Early in the morning, Erica got a phone call from Mrs. Garner, who asked her if she had prepared the
money. When Erica heard this, a hint of a sneer flickered across her eyes. “Mrs. Garner, I borrowed the
money, but my friend asked us to go somewhere to get it. Let me fetch you and take you there.”
“Just transfer the money into my bank ount!”
Erica replied, “I don’t have that much money on my debit card. I had my friend prepare 200,000 in cash
at a ce where you have to go and get the money yourself. I’ll transfer the money on my card into
your bank ount once we get there.”
Mrs. Garner wasn’t a highly-educated person, after all. Hearing that the money was ready, she
naturally believed it. “Alright then,e and fetch me.”
Erica left home by car and found a well-hidden ce. It was a beach she once visited. There was
hardly a soul on the beach, but it had a very high cliff, making it the best ce for her to strike. She
picked Mrs. Garner up, looking as though she dared not offend thetter. “Here, have some water, Mrs.
Garner. It’ll be quite a journey.”
Mrs. Garner asked warily, “Why do we have to go so far away?”
“That friend of mine runs a hotel by the sea. I have to go to her hotel to get the money.”
Knowing that Erica had many friends, Mrs. Garner didn’t doubt her words. Thinking that she could
enjoy the scenery at the seaside, she was in a good mood. “Miss Erica, where is your mom, actually?”
she asked curiously. Naomi was taken away by the police at the hospital, but Erica had never told Mrs.
Garner that the former had been arrested, so Mrs. Garner was still unaware that Naomi was now in
prison.
“My mom is taking care of my dad.”
“Oh. In that case, how is your dad—oh, I mean Mr. Tillman?” Mrs. Garner hurriedly corrected herself.
“He’s still unconscious,” Erica said indifferently.
With that, Mrs. Garner stopped talking.
As Erica turned to look at her, disgust shed through her eyes. Finally, she drove into a seaside path
surrounded by reeds.
At this sight, Mrs. Garnermented in surprise, “Your friend owns a hotel here?”
“No, we made an appointment to meet here. With so much money, she has to find a hidden ce to
give it to me or it’ll be bad if someone steals it from us,” Erica exined while deliberately dialing her
phone. But in fact, there would be no answer as she called her other phone which she usually left in
her house.
“Oh no! My friend isn’t answering. Let’s go over and see if she has arrived,” Erica suggested
pretentiously.
For the sake of money, Mrs. Garner didn’t think much about her words and believed her. Hence, they
drove all the way into a hill with the sea in the distance and a shore full of dangerous reefs. As Erica
parked her car in a thicket and dialed her friend’s phone again, Mrs. Garner immediately looked over.
“Hayley, are you here yet? What, you didn’t have time to wait for me? So, where did you keep the
money? Why did you leave it there? Okay, I get it. I’ll take it myself then.” Once Erica finished speaking
and hung up the phone, she said, “Mrs. Garner, my friend left the money somewhere, so let’s go and
check!”
Mrs. Garner nodded and followed her all the way to the edge of the cliff. “He’s still unconscious,” Erica
said indifferently.
With that, Mrs. Garner stopped talking.
Erica pointed to a stone and said, “My friend left the money behind that stone. Let’s go over and see
whether it’s there.”
At first, Mrs. Garner was walking behind her, but Erica took out a card and suddenly threw it beside the
bush. “Oh no! Mrs. Garner, my card has been blown away. Hurry and help me pick it up. It’s actually for
you.”
When Mrs. Garner saw the card, she instantly rushed over to pick it up without hesitation. Then, Erica
seized the opportunity and took advantage of Mrs. Garner’s moment of distraction to cruelly shove her
to the bottom of the cliff two meters away. Mrs. Garner waved her hand in horror to grab at something,
but her hands only grasped at air and she was soon swallowed by the raging sea below.
Seeing that she had seeded, Ericay on the edge of the cliff and looked around for a while. Then,
she finally breathed a sigh of relief and said while clutching her chest, “You were asking for it, so don’t
me me.”
She sat and watched for a long time, but she didn’t see Mrs. Garner’s body at all. From the looks of the
dark sea current, it was impossible for the person involved to float, let alone survive. Even if Mrs.
Garner was discovered and they interrogated Erica, she could just make up an alibi. As Mrs. Garner
had no children and lived all by herself, it was reasonable for her to jump into the sea and end her own
life out of loneliness.
As Erica drove home, she feltpletely rxed. She had finally solved one of her biggest troubles,
and no one would ever discover her parentage again. Along the way home, she acted as though
nothing happened and continued to eat, drink, and have fun. Last night, Alex told her that the
company’s situation had improved. Now, she could simply wait for the profits toe rolling in from the
company and make herself a fortune with peace of mind.
In thepany, Alex began to prepare for the transfer and embezzlement of the 30 million. He nned
to fake a negotiation with a dummypany, then send the money over to thatpany before having
it wired back to himself. The money could then be considered as part of theirpany’s deficit.
On the other hand, Hayley was not enjoying herself in Alex’s apartment. She had now lost her sense of
taste and smell, which greatly inconvenienced her life. After she got up early this morning, she went to
the mirror and admired her beauty before moving onto a detailed skin care routine. Suddenly, she felt a
few bumps on her forehead with a hint of bruises. Although it couldn’t be seen easily, the protruding
bumps on her face were a little obvious.
“What’s this?” Hayley stretched out her hand and covered her forehead, not daring to take a closer look
all of a sudden. As she previously had a t forehead, she went for a Botox injection.
Hayley took a deep breath and checked the bumps. The more she looked at it, the angrier she
became, and she even felt a little frightened. Were the side effects starting to appear? No, she didn’t
have the money to repair and maintain her face now.
It took her a long time before she barely managed to cover these bumps with makeup, but she knew
that if she didn’t take care of her face, she would have even more problems in the future. At the
beginning, she spent nearly two million on stic surgery, and some of these procedures required
follow-up appointments after three months. Back then, she had Elliot’s ck card that she could spend
as much as she wanted. However, she didn’t expect that she would be ruthlessly driven out by him one
day.
Hayley looked at herself in the mirror, feeling hatred and adoration for her face at the same time. She
became even more jealous of Anastasia’s natural beauty, while she had to always be frightened and
afraid that she would lose hers at any time.
Early in the morning, Anastasia received a call from the police as Naomi’swyer wanted to see her.
However, she didn’t really want to meet them as Naomi’s matter was not over yet. The reason why she
dyed her father’s resuscitation and the pills found in his mouth were all rted to Naomi. Before
collecting all necessary evidence, she wouldn’t use her yet. She wouldn’t be merciful this time
either. Even if Naomi was her stepmother, she wouldn’t go easy on her. Hayley took a deep breath and
checked the bumps. The more she looked at it, the angrier she became, and she even felt a little
frightened. Were the side effects starting to appear? No, she didn’t have the money to repair and
maintain her face now.
In the afternoon, Naomi’swyer contacted Erica, and she directly took thewyer to the hospital to
meet Anastasia. Erica anxiously wished for her mother to be released as well, so Anastasia had no
choice but to face them directly.
In the conference room, thewyer talked to Anastasia on behalf of Naomi, while Erica sat aside and
listened.
“Miss Tillman, Ms. Lowell is your stepmother and has raised you since you were a child…” Thewyer
began, intending to persuade Anastasia in a reasonable way.
However, Anastasia scoffed before he even finished his sentence. “Mr. Yale, before you persuade me,
you should ask how my stepmother treated me when I was younger. Otherwise, it’ll be a waste of your
time.”
Elias Yale couldn’t help but push his sses up and nce at Erica. For the sake of her mother, Erica
became meek all of a sudden. “Anastasia, I know my mother was not a good person, but can you let
her out in consideration of her taking care of Dad for so many years and their rtionship as a married
couple? She’s too old for this.”
Anastasia said emotionlessly, “Now, you think your mother is too old to suffer, but does that mean I
deserved to be kicked out of my house by her when I was young? Also, you chased me out like this five
years ago, and we still haven’t dealt with that matter yet!”
Erica gulped subconsciously. Never once had she thought that she and her mother would end up in
such a predicament, or she would’ve been kinder to Anastasia.
“Miss Tillman, perhaps you are mistaken. ording to Ms. Lowell, she only hoped to save her
husband from hisa, not to murder him,” Elias said calmly.
“Mr. Yale, the evidence is in my hands. The hospital has the identification certificate which can
determine if those drugs were meant to save a person or end their life. If you have any questions, I can
tell you the names of those drugs, and you can inquire with an expert about them! If you want to clear
her of the crime, my advice is you should convince her to plead guilty instead,” Anastasia retorted
coldly.
As she listened to their conversation, Erica broke into a cold sweat. Although Anastasia was never an
easy target in the task, she realized that she was even more of a threat now.
“Anastasia, I’m begging you, please let Mom go on the behalf of her taking care of Dad for so many
years! I’ll do anything you say, all right? I apologize to you on behalf of my mother. As long as you let
her go, we’ll definitely return the favor in the future.” Erica had already let go of all her pride. As long as
her mother could be released, she was willing to humbly beg Anastasia.
However, to Anastasia, it was useless even if Erica got on her knees and begged her. She said coldly,
“I’m busy. I have to take care of Dad. You should leave!”
“Anastasia…” Erica stretched out her hand to pull her back, but Anastasia raised her hand in disgust.
“Don’t touch me,” she said scornfully.
Her gaze startled Erica, and she didn’t dare to touch her anymore. As she looked at Anastasia, all she
felt was resentment.
As Anastasia didn’t give them a chance, Elias felt that this was a tricky case as well. As he sorted out
the documents, he remarked, “Miss Erica, your mother’s case is not an easy one!”
“Please, Mr. Yale, you must help my mom and find a way to save her. I can give you all the money you
need,” Erica begged anxiously.
“Your mother’s side is very unfavorable, and your sister isn’t letting up at all. Now, the only way is to
wake your father as soon as possible and ask him toe forward to solve this matter. He and your
mother have been married for more than 20 years, so he might rescind the charges.”
A glimmer of hope shed in Erica’s eyes at his words, but it was quickly reced by panic. No,
Francis would not necessarily let them go if he woke up. After they changed his will and divided his
company’s equity, and with the evidence that her mother was harming him, what if he didn’t let them
go? Therefore, Erica would rather Francis never woke up from hisa.
“My dad may not wake up anymore, so let’s forget about this. You shoulde up with another n!”
After Erica finished speaking, she decided to go and visit Francis.
Having received Anastasia’s orders, the nurses would not simply disclose Francis’ condition to
outsiders. Hence, even Erica did not know about the improvement in his condition. She stood in front of
the bed and looked at his face. Even though she had been raised by him for more than 20 years, she
did not feel any trace of gratitude toward him at all. From the fact that she dared to deal with Mrs.
Garner, it was clear that she had already lost all affection for him. “Anastasia…” Erica stretched out her
hand to pull her back, but Anastasia raised her hand in disgust.
Erica left without staying for long and went straight to Tillman Constructions to see how thepany
was doing, as Alex had told her that things were getting better. When she walked into his office and
saw him signing some documents, she leaned over and hugged him affectionately.
“Looks like you’re busy, Alex.”
“Yeah.” Alex ced the documents down and lifted his head to look at her. “What brings you here?”
“I was trying to beg Anastasia to let Mom go, but I didn’t expect her to be so determined to put Mom in
jail. Alex, what do you think I should do?” Erica asked in hopes of discussing this matter with him.
Alex didn’t care about Naomi at all and thought it was best for her to take all of the me so that he
and Erica could live afortable life. “Erica, Anastasia has evidence of Mom’s crime with her. We
can’t save her. If you have the opportunity to see her, you should ask her not to worry and stay there for
a few years. We’ll wait for her toe out.”
“What? You want my mom to stay in jail for a few years?” His words startled Erica.
Seeing that being gentle wasn’t working, Alex could only speak harshly. “What else? If your mom
doesn’t take the me for this crime, it’ll be over for all of us. Besides, it was her idea to murder your
dad in the first ce.”
Erica felt despair, but she couldn’t leave Alex. She truly envied Anastasia for being able to make a man
like Elliot do anything for her. On the other hand, why was the man she met so coldhearted?
“Erica, think about it. If your mom doesn’t take the me, then you’ll be one of the culprits of the
murder. At most, I’m a foil, not the mastermind. But when your father fell into aa, the mastermind
had to be either you or your mom, so if your mom doesn’t go to jail, it would be you. You’re still so
young. Can you stand staying in prison?”
“But Mom…” Erica was about to rebuke when Alex spoke again.
“Your mom has had a good life for more than 20 years. She can survive it, but I feel sorry for you.
You’re only 24 years old. You have a lot of time left instead of wasting your life away in that dark cell. If
your mom loves you, she will take the me for you.”
Erica’s mind was inundated with fear at this point. She truly didn’t want to go to jail, to the point where
she’d rather take her own life. After all, it would drive her crazy.
“All right. I’ll be meeting Mom tomorrow. I… I’ll talk to her then.” In the end, Erica only cared about
herself.
Erica felt that Alex had a point. If her mother didn’t take the me, she would have to bear the guilt
along with her. Hence, it was only if Naomi confessed to her crimes and cleared Erica’s usations
would she be able to have a good life.
“Stop working overtime ande home with me tonight. I miss you.” Erica was a little afraid of
spending the night alone as she had just pushed Mrs. Garner into the sea that morning. Besides, she
knew that Mrs. Garner had no chance of survival. Would she turn into a ghost to haunt her at night?
She needed his luck.
“Tonight, I…” Alex had just agreed to have dinner with Hayley ten minutes ago and sleep over at her
ce that night.
“Alex, I need you. Can you stay with me tonight?” Erica embraced him. “I’m too scared to sleep alone.”
Seeing that he couldn’t refuse, he could only agree to her. While Erica was in the restroom, Alex sent a
message to Hayley saying that he had to cancel their date that night.
At that moment, Hayley had already hurriedly dressed up for her romantic night with Alex. Now that he
was noting, her mood was ruined. Is Erica pestering him? Mockery shed in her eyes at that
thought. Is she trying to pick a fight with me? She continued to bombard Alex with messages, telling
him to turn down Erica ande to her side before she got angry.
Alex was caught in the middle of two women fighting for his favor. If it were in the past, he might’ve
thought that it was his fortune, but now he only felt irritated. While Erica used the restroom, he began to
come up with a n for divorce as well. If not, it would be troublesome if Erica refused to leave him
after he got his hands on the money. Erica felt that Alex had a point. If her mother didn’t take the
me, she would have to bear the guilt along with her. Hence, it was only if Naomi confessed to her
crimes and cleared Erica’s usations would she be able to have a good life.
He felt that Erica seemed to be uneasy that night, as if she had done something wrong. Though she
said that she was afraid to spend the night alone, Alex thought that this was an opportunity to lead her
into making a mistake. He had a rtively young assistant from the finance department who was also
quite handsome and had a sly and brave personality that he could take advantage of.
When Erica was getting off work, Alex anxiously told her that he had to meet a client and might only be
able toe back from Belros the next morning.
“Alex, I’ll go with you.”
“No, this is an urgent matter. I wouldn’t have time to stay with you even if youe along, and it’s not
convenient for us if you’re there.”
“But…”
“Erica, if you’re scared at night, just give me a call.”
“Alex…” Before Erica could stop him, Alex had already gotten into the car and left.
As she watched the sun set in the distance, she began to feel a chill down her spine as her mind filled
with Mrs. Garner’s horrified expression as she fell into the water. Her grip tightened around her clothes
in fear as she got into her car and wondered, Who should I look for tonight? Who can stay with me?
She then thought of Hayley, the only person who was still in contact with her. With that, she instantly
reached for her phone and dialed Hayley’s number. “Hello? Hayley, are you free tonight? I want to
invite you toe and spend a night at my house.”
“Tonight? I’m not free, though. I’m going to meet a friendter.”
“What friend? Is it important? Can you cancel your ns and meet with me? I’ll treat you to a feast and
we can go to a bar after.”
“I really can’t. It’s a really important friend of mine. I’m sorry, Erica. Have fun at the bar!” Hayley made it
clear that she wouldn’t be able toe. After all, she had a date with Alex that night!
As she sat in her car, Erica felt herself tremble. She could only drive aimlessly around the city, but as it
started to gette, she called Alex, who was by Hayley’s side at the same time. Heforted her
before telling her that one of his employees was going to the Tillman Residence to deliver some
documents.
“How about this, Erica? I’ll ask my assistant to chat with you first. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging
up.” Saying that, he ended the call.
Hence, Erica could only contact his assistant. It was then that she heard an attractive and young male
voice. “Miss Tillman, I’m on my way to your house. Where are you?”
Immediately, she felt her heart skip a beat. This assistant’s voice sounds so pleasing! And he seems
young too!
“I’m almost home. What about you?”
“I’m on my way there.”
“Okay, then I’ll wait for you.”
Ten minutester, Erica opened the door for the suited young man with documents in hand. The
appearance of this young man was considered to be above average.
Suddenly, her eyes brightened as an idea popped into her mind: make this assistant stay the night with
her as she was afraid of the traces of Mrs. Garner in the house that would make her feel as though
Mrs. Garner was still by her side.
“Miss Tillman, I’ll leave the documents here. Since I still have something to do—”
“Hold it. What’s your name?” Erica stopped him.
“My name is Oscar.”
“You have a nice name, Oscar! I happen to be slightly bored now, so how about you have a seat and
keep mepany?” She took the initiative to make him stay.
However, it was no coincidence for Oscar to bring the documents to Erica as Alex had promised him a
hundred thousand for him to seduce Erica and to hand him evidence of this affair. To Oscar, it was as
though he struck gold as he didn’t have to lift a finger for things to progress the way he wanted.
He was but a victim in all of this matter if Erica was the one who made the first move.
Noticing the frivolous expression in her eyes, Oscar asked, “Miss Tillman, wouldn’t it be inappropriate
for me to stay?”
“As long as the both of us keep our mouths shut, it wouldn’t be an inappropriate matter.” Saying that,
Erica stood up and poured Oscar a ss of wine. “Oscar, do you perhaps have a girlfriend?” “I’m
almost home. What about you?”
“I’m on my way there.”
“Nope!”
“That’s great. For a second there, I was afraid your girlfriend would get jealous because of this.” Erica
realized thatpared to Alex, Oscar was much more pleasing to the eyes. She had been feeling
lonely as Alex had been treating her coldly recently. Hence, to appease her loneliness, she desperately
wanted a man’sfort.
“Okay, then I’ll apany you tonight, Miss Tillman!” Oscar had his own ideas regarding Erica as well.
To him, she was the daughter of Francis Tillman, which meant that she was a woman of wealth!
Happy at how interested he was, she said, “I’m feeling a little hot right now. I’ll go upstairs to take a
shower.”
Ten minutester, she came back downstairs in sexy lingerie. Oscar, on the other hand, had set up his
camera in one of the corners of the room.
“Miss Tillman… You’re…”
“Am I pretty?” The confident Erica sat on the sofa with her eyes on him.
“Yes, you’re very pretty,” Oscar praised.
When she heard hispliment, her eyes lit up with hints of joy in them. “Then, stay the night with
me!”
“But, Miss Tillman, what would I be doing?” He feigned ignorance.
Suddenly, she boldly held the man in her embrace. “I need you, Oscar. Tonight, I am all yours.”
“Miss Tillman, I don’t think this is appropriate.”
“Don’t reject me,” she asked proactively.
“Miss Tillman… We can’t do this!”
“Oscar, if you try to refuse me again, I will fire you first thing the next morning,” Erica said
domineeringly and took advantage of her position to pressure the man.
However, this was exactly what Oscar wanted as he needed to act as an unwilling participant.
Thus, the night ended with her shamelessly having an affair with him.
When morning came, Oscar left early to give the video of the affair, which had been edited to only show
Erica’s face, to Alex. After Alex had paid Oscar posthaste, Oscar resigned that very morning.
With a cold yet pleased expression in his eyes, Alex waited for the 30 million to beundered in his
office. If all went perfectly, the money would be safe in his offshore ount as it would bepletely
untraceable in the country.
Finally, Alex’s other phone received a notification. Silently counting the number of zeros, he let out a
satisfied smile, as he could now quit the wreck that was Tillman Constructions. Finally, the money is in
my hands now. Then, he took out a contract from his drawer before he dialed Erica’s number.
“Hello, Alex.” Erica’s voice was tinged with slight guilt.
“Are you home? I’ll being back, as there’s something I have to discuss with you.”
“I am. I’ll wait for you,” Erica replied gently.
With the video and contract in hand, Alex left to meet Erica. Currently, the Tillman Residence looked
deserted. In the past, Mrs. Garner would open the door for him whenever he came home. Now, he had
to enter the password himself to open the door.
Upon entering the house, Alex found Erica, who was waiting for his arrival, sitting on the sofa. Erica
was specting that Alex wanted to discuss the future of thepany with her.
“Where’s Mrs. Garner?” Alex asked curiously.
“She quit and went back home since I don’t need a servant when I’m by myself,” Erica exined. Since
yesterday afternoon, she had been watching the news to see if there were any reports of dead bodies
found in the sea, but not once did the image of Mrs. Garner appear on the news. This made her think
that Mrs. Garner might have disappeared from the face of the earth forever, or perhaps Mrs. Garner
had already been chewed to bits by the sharks. Regardless, Mrs. Garner no longer existed in this
world.
“Erica, were you afraid of being by yourselfst night?” Alex asked as soon as he sat down.
“I was fine. I wasn’t that afraid when I thought of you.” Erica looked at Alex flirtatiously.
After Alex looked at the woman as though he was watching a theater y, he took out his iPad and
yed a certain video. Immediately after, the room was filled with what Erica had said the night before:
“If you try to refuse me again, I will fire you first thing the next morning.”
“Are you home? I’ll being back, as there’s something I have to discuss with you.”
Frightened, Erica nched at once and tried to grab the iPad from his hand like a madman while
shamelessly ring at him. “Why… Why do you have this?”
Alex closed the video before he sneered, “You still have the nerve to ask me? When you were the one
who had slept with one of my employees? Erica Tillman, are you ying some sort of sick game of
infidelity with me?”
“What do you want?” Red with anger, Erica gritted her teeth, as she felt she had fallen into a trap.
Alex said nothing further as he threw a contract right in front of Erica. “Sign it!”
“What is this?” Erica took the contract, all the while ring at Alex.
“It’s good news; I’ll be returning all of my shares in Tillman Constructions to you. From now on, you will
be holding 70 percent of thepany’s shares, as I’ll be quitting that wretch of apany.” A look of
disgust appeared on his face. “Thepany was still profitable back when your father was still around,
but now, it’s losing millions every day. I’m not going to apany you to saddle these debts.”
“You… Alex, I don’t get how thepany operates. I know it’s my fault. Please, don’t go through with
the divorce; don’t leave me, okay?” Erica became anxious all of a sudden. Should thepany
continue to lose money like this, bankruptcy would be unavoidable. The shares she held in the
company would amount to nothing in the end.
“Do you think I’ll still want to be with you? I can’t even stand the sight of a dirty woman like you! Now, if
you don’t want this video to be uploaded online for the world to see, sign it!”
Erica broke down. Gritting her teeth, she trembled all over. “I’m not signing this. You were the one who
caused thepany to be in this state. Why should I be the one to bear these debts alone?”
“If you want to point fingers, point them at Anastasia, as this was all her doing and has nothing to do
with me.” Alex refused to admit that his capabilities were not up to par. Nevertheless, he wished to
have nothing to do with Tillman Constructions anymore since he had already gotten a sum of money
from thepany.
“Sign it.” Alex threatened once more by bringing attention to the iPad in his hand. “Otherwise, I’ll upload
this online. The whole world will see just how shameful you are then.”
“No!” Erica was on the verge of going crazy, as she knew that her life would be ruined the minute that
video was uploaded online. She would never be able to hold her head up high ever again.
Caved to Alex’s threats, Erica could only pick up the pen and sign on the dotted line before stamping
her fingerprint next to her signature.
After Erica finished signing the documents, Alex took one copy before he said coldly, “Erica Tillman,
don’t bother me from now on. Your father’s affairs have nothing to do with me. I shouldn’t need to
remind you that I can easily upload this video anytime I want if you named me as a participant in the
revision of the will.”
With her heart wretched, Erica red at Alex’s indifferent expression and noticed just how intense the
feeling of hatred could be, so much so that she wanted to end his life right at this very spot.
Smugly, Alex raised the iPad in his hand. “Don’t upset me. I’ll see you tomorrow at the county clerk’s
office to end this marriage.”
Looking at the man’s shadow gradually vanishing from sight, Erica covered her face and bawled her
eyes out, as she hadn’t the slightest idea of what to do now. The pressure of having the loss-making
Tillman Constructions in her hands was just like having a mountaining down on her. She never
knew just how miserable it would be to hold the shares of thispany. If thepany went bankrupt,
she would never be able to pay off the astronomical debts even if she had several lifetimes.
However, amid her despair, Erica thought of someone who could get her out of this mess—Anastasia.
Right now, only Anastasia was capable enough to salvage Tillman Constructions from the brink of
bankruptcy. Hence, she left her house with her bag in hand and went straight to the hospital.
In the hospital, Anastasia had just left the specialist’s office in a good mood, as her father’s recovery
was above her expectations. Furthermore, the doctor had assured her that it was only a matter of time
before her father would regain consciousness now. She was relieved after hearing the doctor’s
diagnosis, as her father’s illness had been a great source of distress for her all this while.
“Miss… wait! You have to check in!” one of the nurses at the nurses station shouted.
With her heart wretched, Erica red at Alex’s indifferent expression and noticed just how intense the
feeling of hatred could be, so much so that she wanted to end his life right at this very spot.
As Erica had coincidentally bumped into Anastasia, she rushed over to Anastasia without caring to
register herself for a visit. “Anastasia, you have to help me!”
“What is it?” Anastasia replied indifferently.
“You have to save Dad’spany! Alex wants to divorce me. He doesn’t care about thepany
anymore. Right now, thepany is losing millions as days go by. Please, you have to save the
company. I don’t want to see it go bankrupt.” Erica’s eyes grew red from anxiety.
However, Anastasia sneered, “What you want is to not be saddled with debts.”
Taken aback, Erica bit her lip and said, “Do you really have the heart to watch as our dad’spany
goes bankrupt?”
“I’ve been counting the days for thepany to go bankrupt so that those insatiable hyenas can have
a taste of being in huge debt,” said Anastasia while ring at Erica.
Erica didn’t have the guts to look Anastasia in the eyes. “Then, what would it take for you to save the
company?”
“Make me the sole shareholder by transferring all of your shares to me. Only then will I consider your
request.” Anastasia put forward her condition.
“What?” Erica’s face grew white with anger. “You want all of my shares in thepany? Anastasia
Tillman, don’t you think you’re being too greedy? The most I can give up is 20 percent.”
“Then you can stop begging me and forget about it. By my estimation, thepany would probablyst
for another three months before the bankes in to liquidate the assets. With the number of shares
you hold, you are sure to be millions in debt. You can spend the rest of your life paying off the debt
then,” Anastasia sneered.
Erica’s eyes lit with horror upon Anastasia’s words.
“I’ll give you five minutes to think about this. I’ll be waiting in the conference room for your decision.”
Saying that, Anastasia left for the conference room.
Erica sat on a nearby chair, looking extremely pale and haggard, as thepany was now a liability
that she absolutely needed to wash her hands off. However, she couldn’t get over the fact of Anastasia
demanding her to give up all of her shares in thepany. After seconds passed, she gulped and
closed her eyes before she left for the conference room with her fists clenched and the intention to
compromise.
Anastasia was reading the news on her phone when Erica took a seat opposite her. “I can give up all of
my shares to you, but you have to promise me that you’ll pay me 50 million when thepany starts
making a profit again.” Erica was still unwilling to give up.
“With how hard thepany is struggling financially right now, you still want to be paid off?” Anastasia
did not agree to Erica’s demand.
“10 million.” Erica negotiated.
“Forget it.”
“Anastasia Tillman, I am also a daughter of Francis Tillman. I’ll be giving up all my shares to you, yet
you won’t even give me 10 million?” Erica said angrily.
“Five million in five installments, but only if thepany starts making a profit.” Anastasia countered
Erica’s offer.
After tolerating Anastasia time after time, Erica thought her hatred of Anastasia only grew deeper, as
she felt it was Anastasia who had forced her into this situation. However, she was left with no other
choice but to give up thepany to Anastasia. “Fine! I’ll give up all of my shares to you for five
million.” Erica caved to Anastasia’s offer, but quickly added one more demand of her own. “Release my
mother as well.”
“You can give up on those thoughts. She needs to pay for what she did.” Anastasia refused to budge.
Tears of anger welled in Erica’s eyes. “She’s my mother.”
“You reap what you sow. With how much karma she has umted, she needs to pay the price of
her actions,” Anastasia replied indifferently.
Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.
At Anastasia’s words, Erica felt her heart jerked sharply, her hands trembling slightly, as the thought of
Mrs. Garner surfaced in her mind. No, I’ve done nothing wrong. She tried to calm herself by convincing
herself that there would be no retribution waiting for her down the line. “Fine. I’ll go to thepany with
you right now to sign the contract.” She did not want to have anything to do with Tillman Constructions
a second longer.
“Good.” Anastasia smiled with relief in her eyes. Ultimately, she did not wish for her father’spany to
go bankrupt, as it was her father’s life’s work.
Anastasia drove herself to Tillman Constructions with a ck SUV following behind her. Inside the
ck SUV were the bodyguards Elliot had assigned for her protection.
After tolerating Anastasia time after time, Erica thought her hatred of Anastasia only grew deeper, as
she felt it was Anastasia who had forced her into this situation. However, she was left with no other
choice but to give up thepany to Anastasia. “Fine! I’ll give up all of my shares to you for five
million.” Erica caved to Anastasia’s offer, but quickly added one more demand of her own. “Release my
mother as well.”
Inside Francis’ office, Erica eagerly took out the contract for her shares and the equity transfer contract.
After she finished signing, Anastasia also signed the transfer contract and stamped it with her
fingerprint. Looking at the signed contract, Erica felt slightly reluctant but relieved at the same time, as
she no longer needed to worry about falling into debt. “Anastasia, what are you going to do now?” Erica
asked deliberately out of curiosity about how her sister was going to reverse thepany’s situation.
Naturally, Anastasia did not have the capability to do so. However, as luck would have it, she had
someone backing her, someone amazing. “I have my ways regarding that. You can leave now,”
Anastasia said.
Erica herself did not wish to stay in thepany any longer as well. Before she left thepany, she
dropped by the finance department but could not find Oscar there. Regardless, even if she did meet
Oscar here, all she could do was swallow her pain alone.
After Anastasia watched Erica’s car leaving thepany from the French window, she dialed Elliot’s
number.
“Have you gone to Tillman Constructions?” Elliot asked.
“Yeah, Erica has given up all of her shares to me.”
“They couldn’t even handle this much?” Elliot asked rhetorically before he continued, “Wait for me. I’ll
come over right now.” This sentence of his was filled with an indescribable strength that warmed
Anastasia’s heart. With Elliot around, she wouldn’t need to worry about thepany’s future at all.
Thirty minutester, two armored SUVs opened up the way to the front entrance of Tillman
Constructions. The domineering ck Rolls-Royce Phantom was the first in line with seven to eight
luxury cars following behind. Just like this, thepany’s car park was filled to the brim. The
employees were shocked as they watched all these vehicles from the various windows of the building.
All of them started specting just what kind of big shot hade and whether these people were the
company’s salvation.
One of the bodyguards opened the door of the ck car to reveal Elliot getting out of the car. He was
dressed to the nines, as he gave off a powerful presence with his ck formal wear. As though
following his lead, a group of people also came down from the luxury cars. They all gave a look of
respect toward Elliot before following him into Tillman Constructions. It was a majestic sight to behold
the group of them march with gusto behind Elliot.
Anastasia knew Elliot arrived but did not know he had brought along so many guests. Just then, Elliot
entered her office. Puzzled, she looked at him. “Who are those people?”
“They’re all your father’s former clients. They came to have a meeting with you.”
Anastasia blinked dumbfoundedly before feeling the warmth in her heart graduallying to the
surface. Looks like he’s already nning to resume thepany’s projects.
Then, Elliot took her hand in his. “Let’s go and listen to what they have to say.”