Chapter 403: Rachel, It’s Time to End This
A tree dies when it’s transplanted, but people thrive when they move. For the sake of the entire Smiths family, Jason couldn’t stand with the Reeves family and Rachel anymore.
With that, Jason signed his name on the document and then signed the paper agreeing to the abolishment.
“Jason!” Denver shouted angrily.
Rachel couldn’t believe it. After spending so much time pulling Jason back to her side, had he just switched sides again?
Sensing that things were about to change, Rachel suddenly thought of the force behind her, the one claiming to be from the Folsom family, and what they had said to her…
As Jason was about to hand over his vote, and some of the other families began to waver, Rachel, without further thought, pointed at Paige and shouted, “Don’t be fooled by her! She doesn’t have the guts to let Country A descend into chaos! That’s why she wouldn’t dare kill anyone in this room!”
Her voice was sharp, panicked from fear.
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at her.
Paige raised her eyes to Rachel, smiling faintly, “And what makes you think I wouldn’t dare?”
Rachel glared at Paige, trying to find a hint of weakness in her expression, but there was nothing.
But at this point, Rachel had no choice but to continue, “The reason you wouldn’t dare… we all know! Otherwise, kill someone right now. Prove it!”
At these words, many of the corporate elites turned their attention to Rachel. “Do you have something on her?” they asked, hoping Rachel held a trump card.
If she did, now was the time to use it!
“…”
Rachel stiffened. She had no leverage. She was only repeating what she had been told by the Folsom family.
Paige smiled and spoke calmly, “It’s true, I don’t particularly enjoy killing.”
Her response made the others hesitate. Could Rachel really have some dirt on Paige?
Seeing Paige’s reaction, Rachel grew more confident and continued, “Then you-”Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.
Before she could finish, Paige interrupted her, speaking coldly, “But since Miss Rachel is so sincere in her request, I suppose I should grant it.”
At those words, Nick, who had been waiting for his cue, swiftly walked toward Rachel through the gaps in the conference table, pressing a gun to her head. “Let’s go,” he said coldly.
No one had ever seen such a peculiar request fulfilled like this.
It wasn’t until the cold barrel of the gun touched her head that Rachel realized her mistake-she had meant for Paige to kill a corporate executive, not her!
“I-mmmph,” Rachel tried to speak, but Nick grabbed the piece of paper marked “Disagree with Abolishment” and crumpled it up, stuffing it into her mouth so she couldn’t make another sound.
“…”
Rafael was shocked. Paige’s subordinates were this straightforward?
Nick dragged Rachel towards the exit. She struggled frantically, trying to spit out the paper, but one of the members of the Peak Club, Lamont, grabbed her other hand, forcing it behind her back. To keep the paper from softening, Lamont stuffed another crumpled ball into her mouth.
Rachel flailed helplessly, but was dragged right up to Paige.
Both Paige and Enrico stared down at her coldly.
“Mm-mm!” Rachel tried to scream, struggling violently.
Carrie handed Nick a pair of handcuffs, which he used to bind Rachel’s hands behind her back. With a hard shove, he sent her to the ground, where she knelt, her hair disheveled and her pride shattered.
Everyone held their breath as they watched.
Paige slowly stood up, her gaze falling on Rachel’s luxurious evening gown. It was beautiful and elegant, wrapping her like a piece of fine art, so delicate and refined.
As Paige took a step closer, Rachel’s face paled. Her trembling intensified as Paige’s emotionless face loomed closer.
Rachel instinctively sought Enrico with her gaze, but Paige blocked her view, leaving her with only the sight of slender fingers playing idly with a pen.
“There’s no need to look at him, or to think about any final words. Today, it’s me who will kill you,” Paige said, crouching down to meet Rachel’s eyes.
Rachel’s terror surged, and she frantically shook her head, trying to scoot backward, but Nick held her in place with his foot.
Paige’s cold eyes watched Rachel intently, scrutinizing every feature of her face.
The more Paige stared, the more Rachel trembled uncontrollably, her body shaking in fear.
“Why are you trembling? Don’t be afraid,” Paige said with a soft chuckle, gently tucking Rachel’s disheveled hair behind her ear. “Rachel, from the moment I left the slums, I never thought my biggest obstacle on this path would be you.”
At these words, Rachel’s terror deepened, her mouth full of paper, eyes filled with desperation.
“Stop shaking, I told you, there’s no need to be afraid,” Paige smiled, before pressing Rachel’s head down gently onto her shoulder.
The motion seemed light and gentle, like a comforting embrace, but only Rachel could feel the overwhelming force. She went still, her trembling replaced by stiff, frozen fear, her body locked like a stone.
Crouching there, pressing Rachel’s head to her shoulder, Paige continued in a soft, distant voice, “I never considered you a real opponent. But I was wrong. You were strong. You sent me to Gangnam Hall. You made me suffer. Without you, Enrico wouldn’t have fallen ill, Emery wouldn’t have been dragged into this, and what happened in River Town wouldn’t have occurred.”
Rachel’s body tensed even more at Paige’s words.
Paige looked down at her, staring at Rachel’s quivering eyelashes and reddened eyes. “Do you know how many of my people died? Eight. Eight lives.”
“Mm…” Rachel shook her head violently. The incident at River Town wasn’t her doing-it was Emery’s! She hadn’t killed anyone!
“Do you know?” Paige continued, her voice barely a whisper. “One of them was a young scientist with a bright future. Another was an architect…”
Her slender fingers pressed firmly on Rachel’s head, and her voice wavered slightly, “They had such promise. But they followed me. And we became entangled in this mess because of you, starting three years ago.”
Everyone else sat in silence, watching from their seats. Some couldn’t hear what Paige was saying, but they saw Rachel trembling violently, her face drained of all color.
“Tell me,” Paige said quietly, “why did you keep coming after me? Was it because of Enrico? He never belonged to you. He was never yours from the beginning.”
“…”
Hearing Enrico’s name, Rachel’s eyes reddened even more as she glared up at Paige, fury in her gaze.
Paige returned her gaze calmly.
Rachel’s anger melted away, replaced by jealousy, then weakness, and finally, desperate pleading.
She was just the president of Artisans. Her death wouldn’t make waves. Tomorrow, no one would even care.
So she was afraid.
She didn’t want to die. Not yet.
Paige watched Rachel’s emotions shift so quickly, fascinated by how rich her expressions were in such a short time. She could even hear Rachel’s heart pounding wildly, her hand wet from the cold sweat in Rachel’s hair.
Rachel was terrified, sweating profusely.
But Paige remained completely calm. She held Rachel’s head with one hand and raised the other to signal Nick for his gun. As she did, she spoke softly, “Rachel, it’s time to end this between us.”