Chapter 3

Eventually, this incident caught the attention of Jonas' father, Arthur.

Arthur came to my office, bowed, and said he'd make things right.

That very same day, I heard Arthur beat Jonas so badly Jonas ended up in the hospital's critical care unit.

A friend told me, "When the ambulance arrived, Jonas was covered in blood and out cold.

"But even then, he gritted his teeth and refused to apologize to you. He kept insisting you were the one who should be apologizing.

"Arthur was absolutely livid, and Margo stirred up even more trouble. In the end, Arthur announced he was washing his hands off Jonas.

"Now Jonas isn't even allowed into Saunders Group. Moreover, Arthur and Margo froze all his cards. Everyone in the circle is waiting to see him crash and burn."

Jonas had been so arrogant and overbearing in the past that he'd pissed off many people.

Moreover, the heirs of various companies saw my potential and wanted to get on my good side.

Either way, I always managed to hear about Jonas' situation from all sorts of sources.

After being kicked out of the family, Jonas stayed at Allie's cramped apartment, the one she paid one grand a month for.

Jonas cared a lot about Allie and wouldn't let her work.

But his ego was way too big for any entry-level job, and he didn't have the chops for anything higher up either.

So now, he was just mooching off Allie's savings.

Allie was pregnant now, while also scrambling to find top specialists who might be able to fix her eyesight.

Medical bills, pregnancy checkups, day-to-day expenses—all that required money.

Jonas had never suffered like this before.

Even so, he held on and stayed by Allie's side, never once crawling back to his family for help.

But Allie didn't have the same grit. She couldn't tough it out like Jonas did.

She turned to Margo, who started sneaking them cash behind Arthur's back.

Of course, Arthur soon caught wind of it and shut it down.

Just when Jonas and Allie had gotten a brief taste of hope, they were thrown back into darkness again.

Allie might've grown up poor, but after years of being spoiled by Jonas, she just wasn't cut out for tough times anymore.

So, she showed up at the Saunders Group's latest product launch, asking for my help.

In front of flashing cameras, she clutched her cane, tears streaking down her face.

She kept stammering, begging me repeatedly to forgive her, pleading for me not to keep making life hell for Jonas.

The cameras caught every angle: her fragile figure, her trembling lips, her pitiful sobs.

And me—sitting tall in the executives' row, the picture of a ruthless powerful businesswoman.

The reporters pounced, shoving microphones my way.

"Miss Webster, is it true you ordered Jonas Saunders blacklisted?"

"Miss Webster, now that you're Harvey Saunders' favorite, does that mean you're the one calling the shots at Saunders Group?"

"Is this all out of spite? Because you lost Jonas Saunders to a blind girl, you're trying to destroy him?"

The reporters thought they were ready. They thought they had me cornered.

I frowned, but only for a couple of seconds before letting it go.

I finally understood. No matter how good Arthur tried to make it look, he would never just let Jonas go.

Today's product launch was critical. Only insiders knew the time and place, and security was top-notch.

Yet Allie, who was blind, somehow made it in and caused a scene.

I ended up taking the brunt of the reporters' blame.

Someone must've planned this.

Jonas, arrogant as he was, wouldn't stoop to something like this.

Margo didn't have the brains for it.

So it had to be Arthur. He must've been frustrated with Harvey for a long time.

Harvey never really believed in Jonas, but thought with my help, Jonas could make something of himself.

Now that I'd given up on Jonas, Harvey had too.

From Harvey's point of view, Jonas wasn't the only Saunders. There was Seth, who was much more capable.

But for Arthur, Jonas was his only hope.

Using Allie to create public pressure and push me into the spotlight? That was probably Arthur's first move.

But Arthur was just too stupid for his own good.

Just because he wanted it, didn't mean he'd get his way.

I smiled as I looked at Allie. "No matter how I explain today, people are going to think Jonas's current situation is all my fault.

"But I've never done anything to harm Saunders Group. This is way beyond my expectations. Thus, I'm resigning as CEO—let this be my way of answering to it."

I walked up to Allie and helped her to her feet.

I added, "I heard you and Jonas got married. Consider this my second gift to you. Jonas should be back at Saunders Group soon."

Allie froze, lips pressed tightly together.

She honestly hadn't expected I'd fold so quickly.

"Th-thank you, Miss Webster," she managed.

I shook my head, smiling. "Don't mention it. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together." May they be together forever.

In my previous life, Jonas murdered me.

Arthur, Margo, and Allie were his accomplices.

Once I understood Arthur's motives, I was done holding back.