Chapter 3

As I stepped into the living room, a cup was hurled at me.

It whizzed past my ear and smashed against the wall behind me, shattering into pieces.

Matthew roared, "You're finally back, huh? You damn disgrace! How dare you go behind my back to divorce Charles? And you gave up your stake in Quinn Group? Where did you get the guts for that?"

Matthew's furious face appeared at the second-floor railing, twisted with rage.

I looked up at him.

In my previous life, my father used me to tie the Sterling family to Quinn Group. When Quinn Group was in crisis, he didn't hesitate to throw me under the bus. In the end, he fled abroad with the money, leaving me to rot in prison.

"Speak up! Cat got your tongue?" He stomped down the stairs, jabbing a finger at my nose. "Without the Sterling family and that 15% stake as leverage, the bank will come knocking next week!

"Quinn Group will be screwed, and so will you!"

I waited for him to finish his tirade before calmly saying, "Quinn Group is doomed, but it's not my divorce that ruined it."

Matthew paused.

"It's because you're an idiot," I said, my words sharp and deliberate. "Blind expansion, embezzling funds, laundering money through offshore shell companies.

"And that illegitimate son you keep on the outside. Has he been hitting you up for cash again for some so-called new energy venture?"

Matthew's face went ghostly pale, his finger trembling as he pointed at me. "You... What nonsense are you spouting?"

"You know perfectly well whether it's nonsense or not," I said, walking over to the sofa and sitting down.

I picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and started peeling it slowly. "Dad, Quinn Group is your life's work. Are you really willing to let it all go to waste?"

"What... What do you want?" Matthew's bravado faded, and his eyes were filled with suspicion and uncertainty.

He clearly hadn't expected that his daughter, the one he thought was just a spoiled, brainless girl chasing after Charles, would know all these core secrets.

The apple peel came off in one long, unbroken strip, falling to the floor.

"I want full control of the 15% stake my mother left me, the one you've been keeping in your hands. Transfer it to me, right now," I said, my gaze cold as ice as I looked up at him.

I went on, "Then, call a board meeting and make me the acting CEO of Quinn Group."

"Have you lost your mind?" Matthew screamed. "You're just a young girl who knows nothing. What do you know about running a business?"

"I may not be an expert, but I know how to keep Quinn Group afloat," I said, setting down the apple and the knife.

I added, "Or, more importantly, how to make sure you and your golden boy don't end up spending the rest of your lives in prison."

Matthew looked like someone had just squeezed the life out of him, barely able to breathe.

"You've got one night to think it over," I said, standing up and heading upstairs. "By tomorrow, I want to see the share transfer agreement and the appointment letter.

"Otherwise, I won't hesitate to hand over Quinn Group's mess, and all the skeletons in your closet, to the Economic Crime Investigation Department myself."

Back in my bedroom, I locked the door behind me.

I walked over to the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror and stared at the woman reflected there. My face was pale, and there was a bandage on my forehead.

I slowly undid the buttons of my shirt.

Below my left collarbone was a faint reddish birthmark, shaped like a tattered feather.

In my previous life, Charles gripped my birthmark, his eyes wild with pain and desperation. He kissed it so fiercely that it felt like he wanted to tear the skin apart. He whispered, "Carina, why did you have to be Carina..."

And in the end, he was the one who sent me to prison.

I ran my fingers over that patch of skin. It was icy cold.

Charles, Wendy, Matthew, and all those demons hiding in the shadows...

The game had just begun.

This time, the blade in my hand would be sharper, colder than ever.

*****

The next day, the weather finally cleared up.

I showed up at the entrance of the city hall right on time.

Charles was already there. He stood on the steps in a perfectly tailored black suit, his posture straight and commanding, drawing glances from passersby.

Wendy wasn't there. Maybe she wanted to avoid any awkwardness, or maybe Charles didn't want her to see this.

He gave me a complicated look with uncertain and suspicious, sizing me up.

The bandage on my forehead stood out, but with some light makeup and a sharp white blazer, I looked like I had everything under control.

"I thought you'd back out," Charles said.

"I thought you'd be grateful," I shot back.

Without another word, he strode inside ahead of me.

The paperwork went through without a hitch. We soon got everything done.

As we stepped out of the city hall, the sunlight was harsh.

Charles stopped and looked at me. "Carina, you..."

"Mr. Sterling," I cut him off, my smile perfectly polite. "From now on, we go our separate ways. I wish you and Ms. Lane a lifetime of happiness.

"May you two be locked together for good, and please, keep your drama to yourselves. Don't go ruining anyone else's life."

His expression turned cold.

I didn't spare him another glance and headed for the black sedan parked by the curb.

The window slid down, and a handsome face appeared, grinning with those charming, flirtatious eyes. "Carina, congrats on getting your freedom back! How about I give you a big present?"

I hopped in and shut the door. "Let's go. Head to Quinn Group."

The car started up and slipped into the flow of traffic.

In the rearview mirror, Charles was still standing there, watching after us. His figure shrank into the distance until it finally vanished.