Chapter twenty one
1323 Words
In the Evening
Esther went home happily that evening. She was still excited about the three-day trip and hoped everything would go well.
Just as she was about to enter her car, which was parked around a sharp corner, she suddenly heard Jennifer talking to someone.
“On the first day, drug her and post her pictures online,” Jennifer instructed coldly. “On the second day, kidnap her and r**e her. But if Ronald comes to rescue her before anything happens, then on the third day, poison her food.”
Esther froze.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly hid behind the wall so Jennifer would not see her.
Did I offend Jenny in my past life? Why does she hate me this much? she wondered.
Is there something else behind all this? Does she know about the company?
Esther remained hidden as Jennifer walked toward her direction.
She quickly slipped into the nearby room and stayed there until Jennifer passed.
From where she stood, Esther watched Jennifer leave with a wicked smile on her face.
“So, you think it will be that easy to hurt me?” Esther muttered scornfully.
She narrowed her eyes.
“I need to do something before she gets the chance to hurt me. I won't give her enough time to carry out her plans.”
Esther brought out her laptop and immediately logged into her anonymous social media account.
She uploaded a picture of Jennifer and the man she had been speaking to. She tagged Jennifer in the post and paid to promote it.
“Let's see how you handle this,” Esther whispered with a faint smile.
She closed her laptop, entered her car, and drove home.
---
When Esther arrived at the house, she noticed that all the maids looked worried.
“What happened?” she asked.
“We were so worried when we didn't see you,” Mary, the chief maid, replied. “Come and eat your food.”
Esther smiled.
She felt touched by the concern on their faces. For the first time in a long while, she felt truly cared for.
I'm really lucky to have people who worry about me, she thought happily.
She went upstairs, took her bath, and later returned to the dining room.
She ate her dinner peacefully, feeling completely satisfied.
---
Meanwhile, In A City
Ronald sat in his office chair, staring at the security cameras surrounding the assistant's house.
Suddenly, he noticed the man leaving the house in a hurry.
Ronald immediately picked up his phone.
“Follow him,” he instructed his men.
He put on his earpiece, entered his car, and listened as one of his men gave him the man's location.
After driving for a while, Ronald arrived at a dense forest.
His men had already stopped there.
Ronald stepped out of the car and joined them.
They moved quietly through the forest, following the man from a safe distance.
Suddenly, they saw him enter a hidden compound.
Everyone inside immediately stood up and bowed.
“Welcome, boss.”
Ronald's eyes narrowed.
“So, he's the leader?”
His men nodded.
Ronald looked around and noticed that his men greatly outnumbered the gang members inside.
He gave a simple hand signal.
Immediately, gunshots rang through the forest.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The gang members were caught completely off guard.
Within minutes, many of them were on the ground.
The assistant stared around in terror when he realized that his entire gang had been ambushed.
With nowhere to escape, he finally surrendered.
Ronald's men tied him tightly to a chair.
Ronald walked toward him slowly.
“Why did you kill your boss?” he asked coldly.
The assistant suddenly laughed.
“The CEO was selfish! I worked for him for fifty years, yet he left almost everything to an orphanage. He gave me nothing.”
He laughed again.
“I was happy to kill him.”
Ronald's expression darkened.
Suddenly, he slapped the man across the face.
The force of the slap sent several of the man's teeth flying.
The assistant stared at him in disbelief.
“Why did you hit me?” he demanded angrily.
Ronald grabbed him by the collar.
“You're the wicked one here. Did you really think the CEO didn't tell me what he gave you?”
The man's expression changed.
“He left you one of his companies, three mansions, a black card, and three cars. What more did you want?”
The assistant's mouth fell open.
For several seconds, he couldn't find a single word to say.
Ronald laughed coldly.
“You killed a man who had already given you more than enough. And after that, you even tried to kill me.”
Ronald reached for the gun one of his men was holding.
Andrew immediately recognized the look on his boss's face.
This is bad.
Ronald's anger had reached its limit.
Andrew took a deep breath.
The beast is about to come out.
Everyone around them became tense. They knew that once Ronald lost control, nobody could easily stop him.
Before Andrew could intervene, Ronald raised the gun.
The sound of gunshots echoed through the forest.
He kept firing until the assistant was completely motionless.
Blood covered Ronald's clothes and hands.
The men around him stood frozen in fear.
Ronald didn't stop.
Andrew knew he had to do something.
He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Esther's number.
---
“Hello? Who is this?” Esther asked when she answered.
“Please call the CEO,” Andrew said urgently.
Esther immediately sensed something was wrong.
Without wasting another second, she dialed Ronald's number.
---
In the middle of his rage, Ronald suddenly heard a familiar ringtone.
It was the special ringtone he had assigned to Esther.
He slowly lowered the gun.
For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Then he stopped shooting.
Andrew and the other men released the breaths they had been holding.
Ronald looked at his blood-covered hands.
One of his men quickly handed him a handkerchief.
Ronald wiped his hands before answering the call.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” Esther asked. “Why does it sound so quiet? Is everything okay?”
“I'm fine,” Ronald replied calmly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he teased her.
“Did you miss me so much?”
The men around him exchanged shocked glances.
Only moments ago, their boss had looked like a completely different person.
Now, his voice was gentle.
It was as though the man who had just unleashed his anger had disappeared the moment Esther called.
“No, I didn't miss you,” Esther replied.
She paused.
“I just wanted to check on you. Don't forget to eat your food and take your medication.”
“I will,” Ronald promised.
“And make sure you're safe too. Don't forget to eat your meals.”
Esther smiled softly.
She told him about the three-day field trip and the things that had happened.
After a few more minutes, they ended the call.
Ronald stared at his phone for a moment before sighing softly.
“One problem has been solved.”
Andrew looked at him but said nothing.
Ronald entered his car, and his men followed behind him.
Before leaving, they contacted the police and reported what had happened.
Soon, the vehicles disappeared into the darkness.
---
Later That Night
Esther was just about to go to sleep when her father's call came through.
She answered.
“I want to see you tomorrow,” her father said without even greeting her.
Before Esther could respond, he ended the call.
Esther stared at her phone.
She sighed softly.
“So, it's time to start bargaining.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
She already knew Jennifer must have discovered the post.
And tomorrow was going to be interesting.
To be continued…
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