Chapter 7
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As for how Chester eventually forced his way into Grant Group, I didn't know the details. All I knew was that once he took over, the entire company went through a massive purge. Even Christian was kicked out.
One day, Christian locked Chester inside an abandoned warehouse. It was the very place where, years earlier, after the car crash, Chester had planned to dump his body.
Chester was deprived of food and water for three days. When he was barely hanging on, Christian threw him a knife. "Either kill yourself or beg me."
Chester knelt and begged, but Christian stepped on his head, smiling casually, and pressed the knife against his neck. "I was just messing with you, bro. How could I ever let you walk out of here alive?"
If I hadn't noticed Chester was missing and rushed there with their father, William Grant, he probably would've died out in the wilderness.
That marked the first time I met Christian.
Beaten until he was covered in blood by William, he never once bowed his head. Hatred—for Chester and William—burned in his eyes, yet beneath it all, defiance gleamed.
I didn't know much about the deeper secrets of the Grant family. Chester never talked to me about them. But I did know one thing—if there was anyone in this world who wanted Chester dead more than I did, it had to be Christian.
At 3:00 am, soaked to the bone, I appeared in Christian's private club suite.
The bodyguards tried to stop me, but Christian waved them off. He swirled a glass of whiskey in his hand and looked at me with amused eyes.
"Sophie? Long time no see," he said lightly. "Let me guess… That hypocrite of a husband is trying to get you killed, huh?"
I pulled out my phone, played the video, and shoved it right in front of his face. "I can help you bring him down."
The casual look on Christian's face froze. He set the glass down and narrowed his eyes, staring hard at the screen. "Child trafficking?"
I didn't waste time. I reached into the lining of my bra, took out the baby tooth, and placed it on the glass table.
"That's right. Chester faked my mental illness so he could marry into the Ziegler family. For that ten-billion-dollar investment, he even went so far as to sell his own daughter. This is my daughter's tooth."
I met Christian's gaze head-on. "This video, plus this baby tooth that can be tested for DNA, is enough to ruin him completely and send him to prison for life."
At 10:00 am tomorrow, Chester would hold a press conference signing with the Ziegler family. It was also the day Grant Group would announce its successor.
This was my last chance… and Christian's. I was betting that he still wanted the company.
"Christian, as long as Chester falls, the Grant family will be yours," I said, concealing the urgency in my voice, and looked straight at him. "Work with me. I'll give you the evidence. All I want is my daughter to be safe."
The private room fell into dead silence. Only the sound of Christian's fingers tapping against the table remained. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed with manic glee.
"Oh, Sophie… How did I never realize that you're way more ruthless than that son of a bitch?"
He stood up, removed his suit jacket, and draped it over me, covering my miserable state. "Deal."
I finally let out a breath. The tension that had been eating me for days finally released at last. Luckily, I had won the gamble. Only then did the cold truly seep in, and my whole body began to shake.
Christian picked up his phone and made a call, his voice icy. "Take all the guys and intercept a van with the plate number… There'll be a girl in a red sweater. Protect her at all costs. If anything happened to her, you guys are dead meat."
The call ended, and he turned to me. "I'll bring back your daughter, but the press conference…"
I lifted my head, my eyes burning with desire for revenge. "I'll go. I'll tear off his mask with my own hands, right in front of every camera in the city."
Outside the window, the rain had ceased, leaving the pre-dawn darkness at its deepest.
