Debra stared at the mountain of debt, her eyes widening as she took in the staggering figures. What had started as a few thousand had snowballed into hundreds of thousands, then millions, and finally tens of millions.Each page was a huge debt, a testament to Ralph's desperation. She could almost see him, hunched over a desk, signing away his soul one IOU at a time. These debts had been accumulating for four years.She looked up at Andrew. "You knew about these all along?""I had a rough idea.""So, you also know who reported me?"Andrew remained silent, but his eyes spoke volumes. Debra understood immediately. Who else could it be?In her past life, she had been a housewife, uninvolved in the Frazier family's business. Ralph had no reason to resent her.But in this life, she had taken control, changing the status quo and threatening Ralph's power. With the Frazier Group now under the McKinney Group's umbrella, an accounting of the past years' books was inevitable.The shortfal
"Wait!" Debra tried to stop the bodyguard, but he had disappeared in a flash.She was at a loss for what to do.In his wheelchair, Andrew was gasping for breath. Debra hurried over and asked anxiously, "What should I do now? Is there anything I can do for you?""Just stand there.""Stand here?""Just stand there," Andrew said weakly.Debra knew that her standing there without causing trouble was likely the best course of action. But Andrew had helped her so many times. She couldn't simply stand by while he was suffering.Recalling how nurses at the hospital took care of patients during asthma attacks, Debra quickly sprang into action."Wait here.""Ms. Frazier."Andrew tried to stop her, but Debra was already off like a rocket.Andrew coughed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Debra rushed to the windows, throwing them open to allow fresh air to circulate. She then dashed to the bathroom, grabbed a warm towel, and hurried back to Andrew's side."You have asthma, right? Tak
Andrew cast a glance at the bodyguard, who immediately stepped in front of Debra, his voice firm yet respectful. "Ms. Frazier, please wait outside.""Okay." Debra nodded, a hint of concern in her eyes as she glanced at Andrew.Once outside, she turned to the bodyguard and asked, "Is his asthma very serious?""Asthma?""Yes, wasn't he having an asthma attack just now?""Mr. Andrew Potter often coughs up blood and sometimes has trouble breathing, but he never has asthma.""Not asthma?" Debra paused, recalling Andrew's hesitance earlier. "If he doesn't have asthma, what would happen if he took asthma medication?""What?"The bodyguard looked at her, not understanding the implications of her question. Debra's gaze shifted back to Andrew, who was patiently answering the doctor's questions.Once the doctor finished his examination, Debra stepped back into the room. "Mr. Andrew Potter, if you don't have asthma, why did you take that medicine?""Who told you that?"Debra's gaze flic
"Authorities? Which one? I'll go find them," Juan demanded.In Seamar City, there wasn't a soul Juan didn't know or couldn't influence.Pedro, already flustered from the recent events, felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple.Ever since Debra had been imprisoned, his life had been a whirlwind of stress. He had just managed to deal with Erica, and now Juan was here, demanding answers he couldn't give."Mr. Nichols, don't worry," Pedro said, attempting to reassure him. "Ms. Frazier is very safe with us. There won't be any mistakes. We'll finish the process soon and release her."Juan cut him off sharply. "I'm asking who the authorities are."Pedro squirmed under Juan's intense gaze, sweat pouring down his face. He stepped closer to Juan and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Mr. Nichols, you know the person. Mrs. Nichols has been bailed out, so please make things difficult for me."Debra had already left, yet people kept asking him. Being a police chief was not that easy."Is
Debra, who had been observing from the sidelines, felt a sudden surge of nervousness.The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening, and she couldn't help but wonder how Juan would react to the news of her death.She had expected him to be pleased, as her demise would allow Shelia to legitimately take her place as Mrs. Nichols.As if on cue, Shelia's sweet voice filtered through the phone. "Juan, whose call was that?"The line disconnected, leaving Debra with a bitter taste in her mouth. Even if Juan knew she had died, he wouldn't show an ounce of emotion. Shelia was his true love, after all.As Debra prepared to leave this eerie dream, she was suddenly jolted by the sound of the doctor's angry voice. "Who moved the type A blood? Didn't you check beforehand? Do you even know who's lying here?"Debra's eyes fluttered open to find the doctor fuming. She looked down at her lifeless body, the baby she had been carrying now lost forever.She was Mrs. Nichols, and the child
"Alright, please wait here for a moment," said the nurse, leaving Shelia alone in the morgue.Shelia stepped forward and lifted the white cloth, revealing the lifeless body beneath. Debra's face was bloodless, with dark circles beneath her eyes. It was a far cry from the refined lady she used to be.Debra looked at her body with a wry smile. In her previous life, she had tortured herself for Juan, ending up in such a miserable state. It seemed all for nothing."Debra, don't blame me for this. Only by your death can I take the position of Mrs. Nichols," Shelia murmured, slipping the ring off the corpse's finger for a closer look.Debra remembered that ring. It was given to her by Melody after she got pregnant. Melody had said she was the only hostess of the Nichols family. Now, it all seemed like a cruel joke."I didn't expect Juan to give you the heirloom ring," Shelia mused, slipping the ring onto her own finger. "But it doesn't matter. From today on, this ring belongs to me."D
"Is Mr. Andrew Potter up?" Debra asked."Yes," the maid replied. "Do you want to meet him?""It's time for me to leave," Debra said, her grip tightening on the envelope in her hand.She held evidence of Ralph's crimes, and she could leave at any moment. But exposing Ralph would mean sending him to prison.Across town, Ralph had just risen from bed when he heard a knock at the door. The maid hurried to open it and was startled to see Debra standing outside."M-Ms. Frazier?"Ralph came downstairs, asking, "Who's it?"When he saw Debra at the door, his expression froze for a moment before he quickly composed himself. He hurried over to her, his face a mask of concern. "Debra, how did you get out? What happened? Did the police clear everything up?"Debra didn't answer any of his questions. Instead, she smiled faintly and said, "Uncle Ralph, you really care about me.""Of course. You're the only child of my elder brother. How could I not care?" he sighed. "I don't know who framed u
"You tell me, Uncle Ralph," Debra said, gesturing to the documents laid out on the table.Ralph reached for the papers with a trembling hand, his eyes scanning the first page. Soon enough, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.Debra watched him, her expression impassive, as she suppressed the surge of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "You're my uncle, and I never imagined it was you."Ralph looked up at her, his aged face streaked with tears and cold sweat. "I had no choice. If I can't repay that money, they'll break my arms and legs, and I'll be dead.""So, you set me up?" Debra laughed coldly. "You should know, with charges like embezzlement and bribery, I'd spend the rest of my life in prison. But you still did this."Ralph's breath hitched, his words tumbling out in a rush. "I never wanted to harm you, but you were restless, insisting on divorcing Juan and running the Frazier family."He paused and added, "You don't know what my life was like. It was only af