FOUR

Giselle ran along the hospital corridor, tears streaming down her face. She no longer cared about her disheveled appearance as long as she reached her destination quickly.

"WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!" Giselle shouted in panic.

A hospital staff member escorted her to the intended location, but Giselle refused to follow. She shook her head when the staff member directed her towards the morgue.

"What do you mean? Why are you taking me there? ARE YOU TRYING TO FOOL ME?!" Giselle yelled angrily, but her voice choked when she saw her father coming out of that room unconscious.

She collapsed to the floor. Glenn quickly supported his wife's weak body. "Calm down, Giselle."

The husband and wife entered the morgue, a cold room where that night there was only one body lying on the left side of the room. Glenn gathered the courage to uncover the sheet covering the head.

"MOMMY...!" Giselle screamed hysterically upon seeing her mother's deformed body. Her face was half crushed, down to her chest, her legs and hands broken.

Glenn shuddered with sorrow, embracing Giselle and trying to calm her down. The news of the single-car accident that befell Sarah Willow had caused a public uproar.

She was pronounced dead after her car crashed into a roadside barrier and plunged into a ravine. Sarah's body was evacuated before reporters arrived.

"Are you sure this was a single-car accident?" Glenn asked Kurt, the Willow family's personal assistant.

"The police checked the scene and Mrs. Sarah's car, but they found no anomalies," Kurt replied.

"Dig deeper and keep track of the case's progress. Make sure nothing seems suspicious. I don't want the public to think ill of our family."

"Yes, Sir."

Glenn returned to the recovery room where Giselle was resting. She had fainted several times from crying too much. Glenn had tried to contact his parents, but they were still on their way home from out of town.

Glenn's phone rang, but this time it wasn't a call, it was a message from an unknown number.

+34**8: How's the surprise today? Consider it an early gift for Sarah Willow's birthday next week. Next, there will be an even bigger surprise for you.

Glenn's eyes widened, his heart pounding intensely. He quickly tried to call the number, but unfortunately, it suddenly became unreachable.

"What does this mean... Was my mother-in-law murdered?" Glenn muttered to himself.

***

The clinking of wine glasses echoed by the poolside, Athena and Sargas were chatting there, laughing softly.

"How did I look this afternoon? I was really nervous, but Dad forced me to appear like a princess," Athena said.

"You were amazing, Athena. You looked like you were born again," Sargas replied.

Athena chuckled softly, then removed the bathrobe covering her body. She was wearing a maroon one-shoulder swimsuit, showcasing her slim waist.

"Want to swim together?" Athena offered. "It's been so long since I swam; I want to test my healed legs."

Sargas was entranced, swallowing his held-back saliva as he admired Athena's beauty. He praised her beauty repeatedly; Athena was the most perfect young woman in his eyes even though she had already given birth to a son.

"Sargas, don't you want to accompany me? What if I get injured in the water?" Athena teased, snapping Sargas out of his reverie.

He removed his clothes and long pants, leaving only shorts that covered his hips and thighs. His toned abdomen with eight-pack abs started entering the water, leading his adopted cousin to swim together.

"Ah, it feels nice to soak in at night. Let's do this every day," Athena said.

Sargas blushed, pretending to dunk his head underwater so Athena wouldn't see his embarrassed face.

This wasn't the first time they had been close in such an intense manner. Athena never minded when Sargas touched her skin; he was the only man she trusted. They had even shared a bed several times without getting intimate.

"Any news from Dad?" Athena asked.

"Not yet, Miss. He's still in the office because in two days, they will be leaving for France to ensure that the business you want to run there goes smoothly," Sargas replied.

Athena nodded, wrapping her arms around Sargas's neck as she started feeling tired. "It's been so long since I swam; now my legs are cramping."

Sargas gazed at the beautiful face in front of him with a look that was hard to decipher. Athena's chest rubbing against his under the water made his heart race.

"Do you want to finish it?" Sargas asked.

Athena nodded. "Carry me to the room, pick out pajamas for me tonight."

Sargas went wild. The woman in front of him didn't seem to be teasing him, but Athena only trusted him. Sargas was her everyday companion, and he should have been used to her behavior. But it seemed like this time, the man had to surrender to his feelings.

"Athena..." Sargas called the woman who had just finished changing in the bathroom.

"What's up?" Athena asked, towel-drying her hair.

"Your stepmother passed away in an accident."

Athena stopped towel-drying, freezing for a moment after hearing the news. Unconsciously, a thin, crooked smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

***

Sarah's death became the second hottest topic after the Gilgareth family name trended extraordinarily for three days.

"WILLOWSPOT, INC SHARES PLUMMET AMID CRISIS AFFECTING SEVERAL OTHER COMPANIES."

Athena stared at the laptop screen in front of her with an indescribable expression. "Single-car accident? I didn't expect you to die so soon before I could respond to everything."

"She should've taken your daughter to hell with her." Athena sighed, feeling a sense of satisfaction upon seeing the news.

"Ah, I wonder, why did she crash into the roadside barrier? Shouldn't a woman with early-stage dementia rest at home? Why did she go out alone?"

"Athena," Sargas reprimanded. "Your assistant informed me that you need to fly to France tonight."

"Tonight? Why the rush?"

"Your father and mother want you to inspect the perfume gallery and check the tobacco factory, which will start production next week."

Athena cheered inwardly. This was a breath of fresh air for her. The news of the drop in shares of several companies due to Sarah's death made Athena feel that the best opportunity wouldn't come twice.

"Sargas, please check the Willow family's stock prices," Athena requested.

Sargas frowned. "For what, Athena? Are you going to buy it now?"

Athena smiled wryly. "Isn't this the right time for revenge?"

***

"Where's Giselle?" Merrya asked.

"She's in her room," Glenn replied.

"Is she crying?"

Glenn just nodded.

Merrya sighed in annoyance. "How long will she be like this? Doesn't she know that our company's situation is deteriorating because of her mother's death?"

"Mother, can you not discuss business at times like this? Giselle is grieving," Glenn admonished.

"And then what? Will crying bring Sarah back to life? That old, demented woman is really troublesome! She knew she was sick, yet she went out alone. Doesn't she think that if she dies, many people will fall into poverty?" Merrya grumbled.

Glenn approached his mother, then patted the shoulders of the woman he greatly respected. "What are you worried about, Mom? Are you afraid of going bankrupt?"

"Of course! Our only hope is Giselle, but she's crying and grieving every day."

"Are you starting to doubt Giselle?"

Merrya smirked. "Don't make me regret throwing away a diamond like Athena for brittle gold like Giselle."

Glenn fell silent, his mother's thoughts echoing what he had once thought when he first saw Athena reappear.

"I have no choice if Giselle continues like this. I apologize if it seems selfish, but I will discard anyone who makes our family's path—"

"AAAAHHHHHH...!" A woman's scream echoed on the third floor, but it wasn't Giselle's voice.

Glenn and Merrya quickly ran upstairs, shocked to see a maid fallen in front of a room door with a frightened expression gazing into the room.

Glenn approached, equally shocked to see the room filled with blood.

***