Chapter 8
C
For Wiggle, I had endured everything.”
And yet, they still hadn’t spared him.”
Now, as I watched Vernon’s expression shift after seeing my dad–his once defiant face turning ashen–I heard his voice
tremble.
“Keyshia… is your daughter…”
Of course, Vernon knew who my dad was.
Every lecture Ernest gave carried my dad’s shadow. Vernon admired Dad, feared him, and had grown up with that fear deeply ingrained in his bones.”
“This is impossible. This is impossible!” Vernon muttered in disbelief. “Grandpa said Keyshia was just an orphan he picked up from the streets! She’s an orphan, so how could this be? How could this be?!”
His voice rose to a frenzied pitch. He suddenly spun toward me, roaring, “Keyshia! It’s you, isn’t it?! You planned this!“”
“You hired an actor, didn’t you?” he speculated. “You hired someone who had plastic surgery to look like Hogarth! You knew I was terrified of him, and you deliberately brought that impostor here just to frighten me!“}
Ignoring the pain of his broken nails, he descended into madness.
“You just want to win, don’t you? That’s all this is! You just want to beat me!” His voice cracked, hoarse and desperate. “And what right do you have?! You filthy, lowborn wretch!”
I had gone to school with Vernon.
Where I excelled in everything, he paled in comparison. Ernest often used me as the measuring stick to berate him, which only made his hatred of me grow.
But it wasn’t as if I hadn’t tried to close the distance. Every time I reached out in goodwill, he retaliated with cruelty. He locked me in the pitch–black storeroom, threw snakes, insects, rats, and ants inside, forcing me to stay in that disgusting place without food.
If I wanted to survive, I had no choice but to eat those revolting creatures!!
Those days… How could I ever forget?”
Looking back, I smiled faintly at Vernon.
“Have you forgotten what Ernest said the day I came to your family?”
That day, when he brought me in, he told Vernon, “From now on, Keyshia is your little sister. You must protect her with all your strength. If her family comes back and finds you’ve mistreated her, you’ll be in deep trouble!““”
“So,” I said softly, meeting Vernon’s eyes, “my family has come back.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “Looks like this time it’s your turn, Vernon, the stray no
one wants.”
I lifted my hand slightly. At my signal, the bodyguards pulled out every one of his fingernails. Then, I swept my gaze across the room.
“Whoever dares to breathe a word about what happened here today,” I warned coldly, “will never stay in this circle again.“” Kyler stepped forward, stopping directly in front of Vernon.”
“Thanks to you, idiot, for not cherishing what you had,” he said with a wicked grin. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the chance
to.”
He tilted his head toward me, his smile deepening. “As for Keyshia’s worth… You don’t need to know it. It’s enough that I do.”
Then his tone turned light, almost casual.
“As for your company… since I’ve returned to the country, Browett Corporation shouldn’t expect a good ending.”
The day Vernon and Joanie were thrown out, I seized all of Browett Corporation’s resources. The Butterfields made it clear that anyone who dared to help the Browetts would be standing against both them and the Perhssons. And my dad–he stood firmly behind me.
When the family estate of the Browetts was finally taken, Vernon came looking for me. Gone was his former arrogance. His hands were bandaged, and his eyes fixed desperately on mine.”
“Keyshia,” he said, “talk to me.”
I kept my distance, unwilling to waste a single word on him, and turned to leave.
“Keyshia!” He called after me. “If you don’t talk to me, you’ll regret it!“”
My steps didn’t falter. I kept walking. He rushed forward, only to be blocked by my bodyguards. He could only shout my name over and over.
“Keyshia!”
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10:25 AM P
Finally, his words made me pause.
“Do you really want to see Wiggle’s bones crushed to ashes?”
I stopped in my tracks. He knew he had struck the one weakness he could still exploit.
C
“Do you want to know where Wiggle was buried?” he coaxed, his voice turning almost gentle. “As long as you sit down and talk with me… I’ll tell you.”
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