Chapter 7

Evelyn stared at Howard in disbelief. "My greatest crime was saving her mother!" Howard's expression darkened instantly. "Evelyn, how did you become so cruel and unreasonable?" Howard scrolled through his phone and stopped on a photo of two sandalwood boxes. "I told my people to collect what was left of your mom's and Layla's ashes. If you want them, you'll have to earn them." Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes. She gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Even if Anne's mom isn't feeling well, the hospital has doctors, nurses, and all the latest equipment. How can you actually believe that heartgrass stuff Anne talked about? Howard, don't you think that's ridiculous?" Howard's expression remained cold. "Eve, I'm not going to repeat myself." Evelyn looked at Howard in disappointment and finally nodded. "Fine. I'll go." Soon, Evelyn was taken aboard a yacht and brought out to sea. The water wasn't deep, only about 330 feet at its deepest, but it was still at the limit for divers. As the fully geared Evelyn watched Howard calmly sipping wine with Anne in the cabin, a wave of numb despair washed over her. Anne held her used wine glass to Howard's lips. "Howard, it's so cold. Ms. Shaw won't be in danger, right?" Howard downed the wine in one smooth gulp and smiled faintly. "Evelyn used to love diving when she was stressed. She was even a champion swimmer in college. You don't need to worry." The cold sea breeze whipped across Evelyn's face. She instinctively clenched her right hand. Howard seemed to have forgotten that the tendons in it were already severed. Under the bright lights, Evelyn jumped into the water. The icy chill immediately engulfed her. Even with the lights, visibility at night was no more than three feet. She pushed forward, knowing she had to reach the target as quickly as possible to survive. When she reached the seabed at 330 feet, a school of fish suddenly rushed toward her. Evelyn barely had time to react before a massive stingray slammed into her. A searing pain shot through her abdomen. She fought to stay upright, swinging her arms despite the tearing wound. The next second, Evelyn realized that a huge great white shark was lurking just behind the school of fish. Panic surged through her. She wanted to swim upward, but her eyes spotted the Abyssal Heartgrass Anne had mentioned, drifting just below her feet. Her mind went to the ashes trampled under their feet. Gritting her teeth, she dove down, grabbed the herb, and shot back toward the surface with all her strength. In the next instant, the shark lunged at Evelyn, snapping its gaping jaws. Evelyn didn't dare to linger any longer. She tore off her oxygen tank and smashed it on the shark's snout, buying herself a few precious seconds. Just as she was about to break the surface, a searing pain ripped through her wrist, leaving her too weak to move her arms. Without oxygen, her mind began to go blank, and her consciousness started to fade. As she sank toward the shark's gaping jaws, the water above erupted into waves. Just then, a figure shot toward her like a man possessed. Evelyn caught sight of Howard's frantic, unhinged face and couldn't help but laugh bitterly to herself. If she could, she'd wish she had never met him.