Chapter 4

The glass shattered into a million pieces while the wine splashed all over the floor. Penelope shrieked. She grabbed Wanda and dragged her with her to hide behind Justin. "Have you lost your mind, Rebecca? Do you even consider me as your father?" Justin demanded with a steely expression, making it obvious that he was furious. Rebecca scoffed. "No, I don't. I don't have a father like you!" She showed no signs of backing down as she continued, "Answer me, Justin. Did you know about James' plan from the start? Did you exchange me for 30 billion dollars?" A sheepish look flickered across Justin's face. "You ruined your own reputation in Nurano a long time ago, Becca. I nurtured you for so many years, but you weren't willing to agree to the arranged marriage in Besavia. "The business was struggling at the time. Since James needed you, I don't see anything wrong with having you help him to help the family. "Besides, Penny's going to be your sister soon. We're going to be a family. All you have to do is go along with James' plan. I definitely won't mistreat you once Penny marries into the Heaton family." "Get out!" Rebecca nearly broke her fingernails. "I came back today to take the things that Mom left behind. I'm going to leave Nurano forever!" She couldn't fully express the frustration raging within her. As if she had lost her mind, she grabbed the porcelain vases off the antique shelf and smashed them onto the floor. The broken pieces of porcelain that rocketed through the air left a clean slice across Penelope's skin. She grabbed Justin's arm and exclaimed, "Dad, Mom's pregnant with your child. How will the two of you get married if Rebecca continues to cause a commotion this way?" Smashing the vases didn't satisfy Rebecca. She grabbed Penelope and dragged her outside toward the swimming pool. Just then, a tall and broad figure suddenly rushed toward them, shouting, "Penny!" James appeared and pulled Penelope into his embrace while shoving Rebecca aside. The overwhelming force caused Rebecca to fall backward. She hit the edge of the pool before plunging into the water with a loud splash. Rebecca didn't know how to swim, and she nearly choked on water several times. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Blood seeped out of her fresh wound. Together with the water from the pool, it flowed into her nose and mouth, robbing her of oxygen. Meanwhile, everyone else was gathered around Penelope, who had a ring of red around her wrist. James couldn't control the way his heart ached as he asked, "How are you feeling, Penny? Does your wrist hurt?" Penelope started sobbing pitifully upon hearing his question. "I don't know why Rebecca hates me so much. I didn't do anything, but she tried to push me into the pool to drown me!" Rebecca threw up when the bodyguards dragged her back onto solid ground. The water she vomited had slivers of blood mixed in it. She lay on the ground and was on the brink of unconsciousness. Meanwhile, James held himself back for a few moments before taking off his blazer with a frown. He then gently draped the garment over her, covering up her chest that was nearly exposed. There was a complicated emotion in his eyes when he leaned over her. "How long are you going to cause a fuss, Becca? I already told you yesterday that you just have to work with me. I'll set you free as soon as my family agrees to me marrying Penny." "Over…my….dead…body…" Rebecca wanted to leave, but she wasn't going to do it if it meant setting the stage for someone else. Not in a million years! She clenched her teeth before grabbing the blazer. She mustered all the strength she had left and hurled it at James. In the end, Justin was the first one to lose his temper. "You ungrateful child! I still have your mother's ashes. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for using her ashes in a blessing ceremony tomorrow!" At that moment, Rebecca curled up into a ball on the ground and became still. A blessing ceremony? She suddenly recalled how the Sawyer family's business took a sharp turn for the worse two years after Carrie passed away. Justin had then sought out a shaman, who told him that in order to turn his fortune around, he had to use Carrie's ashes to make a statue. Only by keeping her trapped with him for the rest of his life, would he be able to guarantee Sawyer Corporation's prosperity. It was a method that many successful businesses in the city employed. Rebecca would never allow such a thing to happen. Carrie had been forced to endure hardship all her life thanks to Justin's philandering ways. Rebecca couldn't allow Carrie to not have peace even after she passed. She had handed all of the shares that Carrie had left behind to Justin, exchanging them for peace that the dead deserved. Rebecca let out a mocking laugh. However, no matter how much she laughed, she still couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. Seeing how she had fallen silent, Justin coldly gave his orders to the bodyguards. "Take Rebecca to the hall. Have her kneel in front of her mother's urn to repent. I'm curious to see if she'll change her arrogant ways."