Chapter 1608

Stellie said, "I'm crystal clear on this, Rian. If she doesn't end up dead before me, I'll haunt this world from beyond the grave." Rian scoffed, "You think just because you want her dead, she'll drop dead?" Stellie was teetering on the edge of madness, completely unaware of her own desperate situation. "I don't care. She has to go. Just buy me a few more hours, and I'll make sure not even her corpse is found by dawn." Rian shook his head. "You were only lucky before because Lucas was out of the country, caught off guard. Now, he's right there, guarding her. If you think you can so much as touch a hair on her head while Lucas is around, you're delusional. "He might always wear a smile, but don't let that fool you. He's like a smiling tiger, ready to devour anyone who crosses his path." "I'm on death's doorstep already. What do I have to fear from him?" "You're no match for him." "That's why I need your help." Rian cracked a cold smile. "You think having me on your side is enough? Wake up, will you? Even our father couldn't stand up to Lucas, let alone us." Rian might not have had the sharpest tactical mind or business acumen, but he knew when the odds were stacked against them. "You've got blood on your hands. If Lucas decides to come after you, you're toast. Listen to me, we turn ourselves in, maybe we get to live another day." Stellie shot back, "You and your spineless crew, always acting high and mighty, crumble in fear the moment Lucas plays dirty. I overestimated you, thought with you by my side, I could get away with anything." Rian retorted, "We live in a society governed by laws. Small stuff, sure, we can cover for you. But murder? Who's going to save you from that?" Stellie, who had been covered for by them before, glared coldly at Rian, knowing the truth. Now that she was no longer a valuable piece in their game, they did not want to risk their necks for her anymore. The abrupt ringing of the phone shattered the tense silence, and Stellie snatched it up immediately. "What's the situation?" But to her shock, it was not one of her subordinates on the other end. Instead, Lucas's voice came through, dark and ominous like a call from the depths of hell. "You had a chance for heaven, but you chose hell instead." It took Stellie a moment to find her voice again. "Lucas, where are my people?" But Lucas did not respond. The line went dead. Rian demanded, urgently, "What the hell did you do now?" The phone slipped from Stellie's grasp, clattering to the floor as she collapsed onto the couch, her laughter hollow and chilling. "Ha... ha... ha..." "Stellie, did you go after Stella again?" "That woman has more lives than a cat." Rian shook his head in disbelief. "You've completely lost it." But Stellie's eyes burned with an unsettling intensity. "If I can't kill her in this life, I'll haunt her as a ghost." No sooner had she finished speaking, Stellie clutched her stomach, slowly sliding to the ground. Rian realized something was terribly wrong. "Stellie, what's happening to you?" Blood gushed from Stellie's mouth, a twisted smile playing on her lips. "I, Stellie, was born into privilege, always outshining that lowlife. But because she clung to Lucas, I lost to her. In this life, I admit defeat, but let her pray we don't meet in the next. I'll make her pay for every bit of suffering I've endured." Stellie's body convulsed a few times before becoming eerily still. Rian panicked. "Stellie, Stellie, don't scare me. I'm getting you to a hospital now!" But Stellie never responded again. Her young life was forever frozen in that moment.