Chapter 83: Do You Hate Me?
“So what?” Jeremy said nonchalantly. “A son who forced his father to step down at gunpoint, a son who could go insane at any moment due to a hereditary disease-what use? I have another son, a healthy and obedient one who can take over everything.”
She thought Jeremy was crazy too.
“Once Enrico is gone, I can take back control of the Gustin Group and become your strongest ally.”
“A father who would kill his own son? That’s an ally I can’t trust,” Paige’s voice turned cold.
“Miss Lautner, you’re so smart. Did you really come here alone without any backup? I’m guessing you’ve been recording our conversation, right?” Jeremy saw through everything. “Go ahead, keep the recording as leverage against me. It’s not like I would want to make my act of killing my son public, would I? Miss Lautner, what better way to secure your freedom?”
Paige was speechless. She thought the slums were dirty, but the real filth was in this glamorous city.
The next second, a bodyguard placed a small glass vial in front of her, containing a white pill.
“Dissolves in water, colorless, tasteless, and lethal. Afterward, it will look like a sudden cardiac arrest. No one will suspect you,” Jeremy said. “It’s a rare and effective drug.”
Paige didn’t move.
“I’ve given you the drug. Think it over-strike first or wait for Enrico to kill you one day.” With that, Jeremy turned to leave, and his bodyguard immediately draped a coat over his shoulders.
Paige picked up the small vial, staring at it for a long time before calling out, “Mr. Gustin.”
Jeremy turned back.
Paige looked at his smiling face seriously and asked, “Did you ever see him as your son?”
“Of course, I did. I was worried that the two siblings would go on a killing spree due to their illness, so I sent them to Rose Estate, providing them with good food and comfort. But he blamed me for his mother and sister’s deaths and took my position at gunpoint.” Jeremy laughed. “He was the ungrateful one. As his father, I had no choice but to clean up my family.”
He turned and left, followed by a retinue of bodyguards. Paige was left sitting there, looking at the vial in her hand.
She had temporarily given up on escaping, yet someone had just handed her a way out.
Life is truly unpredictable.
…
The rooftop of the Gustin Group headquarters.
Scattered shooting targets stood silently, and Enrico was adjusting his grip on a black handgun, aiming at the bullseye through his safety glasses.
Jaden looked at Enrico’s tall figure in the sunlight and sighed.
Without looking at him, Enrico continued adjusting his gun and spoke coldly, “What is it?”
“I’ve been keeping a close watch on Miss, and today I noticed she shook off her tail for a while,” Jaden said slowly.
“Continue.”
“You know, ever since you brought her back to the Gustins, your father has had people watching her… If I’m not mistaken, she has met with him. But I don’t know what they talked about.”
Hearing this, Enrico sneered, “What else could they talk about? For over a year, he’s been wanting me dead. He even approached you before.”
Jeremy would find it difficult to take his life directly. The easiest way would be through someone close to him. Jeremy had approached Jaden, the bodyguards, Olivia, and Susan.
Jaden immediately bowed his head in fear. “Boss, I’m absolutely loyal to you.”
“So, what do you think she’ll do?”
By “she,” he naturally meant Paige.
Jaden knew how important Paige was to Enrico, so he didn’t dare to speak.
“Just say it.”
“I don’t know,” Jaden said, lowering his head. “Actually, seeing how much Miss cares about Olivia and Susan, and how she spared the Clarkes, it shows she’s not heartless and isn’t one to go to extremes. But that was before; now…”
“You mean, since I almost crippled her leg, she might kill me to protect herself,” Enrico said.
“It’s just my guess,” Jaden started to sweat.
“If I were her, I would strike too,” Enrico said casually, without anger. “A madman who could go on a killing spree at any moment, a man who nearly crippled her leg-no matter how grateful she might be for saving her life, it means nothing when it comes to self-preservation.”
With that, Enrico aimed at the target and pulled the trigger sharply.
Bang.
Jaden tensed up. “Then I’ll go talk to her.”
“Don’t,” Enrico ordered coldly, maintaining his shooting stance.
Jaden froze, confused.
“Just have the doctor on standby,” Enrico said calmly, lowering his gun.
“Boss!” Jaden looked at him in shock.
“Why? We have no idea how she’ll make a move. A gun? Poison? A knife? There won’t be time to save you.”
“I falsely accused her once; I’ll make it up to her this time. Think of it as entertaining her.” Enrico set the gun aside, removed his safety glasses, and spoke lightly.
“I want her to know she can’t leave me, no matter what she tries. And I want her to know that as long as she stays, she can do anything.”
“Boss…”
“Just do as I say!”
Jaden had no choice but to bow his head slightly. “Yes, I’ll find the best medical team to stand by outside Rose Estate.”
Enrico quickly disassembled the handgun into a pile of parts but couldn’t reassemble it no matter how hard he tried.
“Damm it.” He slammed the magazine onto the table. Now that she knew he had the AS schizophrenia gene, how would she see him? Would she hate him even more?
…
Night.
Rose Estate.
The gates slowly opened, and a private sedan parked outside.
The driver got out and opened the door for the man in the back seat.
Enrico sat inside, staring at the gate, not making any move to get out.
The driver stood silently outside, not daring to speak.
After a long while, Enrico tugged at his tight tie and walked into Rose Estate.
Olivia bowed upon seeing him. “Mr. Gustin. Please wait a moment; dinner will be ready soon.”
“Where is she?”
“Miss is reading. I’ll call her down.”
Enrico walked straight to the dining room.
Paige walked towards him wearing a white nightgown, with his hair hanging down half wet, indicating that he had already bathed. She looked at him, her expression unchanged. She passed by him to the kitchen, helping to bring out the dishes, and then sat down across from him.
“You like wearing white,” Enrico said, staring at her intensely.
“A little,” Paige replied softly, lowering her head slightly as she began to eat.
Enrico made a gesture for everyone to leave. Olivia immediately left the dining room.
In the living room, Jaden stood against a wall, looking extremely uneasy.
“Jaden, what are you doing?” Olivia asked, puzzled.
“Don’t mind me. I’m just anxious.” Jaden checked his phone to ensure it had a good signal, so he could call the doctor immediately if anything happened.
…
The dining room.
Enrico stared at Paige and said, “Still angry?”
“No,” Paige replied coldly, but her hand instinctively touched her knee. Her leg had almost been broken by him, ask her not to be angry was too much.
“Are you planning to keep this attitude toward me?” Enrico asked, displeased.
“What do you want me to do?”
Enrico nudged the empty glass in front of him. “Pour me a glass of water.” He was giving her a perfect opportunity to make a move.
Paige didn’t refuse. She stood up, took the glass to the kitchen, filled it with water and brought it back to place in front of Enrico.
Enrico leaned back in his chair and looked down at the water. It was clear with tiny bubbles dancing in it. After a moment, he grasped the glass and gently swirled it.
“Paige, do you hate me?”
The dining room was silent, the only sound was their soft breathing.
Paige replied calmly, “Not really.” She was being honest. He had saved her twice, so she didn’t hate him.
“That’s fine,” Enrico said, gazing at her as he brought the glass to his lips. “You can hate me, even kill me, but leaving my side-don’t even think about it.” With that, he tilted his head back and drank the water without hesitation.
Paige frowned at his words and continued eating.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
The dinner passed uneventfully. Even by the end of the meal, Enrico felt no discomfort.