Elvin POV
Ring. Ring. Ring.
My phone woke me from sleep. Since my encounter with Catherine, I had been sleeping well without the dreams that used to haunt me five years ago. I picked up the phone and saw my hacker calling.
"How many minutes were you given to work on the task I assigned to you?" I asked irritably.
"Boss, I'm sorry for my inefficiency," he replied apologetically.
Deep down I knew it was not possible for him to be inefficient, but I was already irritated.
"Do I need to remind you what the task was?" I asked.
He quickly replied, "Boss, Elorah has been working with Mark Riggs for years. The same Mark Riggs is also the person who helped Mrs Cherry George frame you eight years ago. Elorah worked with him by selling her best friend Catherine Mason to the man who raped her. The pictures and the location where it happened have been sent to you, boss."
I hummed in response and ended the call. I opened the files he sent.
There were records of transactions between Mark and Elorah. There were also messages showing how Elorah lured Catherine out. The date shown in the file was the same day we met again. It was during closing hours when the staff were leaving the building. That was the day her necklace fell and the only word she muttered was a muffled sorry before she rushed away.
She had gone to save her friend, not knowing it was a trap set by that very friend.
I hated myself for not stopping her that day. I should have followed my instincts and trailed her to see why she was rushing.
But that was the first day we met.
I could not even understand the strange feeling I had that day. No one had ever made me feel that way before. Not even Coriander.
I admit I arrived too late. In a way, I really was bad luck to her.
I wish I could make it up to her, but she truly knows how to step on someone's throat.
Well, I will take that as punishment.
It was because of the feelings I have for her that I became who I am today. I never wanted her to be involved in the world where people chase money endlessly. But it seems that world has already changed her. Even if she did not want to be involved in it, she was eventually dragged into it.
Just like me.
I sent her a message asking to meet at the same place in two days.
I also needed to help Mr Mason and make things right.
A message notification sounded on my phone.
My assistant informed me that R and A Company wanted us as their business partner. Immediately I told him I wanted nothing to do with them. It was not that I could not partner with them or invest in their company. The problem was that the person controlling the company was Elorah.
I also instructed my assistant to withdraw our partnership with the Riggs family.
After that, I dressed up to go to Ai Xin Gardens.
My butler drove me there.
The moment I stepped out of the car, I saw the last people I expected to see. My father. My stepbrother. And Coriander.
If this had happened years ago, I would have been furious and trembling with anger. But the current me did not even bother looking at them. They meant nothing to me.
As I walked toward the reception desk, my stepbrother spoke.
"Long time no see, brother."
Then I heard the tiny fake voice of Coriander.
"Elvy."
I looked at them with an expression that clearly asked what they wanted.
Coriander laughed lightly.
"Wow Elvy. If it were not for your father's money that you leached from eight years ago, people would never think you were wealthy."
I remained silent while calculating how I would respond.
I picked up my phone and sent a message to my assistant. I ordered him to release the hidden reports about my stepbrother. The records of him assaulting female staff and even killing some workers to secure his current position in the family business.
Then I calmly replied to Coriander.
"I would rather not talk to someone whose father is a dog."
Before she could respond, her phone rang. She excused herself to answer the call. From where I stood I could clearly see her face turning pale.
I looked at my father, hoping to see some emotion on his face. But he only gave me a mocking smile. The look clearly said that I was still a disappointment to him.
My stepbrother spoke again.
"Brother, what are you doing here dressed like that? Are you here to clean? Go get your cleaning tools and polish my shoes."
I kept silent and watched him.
He was flaunting the wealth that originally belonged to me. The wealth they denied me.
But very soon he would fall.
Just like they made me fall.
I turned to walk away, but he continued taunting me.
As I was about to lose control and punch him, my butler suddenly arrived.
"Boss, I apologize for the delay. Please go to your room. I will handle everything here."
My stepbrother laughed.
"Wow, your loyal dog is still with you? Keep acting like a dog for your broken and useless boss."
That was the final straw.
I punched him without hesitation. The blow was so hard that blood poured from his mouth. Two of his teeth fell to the ground.
My father immediately slapped me.
I slapped him back.
Nothing had ever satisfied me more than slapping him. I had wanted to do that for years.
During the struggle, the back of my white shirt became stained with blood. If passersby were not around, they might have assumed my father and stepbrother beat me. In reality, the blood was from the wounds on my back caused by the whipping machine.
"You could have avoided this humiliation if you had not crossed my path," I said coldly.
"Control your son and make sure he never crosses me again. Otherwise you will regret the consequences."
Only then did they realize that Coriander had disappeared.
My butler escorted me inside the building.
Ai Xin Gardens is a skyscraper with two hundred and sixty five floors.
I own it.
The top three floors belong to me alone. None of the employees working here know that I am their boss.
As we were heading to the elevator, a familiar voice called my name.
"Elvin."
A voice I never wanted to hear again.
A woman I never wanted to see again.