Chapter 69

"Sister, I'm begging you on my knees. Why won't you let me go?" Nicole Capra sobbed, her delicate shoulders trembling as if she had suffered unbearable injustice.

Susan Thompson watched her performance coldly, swiftly tapping to play the recording.

At first, there was only silence. Before Louis Lynch's voice could be heard, Andrew Lucas snatched the phone from her hands.

"Give it back!" Susan lunged for it but grasped nothing but air.

The phone arced through the air before smashing against the wall, shattering into pieces.

Susan stumbled forward, dropping to her knees as she frantically gathered the broken fragments. The screen had gone completely black, beyond repair.

Her last hope had been destroyed by Andrew's own hands.

"Andrew Lucas..." Susan slowly lifted her head, her eyes burning with fury. "Do you even know what you just destroyed?"

Andrew looked down at her, his handsome face icy. Before he could speak, Nicole clung to his arm.

"Andrew, I'm so scared..." She buried her face in his chest. "If those photos get out, how can I keep living?"

His expression darkened instantly. He seized Susan's chin, his grip so tight it threatened to crush bone.

"Susan Thompson, you're asking for death."

Susan suddenly laughed—a bitter, broken sound. With a sharp motion, she slapped him across the face.

Crack!

The sharp sound echoed through the hallway.

"Andrew Lucas, you're a blind fool!" Her voice was raw with rage. "You believe every word Nicole says, yet you can't even recognize the enemy who killed your own son!"

Andrew's eyes turned stormy, his entire body radiating menace. He grabbed her throat and slammed her against the wall.

"That bastard's death was my decision. Nicole had nothing to do with it." His voice was glacial as he leaned closer. "If you lay a finger on her again, I'll make Bella Quinn join him in the grave."

Susan's pupils dilated in horror.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." He released her, letting her collapse to the floor.

Her gaze landed on a loose brick nearby. In a flash, she grabbed it and lunged at Nicole.

"Die!"

Before she could throw it, Andrew kicked the brick from her hands. He stomped on her fingers, grinding his polished shoe into her skin.

"Ah!" Susan gasped, sweat beading on her forehead from the pain.

"Madwoman." Andrew sneered in disgust, turning to shield Nicole in his arms. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Susan lay on the ground, suddenly bursting into laughter—a chilling, hollow sound that sent shivers down the spine.

A handful of hundred-dollar bills rained down on her face.

"Susan, do something for me." Andrew's icy voice came from above.