Chapter 114
"No," Caroline said flatly, immediately moving to close the door.
A hand with prominent knuckles blocked her attempt, preventing the door from moving an inch.
"Caroline, she's your sister," he said coldly.
Caroline smiled faintly. "And? Mr. Windsor, don't tell me you don’t know about my estrangement from Mrs. White? Even if she died right in front of me, it would be nothing to me."
In an instant, her jaw was forcibly gripped. Arthur's stern face clouded with darkness, his entire body radiating chilling intimidation.
"What do you want?"
His grip tightened gradually. Caroline could feel her breathing becoming difficult, the air in her lungs depleting, her eyes bloodshot, her lips turning purple. Yet her lips still curved into a smile.
"According to your thinking, wouldn't it be more in character for me to stand by coldly and watch her die right in front of me?" After all, in his eyes, she had always been a venomous woman.
Fury surged in Arthur's eyes. "Caroline, you're not in a position to bargain with me."
Hearing this, Caroline smiled again, but the smile was bitter and bleak. "Of course. Whatever terms you offer, I won't agree."
In her current physical condition, she could barely survive, let alone donate blood. Doing so would undoubtedly accelerate her own death.
Did she look like someone that selfless? Someone who would trade her life for Heidi's? Of course not.
"Mr. Windsor, you've got the wrong person. I'm not interested in the love-hate drama between you and Heidi, nor do I want to be a pawn in your little game." She stared him down. "Sovereign City has more than just me with AB-negative blood. If you're willing to spend enough, you'll certainly find someone to save Heidi."
Arthur's fingers gradually tightened, almost crushing her jawbone. "Caroline, she saved my life," he said through gritted teeth.
It sounded like an explanation, but felt more like a threat.
Caroline suddenly looked up, surveying him. "Arthur, she saved your life, not mine. Your life debt has nothing to do with me."
Ignoring Arthur's darkening expression, Caroline pushed his hand away, trying forcefully to close the door.
She understood his thinking perfectly. Because before, she would never refuse Arthur anything. If it had been Arthur's life debt, she would have paid it even at the cost of her own life.
But that was because she loved him.
She had thought that as long as she stayed by Arthur's side, he would eventually see her. But these seven years had been enough for her to see everything clearly.
Arthur could fall in love with Heidi in a matter of months, yet he could never love her.
"Wait!" Arthur blocked the door again, even as the doorframe pinched his fingers blue-purple, he refused to let go. "Caroline, you may not care about this family, but do you also not care about the two children?"
Caroline's expression remained cold, as if she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Arthur's face darkened. "Do you also not care about your grandmother?"
Suddenly, Caroline paused, the door stopping, allowing Arthur to pull it open.
He stared intently into her eyes. "Your grandmother is still hospitalized, with enormous daily expenses. I can call the White family right now, and they'll stop paying for her treatment immediately."
Caroline looked at him abruptly, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Arthur, you're threatening me?"
His words were like a merciless knife, decisively stabbing into her heart, shattering what was already a calm, numb interior.
Arthur felt uneasy under her gaze, his tone involuntarily softening. "Caroline, I owe her my life. This time she was injured saving me again. I must save her."
He hesitated. "I know I owe you, and I'll make up for it with the rest of my life, but I can't owe her any more."
Caroline lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. This was the first time Arthur had spoken to her so gently, said so many words.
Pity it was still for Heidi.
The rest of his life? How could she possibly have a future with him? She didn't even want the two children anymore, so how could she possibly want him?
Only, thinking of Arthur's current ignorance, she truly wondered: if Arthur discovered that everything about Heidi was a perfect lie, would he still be so devoted?
After a long silence, Caroline suddenly looked up. "What if I die?"
"Impossible!" Arthur instinctively retorted. Noticing the sarcastic light in Caroline's eyes, his gentle patience gave way to faint irritation. "It's just giving a little blood. It won't cost you your life."
Caroline didn't answer directly. She knew her refusal meant nothing to Arthur.
Before coming here, he had never even considered that she might refuse him. Even if she did refuse, he had a hundred ways to make her agree. But Caroline still harbored that ridiculous glimmer of hope.
"Arthur, if you had to choose between me and Heidi—if only one could survive—you'd choose Heidi, wouldn't you?"
Arthur stared at her unblinkingly, his silent pause already answering for him. The answer was obvious.
Caroline didn't need to guess the outcome. She let out a soft, mocking laugh, laughing at how these seven years had been nothing but a joke.
Seeing her motionless, inexplicably laughing figure, Arthur's brow furrowed deeper, his cold voice carrying pressure. "Caroline, think carefully. If you don't go..."
Before he could finish, Caroline suddenly interrupted. "If I don't go, you'll threaten me with my grandmother?"
Her voice turned icy. "Arthur, when did you become such a small person, using an elderly woman as leverage? Oh, that's not right. For Mr. Windsor, manipulating everything to achieve your goals is just a matter of exchanging benefits, isn't it?"
Caroline's smile was faint but ice-cold, devoid of any warmth.
She ultimately got into Arthur's Pagani. On the way, Arthur handed her the divorce agreement she had wanted most. It not only included the two riverside villas she had originally requested, but also a compensation of fifteen million dollars.
Arthur was unusually generous this time. Of course, it was all for Heidi.
It was laughable, really. In her seven years married into the Windsor family, she had never touched the monthly family allowance of thirty thousand dollars, not wanting to burden him. Yet for Heidi, Arthur had spent hundreds of millions in just a few short months.
But she didn't care anymore. After her death, these things would go where they belonged.
Arthur sat beside her, his expression obscure. "I just had some supplementary clauses added. If you have other requests, you can raise them."
Caroline smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Windsor. I have no objections."
To Arthur, she had been staring at the divorce agreement the whole time, probably calculating something again.