Chapter 289: Stupid Wendy

Wendy shook her head, about to beg for mercy, when she suddenly realized that if her father spoke this way, he must have made up his mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd already spotted dark footprints closing in.

The thought flashed through her mind. The next second, she bolted, making a break straight for the villa's back door.

The move caught Luke completely off guard. By the time he snapped out of it, she was already through the door. He shouted, "Someone! Get her! She's trying to run! My money! My money!"

But by the time his words faded, Wendy was long gone.

That night, homeless and battered, Wendy stumbled out of a clinic. She glared at her phone with bitter resentment but didn't dare turn it on. She was afraid Luke had installed a tracker—if he had, they'd drag her right back. Now she was hiding like a fugitive, not a penny to her name, starving. Even the stray dogs she passed gave her disgusted looks.

She trudged forward, numb with disbelief. Just a few hours ago, she'd been the glamorous Miss Mason. Now she was a vagrant on the streets. She couldn't accept it. But she knew exactly who was responsible for everything she was going through—Ivy. That arrogant, insufferable Ivy who'd targeted her at every turn!

At the thought, a flash of viciousness crossed her eyes. Her gaze darkened with malice. She walked over to a payphone on the corner and dialed a number.

"Hello! Is this the assassin organization? I need you to kill someone for me. Name your price—but I only pay when I see the body."

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In a dim basement, Ivy sat in the corner. Two people stood before her—one was Tengu, and the other was Wendy.

The moment Wendy saw Ivy sitting there, she burst out in delight. "Ha ha ha ha! Ivy! Look at you now! You've finally been caught!"

Ivy paused, glancing at Wendy without a word. But Wendy crowed on, full of herself. "You have no idea what's happening, do you? Heh. I contacted the most elite assassin organization in New York and had them drag you here! In a few minutes, I'll give the word and they'll chop you into pieces!"

The thought sent Wendy into a frenzy of excitement. She laughed wildly. "Ha ha ha! Ivy, where's all that cockiness now? You humiliated me at the auction, made me lose face. You're the reason the Mason family kicked me out! The reason my father beat me like this! You're the reason the Mason family lost everything! Ivy! I have to settle this score."

Ivy sat in the shadowy corner, half her face obscured by dim light. She snorted coldly. "Wendy, you're hilarious. You're incompetent, so you blame everything on me."

"Your family lost everything because 'you' put that fossil up for auction with a fake appraisal report. Did I make you do that?"

"You—! Shut up!"

Ivy let out another cold laugh, ignoring her completely. "And the only reason you even put your family heirloom up for auction was to get Philip's attention. Did I make you do 'that' too?"

Wendy's lips trembled. She raised a shaking finger at Ivy, wanting to respond but completely unable to refute her. Ivy continued, "So none of this has anything to do with me. Yet you're pinning all your mistakes on me. Wendy, is there something wrong with your brain? You're useless, so you pile it all on me. No wonder your father kicked you out of the Mason family. Having a waste of a daughter like you must be truly unbearable."

"Shut up! Shut up! Ivy! Don't think you can act so smug when you're about to die! Hmph. In a minute, I'll have them tear you apart. But if you don't want to die, you'd better agree to my terms right now!"

Even though she knew Ivy was on death's door, Wendy hadn't forgotten her goal. She stepped closer to Ivy and said loudly, "Ivy, if you don't want to die, transfer one billion dollars into my account."

Ivy snorted. "One billion? Wendy, do you think that's just a number? What gives you the right to demand that money from me?"

Wendy shot back, "Because that billion can buy your life! If you don't give it to me, I'll have them kill you right now! Ivy, think carefully. One billion is just pocket change for the Cooper family, but for you, it's your 'life'. If you want to keep making money, don't you need to stay alive?"

Ivy said quietly, "Wendy, you don't actually think I'm helpless here, do you? Why don't you take another look at the situation?"

Wendy assumed Ivy was making a last-ditch effort to stall. She laughed. "Ivy, stop trying to buy time. Let me tell you—this is the basement of New York's number one assassin organization. You can't escape even if you had wings. Even if you called Philip, he'd never find this place. Today, unless you give me the money, you only have one way out—death. I suggest you think it over carefully."

Ivy tilted her head, looking at Wendy like she was an idiot. Then she said, "Idiots will always be idiots. No wonder your dad wanted to sell you off."

Wendy had expected Ivy to beg for mercy and immediately hand over the billion. But instead, she got 'this'. Her rage boiled over. Fine—if she couldn't get the money, at least she could vent her fury.

Wendy shouted at the person beside her, "Since she won't cooperate, kill her! I'm ordering you to kill her right now!"

Wendy stared coldly at Ivy, as if she were already a corpse. "Sorry, Ivy. I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. So now, I have no choice but to kill you.

"Afterward, I'll take your corpse to the Cooper family and demand money. I'm sure they'll pay something to keep your body intact."

Ivy said coldly, "If you want to kill me, you might want to ask the person behind you if they dare."

Wendy laughed. "That's ridiculous. Why wouldn't they dare?"

She turned sharply to the person standing behind her. "Hurry up and kill her! Once you do, I'll pay you."

But the person behind her didn't move.

Wendy barked, "Are you deaf? I said kill her! You took my job, you're taking my money—how dare you disobey me?"

But two seconds later, the person behind her let out a cold laugh. "Kill? Ivy, I never said I was going to kill you. 'She's' the one who kept saying that—it has nothing to do with me. So don't take it out on me later, okay?"

Tengu's voice came from behind, tinged with mock grievance.