Chapter 127

Chapter 127

That child reduced to a pool of blood, those desperate days spent in Shadow City's underground clinic, and Elizabeth's repeated provocations and schemes...

These wounds carved between them couldn't be erased with a simple "I'll repay you with my life."

His life was saved, but her heart had long been riddled with holes.

She couldn't let it go.

Brandon was wheeled into the ICU.

Scarlett stood up, planning to catch a glimpse of him through the glass.

She'd barely reached the corner of the ICU corridor when a shrill voice suddenly rang out.

"Scarlett, you bitch!"

Elizabeth charged at her like a madwoman.

She wore high heels, her hair disheveled, her bloodshot eyes filled with venomous hatred.

Reaching Scarlett, she didn't say another word—just raised her hand and swung viciously at Scarlett's face.

Scarlett's eyes flashed. Her reflexes were lightning-fast.

She caught Elizabeth's wrist mid-swing and with a sharp 'crack,' delivered a crisp, resounding slap across Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth's head snapped to the side, five red finger marks instantly blooming on her cheek.

"You dare hit me?!" Elizabeth clutched her face, screaming in disbelief. "If it wasn't for you, you curse, Brandon wouldn't have gotten in that accident! He risked his life for you, and you're the one who put him in this state! Why didn't that car kill you instead!"

Scarlett stared at her coldly, eyes sharp as blades.

"'That car'?" Scarlett's instincts caught something.

Phoenix City's streets were wide and well-maintained. The vehicle hadn't lost control earlier, hadn't lost control later—only precisely when Brandon pulled her aside did it come barreling in her direction.

Scarlett stepped forward, locking eyes with Elizabeth, her voice dropping dangerously low. "How do you know that car was aimed at me?"

Elizabeth's eyes flickered violently, panic flashing across them.

"I... I heard about it! It was on the news!" Elizabeth stepped back, her voice clearly guilty.

Scarlett knew Elizabeth too well.

That evasive look, that defensive tone—something was definitely wrong.

"The news only reported a street accident in Phoenix City. They never mentioned who the original target was." Scarlett grabbed Elizabeth's collar and slammed her against the cold wall. "That car—you arranged it, didn't you?"

"You're lying!" Elizabeth struggled frantically, her face deathly pale. "You have no proof!"

"Proof?" Scarlett laughed coldly.

She didn't need proof. Elizabeth was isolated in Imperial City, and Brandon had completely cut ties with her.

She'd been backed into a corner. Hiring someone to kill was exactly the kind of thing she'd do when cornered.

The fury in Scarlett's chest ignited instantly.

Old grievances and new hatred tangled together. Scarlett raised her hand—'Crack! Crack! Crack!'—three consecutive slaps, alternating sides, landing hard on Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth's mouth began bleeding, her cheeks swelling rapidly. She couldn't even scream.

"This slap is for hiring a killer!"

"This slap is for scheming against my child!"

"This slap is for not knowing when you're beaten!"

Scarlett grabbed her hair, eyes cold and deadly like a demon crawled from hell.

Just then, the elevator 'dinged' open.

Lucas rushed out.

Seeing Scarlett pinning Elizabeth down, his face changed drastically. Without thinking, he lunged forward and shoved Scarlett aside.

"Scarlett, are you insane?!" Lucas pulled Elizabeth—whose face was swollen like a pig's head—behind him, glaring at Scarlett furiously. "Brandon's still lying in there, and you're out here beating people up! Elizabeth came here out of kindness to see Brandon, and you dare lay hands on her like this!"

Scarlett stepped back to steady herself, looking at this idiot with no sense of right or wrong.

"Are you blind?" Scarlett stared at him coldly. "She hired someone to kill me. Brandon's lying in the ICU because of her, and you're protecting her?"

"Stop slandering her!" Lucas didn't believe it at all. "Elizabeth wouldn't even step on an ant—how could she hire a killer! You're the one who's been playing around with Alex, getting Brandon hurt. You're nothing but trouble!"

Elizabeth hid behind Lucas, covering her swollen face, crying pitifully. "Lucas, I didn't... she's framing me..."

Lucas looked at Elizabeth with sympathy, then pointed his finger at Scarlett's nose. "Scarlett, apologize to Elizabeth right now, or I won't let this go!"

Scarlett's eyes went cold. She lifted her high heel and kicked him squarely in the kneecap without mercy.

Lucas, completely unprepared, felt searing pain in his knee. He stumbled forward and crashed heavily onto the cold tile floor outside the ICU.

"Scarlett—"

"Shut up!" Scarlett looked down at him, her clear eyes devoid of any warmth. "Lucas, if those eyes of yours are only good for breathing, you might as well donate them. You still can't see this woman's true face. You're completely blind!"

Scarlett pointed at the pale-faced Elizabeth, her words ice-cold. "That out-of-control car today wasn't an accident. Elizabeth paid off the driver to deliberately cause a crash to kill me on the street! Brandon pushed me out of the way and got hit instead—he's lying in there fighting for his life, and you're protecting a murderer like she's precious. Brandon having a brother like you is eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

The words seemed to suck all the air from the corridor.

"You're lying! I didn't!" Elizabeth shrieked, her voice shrill with extreme guilt. "Scarlett, you're slandering me! It was an accident—a traffic accident! What does it have to do with me? You're trying to deflect blame by throwing dirt on me!"

Elizabeth's eyes darted around wildly, her heart pounding violently. She knew she couldn't stay here any longer. Scarlett's gaze was too terrifying—if she kept being questioned, she'd definitely slip up.

"Lucas, I feel dizzy. Everyone here is crazy. Let's go..." Elizabeth wiped her tears while clutching her handbag, her steps frantic as she backed toward the elevator, trying to escape in the chaos.

"Going somewhere?"

A gentle yet authoritative voice rang out.

Alex walked over from the other end of the hall, his eyes cold. He raised his hand slightly, and two tall bodyguards immediately stepped forward from both sides of the corridor, gripping Elizabeth's arms like she was a criminal and dragging her back.

"Let go of me! What are you doing?!" Elizabeth struggled desperately, her high heels kicking wildly against the floor. "This is Imperial City! This is illegal detention! I'll get my lawyers to sue you! Scarlett, Alex! I'll have you both thrown in jail!"

Having spent years in Phoenix City, she knew exactly how to use legal terminology to intimidate people.

Alex walked up to her, looking at her like garbage. "Ms. Perez, feel free to call your legal team. But until the police and lawyers arrive, you're not going anywhere."