Chapter 215 On the Run

Chapter 215 On the Run

Scarlett's palms were slick with sweat as she gripped the steering wheel, the cold touch of the gun barrel against her forehead a constant reminder of how dangerous her situation had become.

The car sped out of the parking area toward the mansion gates. She caught a glimpse of the three women in the back seat out of the corner of her eye.

Celeste sat with her head down, shoulders trembling slightly. Molly clutched at her clothes, eyes filled with terror. Olivia leaned against the window, pale but still trying to maintain her composure.

Scarlett's lips curved in a cold smile. These three women were all people she despised. How ironic that fate had placed all her enemies in the same car with her. This would save her the trouble of hunting them down one by one later.

"What are you looking at?"

Stanley noticed Scarlett's wandering gaze and assumed she was plotting something. He pressed the gun barrel harder against her forehead, his tone vicious.

"Keep your eyes on the road! Stop looking around, and if I catch you getting distracted again, I'll kill you right now!"

Scarlett's heart skipped a beat as she quickly focused on the road ahead.

She knew she couldn't fight Stanley head-on right now—she had to play along for the moment. But her mind was racing, calculating possibilities.

'Since all three women are in this car, why not use this opportunity to make sure they all die? Matthew and Jacob might not be here, but if these three women are dead, the Howard family will be thrown into chaos. I'll have plenty of chances to go after those two men later.'

The car flew through the mansion gates. The police at the entrance seemed caught off guard and didn't immediately move to intercept them. Following Stanley's directions, Scarlett turned right onto the main highway, picking up speed.

Stanley kept his eyes glued to the rearview mirror, and when he saw no immediate pursuit, he relaxed slightly.

Celeste finally found her voice, looking at Stanley's silhouette with tears threatening to spill. "Stanley, please don't make this worse. Stop the car and turn yourself in. You're family—I won't abandon you. I'll hire the best lawyers to fight for a lenient sentence."

Stanley let out a bitter laugh without turning around. "Lenient sentence? Even with leniency, what I've done will keep me locked up for life. Celeste, don't waste your breath trying to convince me. I'm not turning back."

Molly chimed in, her voice trembling with emotion. "Uncle, don't you remember when we were kids? I used to follow you everywhere, and you'd take me to amusement parks and buy me ice cream. You weren't like this before. Please, just turn yourself in. We'll all help you."

Stanley's body went rigid for a moment, as if recalling those memories, but he quickly returned to his cold demeanor. "Those childhood memories are long gone. There's no point bringing them up now. I've come this far, and there's no going back."

Olivia leaned against the window, watching the scenery blur past, her voice calm but firm. "Stanley, even if you escape now, you can't run forever. The Howard family won't let this go, and neither will the police. Taking the three of us hostage is just delaying the inevitable."

Stanley glanced back at Olivia, his eyes full of mockery. "Bitch, you underestimate me. You think I'm afraid of any of that? The Howard family won't let it go? Fine, I'll kill all three of you right now and leave them drowning in grief forever!"

Olivia showed no fear and continued speaking. "If you kill us, you'll only die faster. Your best option right now is to let us go and surrender. With the Howard family's influence, even prison could be comfortable for you."

"You think I care about any of that?" Stanley burst into maniacal laughter, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Who would choose to be a prisoner after living in luxury? My only choices are death or freedom."

The mention of death made Molly's entire body shake with terror. She suddenly turned to Olivia, her eyes blazing with anger. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't reported Uncle, he never would have ended up like this! This is all your responsibility!"

Olivia frowned. "I didn't report him. I was clearly framed."

"It's because of you!" Molly persisted relentlessly. "If you hadn't gotten involved with Matthew, Uncle never would have clashed with you, and the police never would have targeted him! Now we're all going to die because of you!"

Molly grew more agitated as she spoke, finally shouting at Stanley. "Uncle! This is all her fault! Don't take all of us hostage—just take her! Let me and Mom go, and escape with just her! That way you'll have a smaller target and a better chance of getting away!"

The moment those words left her mouth, the car fell into dead silence. Celeste stared at her daughter in shock, quickly reaching out to grab her arm. "Molly! What are you saying? Have you lost your mind?"

Molly shook off her mother's hand. "Mom! I don't want to die! If you just let us go and take her with you, even if she dies, it has nothing to do with us!"

Olivia looked at Molly with cold amusement but said nothing.

Stanley's maniacal laughter cut off abruptly. His knuckles went white as he gripped the gun, and something dark and unreadable flickered in his eyes.

The air in the car froze, leaving only the sound of tires crunching over gravel, unnaturally loud in the deathly silence.

It was clear that Stanley was considering the proposal.

Scarlett pressed her back against the cold leather seat, feeling the gun barrel move farther from her face, and a wave of anxiety washed over her.

She glanced at the three pale faces in the rearview mirror, her heart filled with hatred.

'It's not easy to get a chance to eliminate all three women at once. If they separate now, when will I ever get another opportunity to kill the other two?'

Scarlett bit her lip, but she had another worry. Once Stanley decided she was no longer useful, he might very well put a bullet in her head without hesitation.

"Sir," Scarlett suddenly broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly. "The city is crawling with police right now. Having multiple hostages actually works as a shield. Think about it—with three people together, the police will hesitate to act, giving us a better chance to break through."

She risked turning to look at the back seat, her gaze sweeping over their shocked expressions. "Besides, Ms. Smith has a special status. If she's accompanied by two distinguished members of the Howard family, those cops won't dare make any reckless moves."

The car fell into brief silence as Stanley stopped fingering the gun barrel. Scarlett could feel his scrutinizing gaze on her, and her back was already soaked with cold sweat. She frantically calculated in her mind—she had to convince Stanley that keeping all three women together was the safest bet.

But Molly in the back seat screeched like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Who do you think you are, a driving maid, to tell us what to do? Uncle, don't listen to her. Just kidnap Olivia, or take this driver bitch with you instead!"