Chapter 176
But why would Emily reply to her?
She just glanced at it, tossed her phone aside without responding, and turned her attention back to the auction screen.
Ignore.
Don't respond.
Just keep bidding.
That was her strategy.
Time ticked away, and the five-minute countdown was about to end.
Sophia stared at the screen with bloodshot eyes, desperately waiting for a miracle to happen.
But when the countdown hit zero, the system clearly displayed a pop-up window.
[350 million, sold!]
[Winner: Emily Johnson]
Those words were like a cold knife, viciously piercing Sophia's heart.
She had lost, completely and utterly lost.
The Johnson Group—she would never get it now.
That was her last hope, her last chance to turn things around. But she could only watch helplessly as the opportunity slipped through her fingers.
Sophia couldn't hold on any longer. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, tears flooding out as she broke down sobbing.
She cried her heart out.
Grievance, anger, despair, unwillingness—all her emotions exploded in that moment.
Why?
Why could Emily always get everything so easily?
Family background, love, wealth, even the Johnson Group that should have been hers—Emily had ruthlessly taken it all.
But what about her?
Her father was a criminal with a ruined reputation. She didn't have a single share of stock, and after putting everything she had into this, she had lost completely.
Even James, who had once been engaged to her, had discarded her like trash.
She had nothing left.
Sophia curled up on the floor, trembling as she cried.
The feeling of despair wrapped around her like a thick fog, making even breathing painful.
Only now did she fully understand.
Brian was nothing but a complete miser who only cared about himself.
Even as a father, he had never thought to leave her a way out.
No shares, no money, no family background, no one to rely on.
Her life was completely ruined.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Emily looked at the "sold" on the screen and let out a long breath, her tense shoulders finally relaxing a bit.
She had succeeded.
She had finally taken back the Johnson Group, taken back Amelia's life's work.
Emily gripped her phone, her fingers trembling slightly.
Unable to contain her excitement, she quickly walked over to Amelia and knelt down.
She tightly grasped Amelia's cool hand, her eyes shining.
"Mom, I have good news for you."
Her voice was gentle yet filled with barely concealed joy as she spoke word by word.
"The Johnson Group—we got it back. The company you founded all those years ago will never fall into someone else's hands again."
She fully expected this news to make Amelia happy, perhaps even help her recover mentally and remember more from the past.
But the next second, Amelia's expression suddenly changed.
Her previously gentle, unfocused eyes were instantly filled with terror, pain, and hatred.
Amelia's face turned visibly pale.
Her lips trembled as she mumbled repeatedly.
"Starting the business... the company... Brian..."
Those memories suppressed for years burst forth like a broken dam, instantly overwhelming her fragile mind.
She remembered the days and nights of building the business from scratch with Brian, remembered the two of them squeezed into a tiny office eating instant noodles while revising proposals, remembered the joy as the company grew bigger and stronger, and even more, she remembered Brian's later expanding ambition, his affair, his scheming, his seizure of the family assets, and all the ways he had hurt her.
The clash of sweetness and pain completely shattered Amelia's already unstable mental state.
"Ahhh—!"
Amelia let out a piercing scream and violently shook off Emily's hand.
She frantically clawed at her own hair and arms, then threw herself against the wall.
"Mom!"
Emily's face changed drastically as she rushed to stop her.
But Amelia's strength was surprisingly powerful now, completely lost in a manic state.
Bloody scratches instantly appeared on her arms, shocking to see.
While hurting herself, she glared at Emily with red eyes, her gaze strange and fierce, continuously shrieking.
"Brian, you liar! Get out! Give me back my company! Give me back everything!"
She had mistaken Emily for Brian.
Before Emily could react, Amelia lunged at her.
She grabbed Emily's throat with both hands, her fingertips white with pressure.
"I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you, you heartless bastard!"
The feeling of suffocation swept over her instantly. Emily struggled to breathe, her face turning red.
But she didn't dare push her mother away forcefully, only struggling carefully while trying to soothe her.
"Mom, it's me, I'm Emily, not Brian. Please wake up."
But Amelia couldn't hear anything now.
Her eyes were clouded and crazed, her grip getting tighter.
Emily knew she couldn't drag this out any longer. Using all her strength, she finally pushed Amelia away.
She grabbed her phone from the table with trembling fingers and dialed emergency services.
Emily didn't dare delay. Once the call connected, she quickly gave the address and Amelia's condition.
She crouched on the floor, watching over the emotionally out-of-control Amelia.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.
She didn't dare call William.
William was at work right now. She didn't want him distracted, didn't want him to worry.
All the fear and panic, she had to bear alone.
The ambulance siren grew closer.
Medical staff rushed upstairs, quickly lifted the violently agitated Amelia onto a stretcher, administered a sedative, and took her to the hospital.
Emily didn't bother treating the injury on her neck. She grabbed her bag and keys and stumbled after them.
Throughout the ride, she held Amelia's hand, tears silently falling.
She had only wanted to make Amelia happy, to tell her this good news.
But she never expected that one sentence would trigger her most painful memories, forcibly pushing her to the edge of collapse.
Regret and self-blame nearly drowned Emily completely in that moment.
The red light in the emergency room lit up.
Emily sat alone on a cold chair in the hallway, her hands clenched into fists.
She still had bloodstains on her from Amelia's struggle.
Pain came from her neck, but she seemed not to feel it, her mind and eyes only on her mother in the emergency room.
After what felt like forever, the emergency room door opened.
The doctor removed his mask and walked toward her with a grave expression.
Emily immediately stood up, her voice hoarse beyond recognition.
"Doctor, how is my mom?"
The doctor looked at her and shook his head gently, his tone heavy.
"The patient experienced acute mental disorder triggered by severe emotional distress, along with a relapse of her previous condition. Combined with the self-harm behavior just now, she has soft tissue injuries in multiple places and is extremely emotionally unstable."
Emily swayed, barely managing to stay upright by leaning against the wall.
"Is there anything we can do? We can go abroad for treatment..."