Chapter 456 Oliver SOLO: This Time, He Chose Sarah 1
After ending her call with Oliver, Sarah wandered through the mall alone, selecting shirts and ties as he'd requested. Money wasn't a concern—Oliver had given her a card with unlimited spending power.
With plenty of time, she also bought clothes for Jacob and Nicole, not forgetting something for Claire too. By the time she finished shopping, evening was approaching. As she headed toward the restaurant where they'd planned to meet, she stepped out of the elevator and encountered a familiar face.
Nicholas was arm-in-arm with a young woman who clung to him affectionately, their relationship unmistakable.
Sarah froze in shock.
Though years had passed and Nicholas no longer resembled the refined, handsome man she once knew, she never imagined he would keep a mistress. From their body language, this affair had clearly been going on for some time.
Their eyes met. Nicholas's composed facade crumbled into panic as he hastily removed the young woman's hand from his arm.
"Sarah, this isn't what it looks like," he stammered.
Sarah regained her composure, regarding him with cold detachment. "The person you owe explanations to is your wife."
She said nothing more. During their last encounter, she had made it clear to Matthew that the Moore family's affairs were no longer her concern. She walked away decisively. Nicholas chased her to the parking garage but couldn't catch her before she drove away.
He stared after her car, his expression dejected.
Azalea stood behind him, hurt evident in her expression. Woman's intuition told her that the beautiful woman who'd just left was someone Nicholas truly cared for—even more than his wife. Before she could speak, a stern voice cut through the air.
"Nicholas! What are you doing?"
Nicholas spun around.
Matthew stood fifteen feet away, his face livid with anger. He pointed at Azalea, his voice thundering: "What is this? Nicholas, explain yourself! Don't tell me you're keeping a mistress!"
He desperately wanted Nicholas to deny it. If he had, Matthew would have given him another chance and dealt with the girl himself.
But Nicholas disappointed him.
"Azalea is my girlfriend," he declared defiantly. "We're in a relationship."
The words had barely left his mouth when Matthew's hand struck his face.
One slap wasn't enough. Matthew delivered over a dozen more, his expression cold and merciless. "Say one more word, Nicholas, and I guarantee she'll disappear immediately. You understand my meaning."
Nicholas paled with fear.
Matthew turned to Aaron. "Bind this ungrateful son with a belt and take him home. Don't let his parents or his wife know about this."
Aaron was speechless. He never imagined Nicholas would do something so reckless—something that could destroy the Moore family's generations of respectability.
Nicholas was promptly bound and taken to the basement of the Moore mansion, where Matthew whipped him mercilessly until his skin split open. Matthew demanded only one thing: that Nicholas end the relationship. But throughout the beating, Nicholas refused to yield.
"Stop!" Aaron finally intervened. "You'll kill him if you continue!"
Matthew pointed the whip at Nicholas, seething. "If the Moore family weren't limited to a single heir each generation, I'd end your life right now for disgracing our name!"
Nicholas looked up, managing a faint smile through his pain. "And what about you? Didn't you father Sarah with another woman? You brought her into this world but never cared for her. Hasn't that disgraced the Moore family name?"
Matthew raised the whip again, but Aaron intervened, gently leading him away to defuse the situation.
That night, in the dimly lit study, Matthew sat behind his dark desk. A breeze through the partially open window made the crystal ornament on his desk chime softly.
Matthew picked up the small object, memories of Sarah's homecoming celebration still vivid in his mind, though everything had changed since then.
He looked at Aaron. "This is all Sarah's fault. She should never have returned. She shouldn't have rekindled Nicholas's feelings!"
Aaron was alarmed. "Matthew, this has nothing to do with Ms. Moore."
Matthew's aged eyes were devoid of compassion. "She shows me no daughter's affection now. Sometimes, for Nicholas's sake and the future of the Moore family, sacrifices must be made."
He beckoned Aaron closer and whispered instructions. As Aaron began to object, Matthew dropped the crystal ornament into the trash can.
The crystal shattered—a symbol of the father-daughter bond now irreparably broken.
On Tuesday night, Sarah was leaving her art gallery, about to open her car door.
"Ms. Moore!"
She turned to see Aaron approaching.
"Mr. Moore wishes to see you," he said directly, then lowered his voice. "He's serious this time. For Jacob's sake, please just comply."
Sarah replied coolly, "I'm not Ms. Moore, and I don't know any Mr. Moore."
As she opened her car door, Aaron sighed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Moore, but I have no choice."
He raised his hand, and four men in black appeared, their expressions grim. They seized Sarah's arms and forced her into a waiting black SUV.
Inside sat Matthew.
Father and daughter, now strangers.
Her lips trembled. "If you wanted me dead, you should have prevented my birth. Don't force me to hate you."
In the dim interior, Matthew stared straight ahead. "You're not guilty, but what you possess makes you a target."
The car started moving.
Sitting side by side, Sarah asked quietly, "Do you understand what you're doing?"
"Yes." Matthew handed her two plane tickets. "You have two choices: either see Oliver's true nature and return to the Moore family, or leave the country with Jacob and never come back."
Sarah smiled bitterly. "So either imprisonment or exile?"
Matthew remained silent.
As adults know, silence means consent—just more dignified.
Sarah looked up, tears in her eyes. "I won't go."
Matthew said nothing more. In his heart, he had already disowned this daughter; his heart had turned to stone.
Thirty minutes later, the car stopped outside an abandoned warehouse.
As they got out, the night wind howled.
Sarah didn't know what awaited her, but she sensed it was a matter of life and death. Looking at the rusted iron door, she said quietly, "Once I cross this threshold, all ties between us are severed."
Matthew's eyelid twitched nervously.
Aaron wanted to intervene, but Matthew was determined.
Sarah walked through the door without hesitation—because she had no choice.