Chapter 121: 121. Carter’s Will

**121\. Carter’s Will**

Caser and Mellisa were stopped at the airport gate by a group of men in black. Caser’s heart pounded for a moment as she asked,

“Did Aurther send you?”

The small hope that flickered in her chest was mercilessly crushed.

“No, ma’am, but please cooperate.”

She let out a small, self-mocking smile and followed them without protest. Causing a scene wasn’t an option, not while Mellisa was with her.

They led her to a private lounge inside the airport.

“Caser.”

Eirene’s anxious face greeted her the moment the door opened.

“What the hell is this about, Eirene?”

Caser snapped; her frustration evident. She had planned to leave quietly before anyone could notice, but Eirene had ruined that.

Eirene’s eyes shifted to Mellisa, who was trying to hide behind Caser. The once proud and arrogant woman was gone, what remained was a pale, haggard figure, burdened by something far heavier than exhaustion.

But it wasn’t just Mellisa’s appearance that unsettled Eirene. It was her demeanor. She seemed… unstable.

Caser noticed Eirene’s scrutiny and stepped forward.

“I didn’t know Alice left you so much fortune that you could afford to pull a stunt like this,”

she scoffed.

Eirene had no patience for her jabs. To her, Mellisa was nothing more than a ghost from the past, a nightmare she had already woken up from. Ignoring Caser’s remark, she got straight to the point.

“Did you know my father was Carter Beatrix?”

A visible shock flickered across Caser’s face, but she didn’t answer. She simply lowered her gaze, avoiding Eirene’s eyes. The silence was answer enough.

Eirene took a deep breath and pressed on.

“Do you know where my Lucy is?”

This time, Caser reacted.

“Did she go missing? Mellisa and I have nothing to do with this.”

Her voice was defensive, justifying herself before any accusation could be made.

“I’m not blaming you,”

Eirene said firmly.

“But if you know anything, please tell me… where is she?”

Finding out the truth about her parents mattered to Eirene, but it couldn’t be just a coincidence that Lucy had gone missing at the same time Caser was trying to leave the country.

"If you don’t have any other enemies, then he must have realized Lucy’s true origin."

Caser hesitated for a moment before replying.

"He?"

"Aurther… and who else?"

Caser said firmly.

"Why would Aurther do this? Even if it’s about my father, his target should be me."

Eirene questioned.

"Because Carter, the true master of the Beatrix family, left a will before he died."

Caser watched as confusion clouded Eirene’s face.

"The will stated that all his property and assets would belong to you, Eirene Beatrix, but only after you were married and had a child. If you were to die before that, the inheritance would go to a trust."

Eirene felt as if the ground beneath her had disappeared. Shock coursed through her veins.

Memories surfaced, Aurther pressuring her to abort when she was pregnant with Lucy, yet strangely agreeing when she suggested adoption. At the time, it had seemed odd, given that she was just a servant, but now… it all made sense.

Aurther had never allowed her to go out, never let her meet men, never considered her marriage. He had locked her away under the guise of duty, but in reality, she had been a prisoner—caged inside the Beatrix estate for decades, all because of him.

"But… I hid the truth... the fact that Lucy is my…"

Eirene’s voice wavered as her world turned upside down. It was too much, too many revelations in a single day.

"Yes, you hid it well," Caser admitted.

"Especially since Lucy has no genetic link to any man connected to you. We truly believed she was just a random child… until recently. As she grew, Alice and Carter’s features started showing on her face."

Eirene staggered, collapsing onto the sofa. Sia caught her, steadying her gently.

"Eirene, don’t worry. Boss will find Lucy, no matter what."

Sia reassured her.

Caser crossed her arms, her expression unreadable.

"You’ve managed all this quite well. Someone is helping you, aren’t they? Is he the same person who bought your daughter like a toy from an auction?"

Her words were laced with mockery, yet there was an underlying knowledge in them. Caser had played a part in Lucy’s kidnapping, she knew someone had taken the girl and kept her hidden.

"What do you know about Miss Lucy’s previous kidnapping?"

Sia’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tense atmosphere.

Although they had captured most of the human traffickers involved, the real mastermind behind Mellisa’s involvement had never surfaced. For a while, they had assumed it was Aurther protecting his daughter.

Caser shrugged.

"All I know is that she was bought by some rich man. But Lucy carries Alice’s blood. And Alice… well, she was always good at seducing men, even at a young age."

The casual cruelty in her words, describing a child, Eirene’s child was unbearable.

A resounding slap echoed through the room.

Caser’s head snapped to the side, her cheek burning from the impact. She stared at Eirene in shock.

"Ah… I should thank you and Mellisa then"

Eirene said coldly, her voice void of its usual warmth.

"After all, my Lucy is living a life of luxury, isn’t she?"

Turning to the men in black, she gave her final command.

"Don’t let them leave until you receive further orders."

Then, without sparing Caser another glance, she strode out, Sia following closely behind.

Caser’s hand remained pressed against her stinging cheek.

Eirene was no longer the weak, humble girl who had once lived under Beatrix's roof. She had changed beyond recognition.

On the Other Side

Lucy and Ash crouched inside a narrow inlet, the shallow water trickling around them. It was cramped, but just enough to conceal their small bodies.

"Ash, what is going on?" Lucy finally whispered.

Ever since she had met Ash, everything had turned into a blur. The last thing she remembered was waking up inside that shelter.

"I don’t know," Ash admitted, his voice heavy with frustration.

"They were trying to kidnap you. I’m sorry, Lucy… I am not strong enough to protect you."

A deep sense of shame flickered across his face as he carefully tied Lucy’s bracelet back around her wrist.

As Ash began to think of a way to reach the highway, a sudden movement caught his attention as he flinched.

A bald man poked his head inside the inlet, his lips curling into the creepiest smile Lucy had ever seen.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Her scream echoed through the narrow space.