I nodded towards Ashley. “Take her.”
“But she’s…”
I pointed the gun at him. “Since when do
human traffickers get picky? You said she had a
buyer. If you leave her here and she gets
<
11:02
894
caught, she’ll rat you out. Or you can stay with
her.”
He grabbed Ashley and sped off.
I waited, and Ethan finally arrived. He grabbed
my shirt, his knuckles white. “Are you trying to
get yourself killed?! Who said you could do
this?!”
I tilted my head. “Wouldn’t it be better if I died?
Then our secret would be safe.”
He pulled me close, his heart pounding. “You
said it yourself. Partners in crime. You can’t
just quit.”
A tear landed on my ear. I closed my eyes,
finally letting go of the gun. “I’m a terrible
person.”
His voice was muffled. “I know. That’s why I
love you. The ruthless, scheming Claire Carter.”
- 12.
I always carried a tracker. The police found the
other traffickers. They whined about how I’d
hurt them.
The cops just stared. “You’re saying this tiny
<
girl shot you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s the one who’s
injured. This is clearly a fight amongst
yourselves.”
The guys cried, claiming they were innocent. I
just walked out, shutting the door on their
screams. Outside, the cops saluted me.
“Thank you. We wouldn’t have busted Ma’s
trafficking ring without you.”
I smiled. “Just doing my part.” I’d slipped the
tracker on Ashley. As I expected, they tried to
get rid of her, selling her to someone deep in
the mountains. When the cops found her, she
was barely human, eating dirt in a pen.
Ma’s whole operation was shut down. They
rescued 38 girls. Families showed up at our
company, thanking me. Carter Corp. went viral.
People bought out our entire online store in a
day. Media wanted interviews, but I refused. I
said I was still a student. The internet dug up
my academic awards, my acceptance into a top
university. My social media blew up, 20 million
followers overnight.
I left the station. Ethan was waiting. “Jail’s too
good for them.”
I nodded. “I made some calls. They’ll get
special treatment.”
“You had them roughed up?”
I wagged my finger. “They liked trafficking
women? They’ll get to experience what it feels
like.”
“Let’s just say their future involves a lot of…
proctologists.”
- 13.
Jason was in the hospital. He’d broken his legs.
He screamed at the Smiths when they visited,
even threw a knife at them. They diagnosed him
with mental issues and sent him to a psych
ward.
When we showed up, Jason went ballistic.
“You! Get out! You stole everything from me!”
I stared at him. “Wasn’t the kidnapping your
own fault?”
Jason paused. “You knew?”
I tossed a file at him. “Yep. A little gift.” It was
Ashley’s transfer papers.
Ashley walked in, grabbed Jason’s leg, and
started hitting him. “It’s all your fault! Your fault!”
“Get her away from me!” Jason shrieked. “Why? She’s your new roommate.”
Jason cowered in the corner, defeated. “My parents won’t let you get away with this!”
Ethan finally spoke. “You think we could do this without their blessing?”
Jason noticed the family crest ring on Ethan’s finger.
“How could they replace me? I’m their son! I’m
the heir!”
“Claire, don’t think he’ll treat you any better.
He’s a man. My dad cheated. I cheated. He will
too.”
Ethan said, “Don’t worry about it. I already transferred all my shares to Claire.”
Jason struggled to take off his ring. Ashley
pushed him off the bed. We left him screaming.
- 14.
<
We heard about Jason’s death later. Ashley,
having a psychotic episode, pushed him out a
third–story window. He was paralyzed, living on
life support. Just like me.
Ethan and I had built an empire. The Smiths
officially handed everything over to Ethan a few
days ago. Jason, while the nurse was out,
pulled out his breathing tube and suffocated.
The nurse said Ashley clapped, happy to watch
him die.
I told my assistant to cremate Jason and
scatter his ashes in the ocean. “He doesn’t
deserve a dime. Let the fish have him.”
Ethan hugged me from behind, his ring clinking
against mine. “Now that the trash is gone, can
we move on to the next phase?” He pulled me
closer, his lips brushing my ear. “I’m in charge
now. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
I tugged his tie, a mischievous glint in my eye.
“Permission granted. Let’s get married.”
