Chapter 1 On a Stormy Night, She Was Chased While Pregnant
In the dimly lit room, two naked bodies were entwined, their heavy breathing and soft moans creating an atmosphere of intimate passion.
Emily Johnson furrowed her brows, eyes tightly shut. Her hands gripped the bedsheets beneath her, enduring the increasingly forceful thrusts of the man.
"Are you a virgin?" The man's husky voice whispered in her ear. Emily slowly opened her misty eyes, barely able to make out the man's facial features.
Just as Emily tried to get a better look at the man's face, a sudden clap of thunder roared in her ears.
Emily jolted awake from her sleep.
A dream! It was just a dream!
Six months ago, she had been forced to sleep with a stranger to save her mother, even agreeing to bear his child...
Since then, she often dreamt about that night.
Emily touched her pregnant belly, preparing to get up for a drink of water, when she suddenly realized something was wrong.
She wasn't in her bed; she was in a narrow, rectangular coffin, unable to move!
And she could feel the coffin moving!
Outside, she could faintly hear the sound of thunder.
Emily panicked. What was happening? Had she been kidnapped?
She began pounding on the coffin walls, shouting, "Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? Let me out!"
Emily cried out in terror and helplessness.
The people carrying the coffin seemed to hear the noise coming from inside and suddenly stopped.
"Did you hear that? It sounded like something from inside the coffin."
"You must be hearing things. It's the middle of the night; there's no sound."
"No, really, there's a sound coming from the coffin!"
One of them, to prove he wasn't mistaken, pressed his ear against the coffin.
The other person carrying the coffin smacked him on the head, cursing, "Impossible. That woman was drugged; she can't wake up this quickly."
Emily heard the voices outside and gradually calmed down, straining to listen.
She wanted to know who was trying to harm her!
Then, a familiar voice came from outside the coffin:
"Who told you to stop? Hurry up and move the coffin before someone finds out!"
Emily's eyes widened instantly.
It was her cousin Ava Davis's voice!
Could Ava be behind all this, trying to kill her?
As Emily reeled from the shock, another familiar voice sounded:
"Don't worry. This place is usually deserted, and with the thunderstorm, no one will come."
It was her boyfriend John Williams's voice!
Emily realized in an instant that Ava and John had conspired together to harm her!
Betrayed by both Ava and John, Emily's heart twisted in agony.
She couldn't understand why.
Then Ava's triumphant voice came from outside the coffin:
"Emily is such an idiot. She'll never know that I'm also a daughter of the Johnson family! Once she and her mother are dead, Dad will marry my mom, and I'll reclaim my identity as a Johnson daughter. Hahaha..."
Ava's sharp, arrogant laughter blended with the muffled thunder, tearing at Emily's heart.
'So that's the truth!'
Who could have imagined that Ava was actually Eli Johnson's biological daughter!
And she had teamed up with John, all to send Emily and her mother, Lily Martin, to their graves.
No! She couldn't die here!!
Not just for herself, but for her bedridden mother Lily...
Emily protected her swollen belly, using all her strength to pound on the coffin lid, desperately hoping it hadn't been nailed shut.
As long as the lid wasn't nailed shut, she still had a chance.
Suddenly, a torrential downpour began outside.
The noise outside grew louder, as if many people had arrived, and she heard someone shouting, "Ms. Johnson."
The servants had come looking for her!
Emily frantically pounded on the coffin lid, causing the coffin to shake violently and then crash to the ground. Emily, with her large belly, rolled out of the open coffin.
"What are you doing? Catch her! Don't let her escape!" Ava's shrill voice pierced the dark night.
Ignoring the multiple scrapes and pains on her body, Emily scrambled to her feet and staggered forward.
The rain intensified, the dense curtain of water blurring Emily's vision, the icy rain soaking her wounds, the pain sapping her strength.
Behind her, lights flickered, and the chaotic sounds of voices and fierce barking dogs mixed together.
Run! Keep running!
Though her legs were weak and exhausted, Emily dared not stop.
Death awaited her if she did!
Emily slipped, clutching her swollen belly as she fell heavily to the ground.
It hurt!
Not just her belly, but her ankle seemed to be cut by something, the searing pain tormenting her nerves.
The fierce barking grew closer, and Emily could even smell the foul stench from the snarling dogs.
Emily closed her eyes in despair.
"Ms. Johnson!"
Suddenly, a figure lunged at her, wrestling with the wild dogs.
Emily opened her eyes, her pupils contracting sharply.
"Ryder!"
In the moment of crisis, her loyal butler Ryder appeared, protecting her.
But Ryder was no match for the crazed dogs, being bitten and torn apart.
"Ms. Johnson, I'll hold them off. Run!" Ryder shouted desperately.
Emily fought back tears, stood up, and continued to flee through the rain.
Behind her, Ryder's agonized screams echoed...
Emily's tears mingled with the rain, her fists clenched tightly, her eyes filled with hatred.
She would avenge this...
Five years later, at the international airport.
A tall, striking woman wearing black sunglasses walked out of the terminal, dragging a suitcase. Beside her were two young boys dressed in black suits and bow ties, looking like little adults, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the airport.
"What beautiful children! They're wearing Modern Muse clothes, aren't they?"
"I heard each outfit from Modern Muse is limited to fifty pieces worldwide and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars! I wish I knew someone who could afford Modern Muse clothes!"
"Shh, keep your voice down. They're looking over here."
Behind her sunglasses, Emily's cold, beautiful eyes swept over the whispering crowd, then she looked up at the "Emerald City" sign hanging in the airport, her red lips curling slightly.
"Long time no see, Emerald City."
"Ms. Johnson, you're finally back."
Outside the airport, a Lamborghini was parked by the curb. A man in a suit, with a polite demeanor and a smile on his face, stood by the car, watching the woman walk towards him.
"Mr. Jackson!"
A small figure darted towards Nicholas Jackson like a bullet. Nicholas opened his arms with a smile and scooped up the little body rushing at him.
"Chase, it's been five years. Have you put on some weight?"
Nicholas teased Chase Johnson in his arms while turning to look at the other boy following Emily. "Jasper, come here and give me a hug, too."
Jasper Johnson's face remained stoic. He glanced at the friendly Nicholas and said formally, "Mr. Jackson, hello."
"It has been five years, and Jasper still doesn't want to get close to me. I wonder who he takes after," Nicholas complained softly to Emily, bouncing Chase in his arms.
Emily's red lips curved into a beautiful smile. She took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of clear, bright eyes, though the small scars beneath them added a sharp edge to her gaze.
Five years ago, on that terrifying night, Emily had fallen off a cliff. Though she survived, she was gravely injured. Nicholas had found her by the ravine and sent her abroad for treatment.
Later, Emily gave birth to triplets abroad. She had Nicholas take one of her children back to their father while she stayed overseas, training and gathering strength for her revenge.
Five years had passed. She was no longer the weak, easily bullied woman she once was.
The longing for her children and the hatred for the Johnson family had burned in her chest, fueling her through the toughest times.
Now, she was back in Emerald City, a place she both loved and hated, to exact her revenge on the Johnson family.
"Nicholas, any recent movements from the Johnson family?"
Emily had Nicholas load her luggage into the trunk, then got into the back seat with her two children.
"One of the Johnson Group's subsidiary executives was caught embezzling funds and falsifying accounts. The subsidiary has been shut down, and both the executive and Finn Johnson are under investigation."
Nicholas started the car and began driving, updating Emily on the situation.
Emily's lips curled into a cold smile. "Keep an eye on this. Push things along if necessary. When their subsidiary declares bankruptcy and goes up for sale, we'll buy it at a rock-bottom price."
"Understood." Nicholas nodded, glancing at Emily in the rearview mirror with a hint of hesitation.
"Ms. Johnson, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"We haven't found Ryder's body."
Emily's expression stiffened slightly, her eyes flickering with a cold, fleeting hatred.
"Is that so? Then we'll find something of Ryder's from the Johnson family and give him a proper memorial."
"Alright."
Nicholas watched Emily's face carefully. Despite her usual cold demeanor, the tremor in her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.
Emily must be feeling very sad right now.
After all, Ryder was her savior.
On that stormy night five years ago, if Ryder hadn't risked his life to save her, Emily would have been a meal for those wild dogs.
The car drove steadily through the bustling city. Emily leaned back in her seat, watching the passing street scenes with a dazed expression.
Suddenly, a group of children in a nearby square caught her attention.
"Stop the car!"
Nicholas was startled and hit the brakes, bringing the car to a smooth stop by the curb.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Chase and Jasper blinked their big, round eyes at Emily.
"Stay in the car, both of you."
Emily instructed them calmly before getting out of the car.
"Hey, cripple! You stepped on my shoes. Get down and lick them clean!"
"Are you listening? Do you know who I am? I'm the boss around here. You stand on my turf, you follow my rules. Now, get down and lick my shoes!"
"Kneel! Kneel!"
As Emily approached, she saw what the children were doing.
Three kids surrounded an older, arrogant-looking boy, forcing a smaller, frail child to kneel and lick his shoes.
The smaller child's face was flushed red. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing, but his bright eyes shone with pride and defiance.
"This cripple might be mute too!" one of the boys whispered in the older boy's ear.
"If that's the case, you two, hold him down and make him kneel and lick my shoes!" the older boy commanded his companions.
The two boys moved to grab the smaller child, but he suddenly sprang like a lion, his bright eyes flashing with a fierce light, and pounced on them, fighting back.
"He's getting wild! Everyone, get him! We need to teach this cripple a lesson today!" the older boy screamed, joining the fray and swinging his fist at the smaller child's face.
"Stop!"
Emily rushed over, pulling the bullies off the smaller child. She gently helped him up, wiping the blood and dirt from his face.
"You..."
Seeing the face so similar to Jasper and Chase's, Emily felt a pang in her chest.
This child!
This was her child!
"Who do you think you are, ruining our fun?" the older boy shouted arrogantly.
Emily was furious. She had just returned to Emerald City and didn't want to cause trouble, but this child was clearly her long-lost son.
Now, seeing her child being bullied in the street, how could she stand it?
"Why are you bullying him? Didn't your parents teach you? Some people are not to be messed with!"
Emily's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She stood up, facing the children, rolling up her sleeves as if ready to fight.
The children were intimidated by Emily's presence. One of the younger kids started crying and ran away.
"Run!"
The children scattered. Emily, still fuming, turned to find her son, but he had already moved away.
The boy stood ten steps away, watching her warily.
"Sweetie, I'm your mother. Look closely, don't we look alike?" Emily took a tentative step towards him.
The boy stepped back, his bright eyes filled with tension and caution.
Emily noticed the boy's left leg seemed injured, causing him to limp.
Her heart ached with confusion.
Five years ago, she had reluctantly sent her oldest son to that man's apartment, hoping he would take good care of him.
But now, it seemed her child had not been well cared for.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry. Just wait a little longer, okay? I'll come for you." Emily spoke gently to the tense, wary boy.