“You are cold-blooded and heartless, Hamish! Do you think everyone in the world is like you?” Elisa, who had experienced so much, had mastered the art of concealing her emotions. Her face was now only slightly stiff and pale. Her eyes, however, were dark and cold as they stared at Hamish, filled not only with sharpness but also with an oppressive force.
“It’s not everyone… it’s the Burns family that inherits such bad traits. Just like you said, it’s a dark and filthy sewer, infested with maggots.” Hamish frowned, speaking in a low and chilling tone.
Elisa was raised in such an environment, so she didn’t understand why he was afraid. Siblings fighting against each other, using any means for power and position, even the most disgusting methods were fair game. The Burns family had thrived on ruthlessness over the years.
Elisa always claimed he was heartless and emotionless, a demon devoid of feeling. But growing up in such a place, having emotions would only become a fatal weakness. Who wouldn’t want to grow up in warmth and care? His parents were killed by his second uncle, Old Burns knew, but as long as there was no evidence, he turned a blind eye and remained indifferent.
Surviving in such an environment, living in a dark and dangerous place without parents to protect him, stumbling along the way, he had to do whatever it took to stay alive and get what he wanted.
For so many years, the Burns family had maintained their position through such means, stepping on blood to get to the top.
His aunt, Louis’s mother, had also accepted this kind of education. Growing up in such an environment, how could he trust anyone from the Burns family?
If a person is born and raised in darkness and has never seen the light, then they would think the whole world is dark.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer, with little time left. He loved Elisa. Whether it was possessiveness or a desire for control, why would he hold on to someone who was impossible to hold?
After he dies, there will be no one like him in the world. Elisa might encounter someone even more difficult. If the White family gives up on Elisa this time, and if Louis cannot fully protect Elisa, and cannot stand by her completely, then he… will not give these people another chance to get close to Elisa.
The most unbearable thing to test is human nature. What Elisa is unwilling to do, he will take the gamble, to let her see the reality.
If Elisa wins the bet, and the White family, or Louis, stays by her side, not using her, not abandoning her, loving her, cherishing her, and protecting her, no matter what she was like before, then he will die content, even if Elisa continues to misunderstand and hate him.
Elisa took a step towards him and, after stopping in front of him for three seconds, suddenly raised her hand and slapped him.
“Smack-” The force was reciprocal. Hamish didn’t know if it hurt, but her hand felt a little numb.
“Hamish, you really are incorrigible. A leopard can’t change its spots.”
Inside Hamish’s calm heart, it was as if a sharp stone had fallen, causing a dull, aching sensation.
“Miss Powell…” Tobias wanted to speak, but was stopped by Hamish.
Elisa always felt that Hamish hadn’t changed at all, still as obsessive and crazy as before.
But if it were the old him… he wouldn’t waste so much time. He would have just found someone to take Elisa back by force. What did Elisa’s emotions have to do with him?
But now… even a slight expression on Elisa’s face would tug at his heart.
“Elisa, I’m waiting for you to come find me. Someday, you will understand why I had to do this.”
Elisa did have promise, but a company worth 8 billion dollars couldn’t save the White family. Combined with Hamish’s constant pressure, it was only a matter of time before the White Group went bankrupt.
An ambulance arrived. Elisa, caught off guard, looked into Hamish’s deep eyes, as distant as ever.
In the end, Elisa turned and ran towards Louis, while Hamish stood silently in place, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him. He watched the red figure move away, like a dancing flame.
It wasn’t until Tobias spoke, “Mr. Burns, let’s go,” that Hamish turned around and walked away, his footsteps hesitant. The night wind outside was cold. As it blew against him, his body couldn’t help but shiver, and he looked up at the night sky.
Tobias sighed softly.
Hamish heard it and asked, “What are you sighing about?”
Tobias replied, “Mr. Burns, why waste time on this? Miss Powell will definitely not abandon the White family.”
“She won’t abandon the White family, but the White family might abandon her.”
“But…” Tobias hesitated, but in the end, he said what he most wanted to say, “Whether you win or lose this bet, it’s not a good outcome for you. Instead, Miss Powell will resent you for this. Mr. Burns, are you okay with that? Didn’t you say you only wanted Miss Powell’s forgiveness after you died?”
“I’m not okay with it,” Hamish said hoarsely, suddenly feeling a bit stinging in his eyes. He let out a sigh. “I will die eventually. I will do my best for Elisa in the shortest time possible. She always says I am her calamity, so when my calamity is gone, I hope she will have smooth sailing from then on.”
After his death, whoever Elisa ends up with will have nothing to do with him. What use is there in feeling resentful? Can’t he turn into a vengeful ghost?
He had already drafted his will. After he dies, all his assets will go to Elisa, and there will be no more Burns family.
“I wish she could marry me again,” he said subconsciously. Even he couldn’t help but laugh at himself, his voice tinged with bitter self-mockery.
…
Mr. White was carried into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. Elisa accompanied Louis and got in touch with Mrs. White and Brittany.
Mr. White’s sudden collapse was due to overworking and accumulating stress, leading to an emotional outburst. According to Mr. White’s assistant, the situation at White Group had been dire for some time. In fact, the charity banquet was organized to find partners and cover up the crisis at White Group. Unfortunately, the attempt to conceal the situation failed and the news was leaked, causing a scandal. Now, almost everyone knew that White Group was in crisis.
Previous partners were now breaking their contracts and were unwilling to offend the person behind everything. White Group, like Powell Group before, did not collapse suddenly, but the pressure and difficulties had been accumulating over time.
Elisa furrowed her brow, analyzing the interests involved.
Mr. White was taken to the hospital and, with some rest, he would be fine. Louis felt guilty; he had not noticed such a major issue at home. In fact, neither Louis nor Brittany had been aware of it. Mr. White never brought work issues home, partly because they didn’t understand, and partly to prevent them from worrying.
Mrs. White knew some of it, but she hadn’t anticipated the severity of the situation and was unable to predict the outcome.
Upon learning about Mr. White being hospitalized, major shareholders of the company came to inquire about his condition and then hastily convened a shareholder meeting.
Louis, who had always been reluctant to inherit White Group, now had no choice. His father was in the hospital, Brittany was still young, and his mother had to be with his father. He was the only one who could take care of these matters.
White Group had made a big mistake, and with the constant pressure from Hamish, bankruptcy was inevitable. Furthermore, Hamish’s methods were dirty, and framing others was his specialty. It was feared that it wouldn’t just be a matter of family business but could lead to debt and imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Elisa was constantly in meetings, trying to lend a hand to save White Group. However, it was a temporary solution; the two companies’ operating models were different, they couldn’t cooperate effectively, and mere financial support wouldn’t be enough to salvage White Group.
Hamish was highly skilled and had set traps long ago, waiting to short White Group. If Elisa intervened, it would only lead to trouble for her company.
Why had Hamish suddenly targeted the White family?
It soon became known that it was because of a woman, and that woman was Louis’s fiancée.
Driven by personal interests, these two families, once so closely related, were now willing to destroy each other.
Hamish had been undergoing treatment at home recently, verbally instructing his subordinates. Burns Group had been consistently losing money, causing dissatisfaction among many, but no one could control him.