I felt weak in the knees, covering my mouth as I stood outside the room, unable to move.
The recording pen captured everything.
Not long after, Daniel Scott was arrested on charges of commercial bribery.
The person he bribed was none other than the president of the Jerez State Chamber of Commerce!
Jerez State underwent a drastic change, and no one knew that it was me, an unknown journalist, who had submitted the evidence for the report.
Carter praised me for my courage, but in his complex gaze, I understood the whole story… He had known all along that Daniel Scott would accept the bribe. He had anticipated this opportunity to bring down The Scott Group, and I had merely been his pawn.
“With The Scott Group’s support gone, what does Cameron have left?” Carter laughed triumphantly, arrogantly striding into Cameron’s office and sitting in his chair.
Cameron hadn’t been in the office for days, busy dealing with The Scott Family’s affairs.
“All of this will be mine,” Carter spun around, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “The inheritance, The Lynch Group, everything.”
Suddenly, he looked at me, “Laura, you’re mine too!”
My heart skipped a beat.
I took a deep breath, silently watching him. I knew he didn’t actually like me; he only wanted the Laura who still had feelings for Cameron.
In a way, we were similar. We both grew up under the shadow of The Lynch Family. The difference was, I had no blood ties to the family, while he faced his father every day, the Aunt who stole his father’s heart, and his half-brother.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of mentality he developed in such an environment.
That glance he just gave me sent shivers down my spine.
He had torn down the facade he had maintained for over twenty years.
With a person like Carter, nobody knew what tricks he would pull next. His hatred was like a swamp; the more you struggled, the deeper you sank, with no end in sight.
As for me, I felt a fleeting sense of revenge, but it quickly faded away.
Especially when Cameron sat in front of me.
In just a few days, he had lost weight, hadn’t even had time to shave, and wore a loose gray shirt. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the determination and coldness in his eyes.
He looked at me, a slight smirk . “Impressive. Bringing down a corporation with just one report, that’s quite something!”
“Daniel Scott brought it upon himself,” I tried to remain calm. “If you don’t want others to know about your deeds, then don’t do them. The government entrusted him with the project, showing enough trust. But he used it for bribery, treating that trust as a stepping stone for his career. That’s just not wise!”
“Shall we discuss terms?” Cameron stared into my eyes.
“You submitted the report, wrote the article, and provided the witnesses. As long as you come forward and explain to the relevant authorities, Daniel Scott will have a way out.”
I suddenly felt a chill.
After a moment of silence, I chuckled lightly. “Why? His bribery activities are well-documented.”
“Both sides suffer in this situation. No one will come out unscathed,” he said coldly. “Your target is ultimately me, isn’t it?”
“Cameron!” I exclaimed sharply. “Setting aside our personal grievances, as a journalist, I have a duty to uphold the dignity of the law and the truth of the news! This is a government project, yet he manipulated it at his whim… He played with the dignity of taxpayers! I will not back down on this!”
He sneered, “Laura, do you think you’re noble as a journalist? Even if The Scott Family is finished, there are still many people in The Scott Group. Will they spare you? Have you realized that you have already…”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
I only saw fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes staring intensely at me. His fists clenched, trembling slightly.
He still resembled a wild beast, but now, this wounded beast.
“Laura,” He lowered his voice, “I’ll state my terms, as long as you’re willing to spare Daniel Scott…”
“Impossible!” I decisively cut him off.
Why should I spare Daniel Scott?
I did nothing wrong!
“Queenie is pregnant now,” He said, “I can’t let her be stressed.”
I suddenly felt a pang in my chest, my eyes moistening.
I forced a smile. “You’re so eager to protect Daniel Scott, all for Queenie, right?”
“She’s my wife,” he paused, “Daniel Scott is my father-in-law. They are both my family, is it wrong for me to protect my family?”
“Yes, exactly.” I felt like my heart was being eaten by worms, “You have people you want to protect, and I have people I want to retaliate against,” I stared at him firmly, “Cameron, as I said, may the best person win!”
“Laura!”
“I won’t spare Daniel Scott!” I almost screamed hysterically.
Why, I couldn’t explain.
Jealousy? Resentment?
There were many emotions tangled in my heart, distorting me into a monster.
“Cameron,” I sneered through tears, “Or maybe you should beg me. If you kneel down and beg me, maybe I’ll be moved!”
I stood up.
This was the first time I looked down on him with disdain, the first time I understood what it felt like to be in a position of power.
Just like how he always behaved arrogantly in front of me.
“Cameron, beg me,” I taunted, “Beg me nicely, beg until I’m satisfied!”
“Cameron, don’t forget, your wife is pregnant. You mustn’t let her know that her father will spend the rest of his life in prison because of bribery!”
“You…”
Cameron suddenly stood up, gripping my wrist tightly.
He glared at me, his eyes filled with anger. His eyes were bloodshot, he seemed like a trapped beast, ready to drag me down with him.
This extreme way of interacting was typical between us.
As long as we were alive, it was a fight to the death.
I felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness hit me like a sledgehammer.
I twisted my wrist, but he wouldn’t let go.
Tears almost welled up in my eyes, but I maintained a defiant smile. “Cameron, beg me!”
“Beg you?”
He pursed his lips, his cold laughter sending shivers down my spine.
“Dream on!”
With a strong push, he made me fall back into my seat.
“Laura, I won’t beg you,” He said. “If you want revenge, come at me. You, or Carter, whatever tricks you have, I’ll take them all! This war has just begun, and you want me to surrender?”
“I thought you would have grown up over the years, but you’re still so despicable!”
His gaze was contemptuous.
I stood up slowly, “Well, Mr. Lynch, then we don’t need to talk anymore… Whatever the judgment, the judiciary will decide!”
“Exactly.” He approached me, whispered harshly in my ear, “May the best person win!”
As I watched his retreating figure, a tear fell onto my hand.
I hastily wiped it away… I was crying for this man? It was unbelievable!
It felt like there was a piece missing from my heart, a wound that could never heal, always reminding me of my weakness.
A few days later, I learned that Daniel Scott had been bailed out.
But Cameron… he was in prison.
For a while, the business world of Jerez State was in turmoil again. Many said Cameron took the blame for Daniel Scott. Some even praised The Scott family’s son-in-law, saying he was truly remarkable. Not only was he capable, but he also took the blame for his father-in-law when needed.
I stood there, stunned, staring at the news of Cameron’s imprisonment from sunrise to sunset.
He did this…
For The Scott family, for Queenie, he went to such lengths without caring for his own safety.
He proudly refused to beg me even once, yet he could bow his head in prison.
“Miss Campbell, ” Yasmin approached with some food. “You’ve been staring at it all day. You can’t go without eating or drinking.”
I snapped back to reality, smelling the aroma of food. Suddenly, my stomach churned, and I rushed to the bathroom…
“Miss Campbell, what’s wrong?” Yasmin hurried after me.
I retched violently into the toilet.
“Are you okay?” Yasmin handed me a towel.
“I’ll be fine,” I said weakly.
“Is the food not agreeing with you?” She looked worried. “I can remake it.”
“No need,” I told her. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I’ve been like this lately. Yasmin, it’s not the food. I feel nauseous whenever I see food, and sometimes I can’t help but feel sick even if I don’t eat…”
“I also feel dizzy and constantly tired,” I collapsed onto the sofa. “But when I check my temperature, everything seems normal. No fever or cold symptoms. Yasmin, what do you think is wrong with me?”
Yasmin stared at me for a while.
Then she asked slowly, “Your… period… is it late?”
I was taken aback.
Suddenly, it dawned on me that my period hadn’t come for these past two months!