Chapter 4

Richard turned to look at Caroline. “You’ll give us your full cooperation, won’t you?” Do I have a choice? No. I gave up my rights when I was brought into this family, at the price of five billion dollars. Moreover… Caroline could see that Marilyn and Andrew were not to be underestimated. They would surely target her regularly. She needed leverage to secure her place in the Ellison family. She was alone, and her own family couldn’t be relied upon. Once David died, she would surely be looked down upon by the Ellison family. Caroline wasn’t after their wealth, it was just that she had just crawled out of the pit of her own family, and the last thing she needed was to get involved in the Ellison family’s power struggles. Having a child will be my best form of support! Caroline had decided for herself. “I understand, Mr. Richard,” Caroline responded. “I hope I can get pregnant soon.” Richard gave her a satisfied nod. … That night. Caroline sat on the edge of the bed, propping her chin up as she looked at David. “I thought only adopted daughters like me who have no blood ties would have such a hard life at home,” she sighed, and then continued, “But I didn’t expect that a legitimate son like you would be in an even worse position. Your life is now hanging by a thread just because of someone’s scheme… It’s so obvious that your step-mother and your step-brother are eager for you to die, they didn’t even bother to hide it. Your grandfather is the only person that still cares about you, he hopes that you’ll leave an heir behind.” Caroline paused for a moment, and then said, “I just wish you’d wake up, so that you can take down everyone who’s scheming against you. You’ll seize control of the Ellison family, and take your place as its new leader.” David’s background was an open secret in Dunwich. He was the eldest son in his family, but his birth mother was just an ordinary, unknown woman with no background. The Ellison family had never approved of their marriage and had never allowed her to enter the family. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that he was a boy, his family might have even rejected him entirely. The actual power over Ellison Group, the family’s business, lay entirely in Richard’s hands. Recently, he had been considering who to choose as his successor. As a result, the power struggles within the family had grown even more intense. Although David was born to a lower status than Andrew, his ability and vision were all extraordinary. Everyone had placed their bets on him, but no one had expected that he would be poisoned, fall into a coma, and be declared brain-dead. It was clear who had done this, but no one would snitch. Besides, there was no evidence. Caroline reached out to check David’s breathing, it was faint and weak. She stood up and prepared to get a towel to wipe his body, but just as she took a few steps, Andrew suddenly appeared at the door. He stepped inside and locked the door behind him. “What are you doing here?” Caroline asked cautiously. “I’m here to get you pregnant,” Andrew said with a malicious smile as he looked her up and down. “Instead of going through all the trouble of IVF and egg retrieval, why not just be with me? What do you say?” “You’re crazy! I’m your sister-in-law!” “So I’m sleeping with my sister-in-law,” Andrew rubbed his hands together. He had a wicked grin on his face as he said, “If you carry my child, we’ll just say it’s David’s. No one will know, and after all, it’s still our family’s bloodline.” Andrew absolutely could not allow Caroline to conceive David’s child. That would leave a potential heir and a future threat to him. His brother had always been smarter than him, he had spent years living under his shadow. Now that he’s about to die, there’s no way I’ll let her carry his child! The family business will be mine soon! Andrew let out a sinister laugh as he lunged at Caroline. He grabbed her from behind and started tearing at her clothes. “Let go of me… You psycho!” Caroline struggled desperately, “Don’t touch me, you animal!” But she was no match for Andrew’s strength. Her shoulder was exposed, her clothes were in disarray, and she was pinned to the bed. He pressed his lips all over her back and her neck, it made her feel sick. Caroline’s heart filled with despair. Who will save me? She thought. Just as she was about to lose all hope, a cold, hoarse voice rang out, “Let her go!”