Chapter 3

I waited for George's reaction, but he just let out a cold smirk.

"Carol, what kind of trick are you playing now? You want to come home? Dream on!"

"Did you think we'd let you come back and bully Audrey?"

A pang of pain shot through my heart. It was true. Over the years, I never stopped hoping my family would get me out.

Even when the result of trying to contact them was a broken right leg, ten fingernails being pried off, or being beaten unconscious again and again.

Over the years, I tried everything.

Sending messages through people, calling, texting, even going to find them myself, but it was always like a stone sinking into the ocean.

The day after I was beaten into a miscarriage, I chewed through the ropes and jumped from a fourth-story window, running barefoot straight to the Rasmus Group headquarters.

The security guard was shocked by my pale face and horrific injuries, hurriedly helping me call the police and running to find my family.

But in the end, I didn't see any of my family members. The security guard was fired by Audrey.

I was sent back to my abuser's house by the Rasmus Group's bodyguards, awaiting me was pepper spray, a waterboarding cell, and being tied up under the sun while the flesh on my back was sliced off piece by piece...

The tycoon picked his teeth with a sadistic grin, spat his phlegm on my face.

"Miss your family, huh? Here, let me let you hear their voices."

He played a recording on his phone. It had my dad, mom, Holt, and Audrey.

"Dad, I heard someone calling herself Carol is at the gate. Shouldn't you go check it out?"

It was Audrey, feigning concern for me.

Holt sounded impatient.

"What? She ran out? Then just send her back. Is this little thing worth bothering Dad over?"

"That's right, Audrey. You're just too kind. After all the bullying she did to you back then, a little suffering is good for her."

George echoed.

"I bought you a carload of new clothes. Go see if you like them."

From then on, I lost all will to live, only wanting to die.

Back to the present. Holt furrowed his brow, his face hesitant.

"Dad, the police wouldn't mess around with someone like this, would they? Should we send someone to check?"

Audrey's face was grim. She picked up her phone and went off to the side, fiddling with it.

George scoffed, his face full of disdain.

"Silly boy. With AI so prevalent now, who can't fake an audio clip?"

"Don't let family ties blind you to the truth. A mistake deserves punishment. Why should Audrey be the one to suffer?"

Mason, who had been a bit suspicious, immediately lost most of her doubt and turned angry again.

"That kid is really something else, deliberately using our concern for her to threaten us!"

Holt shook his head, his brow furrowed, expression grave. "Is it real or not?"

Just then, Audrey ran over with her phone in hand.

"Look! Carol's Twitter account just followed a celebrity and liked her favorite celebrity's posts!"

Holt grabbed the phone and looked; his face flushed red, he clenched his fist, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

"Great! She fools us and still has the nerve to be on Twitter! It seems the tycoon's punishment was too light."

Saying this, he walked aside and called the tycoon.

"Hey, Mr. Brooks. Yeah, you need to step up the punishment for Carol. Don't let her have any more of these ridiculous, strange ideas."

I floated in mid-air, shivering in fear at the sound of the tycoon's voice.

But Holt, that Twitter account that belonged to me had long been taken by Audrey to boost her favorite celebrities.

And the so-called usage record was clearly staged by her.

The truth was, I was already dead, long ago.