Chapter 21: Threatened
Confronted with an unforeseen situation, Erica’s entire body remained still, her heart pounding. She stared at her counterpart without blinking. The silence stretched on, seemingly endless, if it weren’t for Erica’s mind snapping her back to reality.
She let out a long breath, nervously licking her dry lips. Erica tentatively initiated a conversation:
“I remember who you are. You’re my defense attorney.”
Erica feigned friendliness, intentionally bombarding herself with questions to buy herself some time. She needed to divert the other person’s attention while strategizing how to handle this unexpected predicament.
“It’s nice to see you again. May I ask what you’re doing here?”
Without waiting for the lawyer to respond, Erica learns about his engine.
“And what are you doing? What’s the gun for?”
Erica shifted her gaze towards the firearm, a faint smile flickering on her lips.
Ignoring Erica’s fake expression as well as her simple, innocent questions, the lawyer loudly ordered:
“Go inside the house.”
Erica was startled by the man’s menacing tone.
“Move quickly!” the lawyer shouted when he saw Erica still standing motionless in her position.
Erica reluctantly complied when she saw the man menacingly bring the gun closer to her.
Know that you shouldn’t play with dangerous people. Erica slowly retreated inside, followed by the lawyer, who stepped into the house and then quickly closed the door. Mrs. Lani stood frozen in the middle of the living room, not daring to move or utter a word, upon realizing that the lawyer was holding a gun. Despite being allies and belonging to the same association as the lawyer, in truth, Mrs. Lani also felt fear. Ms. Lani worries that the lawyer will also harm her.
Erica continued to step backward until her feet encountered the sofa. She stumbled and nearly fell backward onto the sofa but managed to maintain her balance skillfully.
“Sit down in the chair,” the lawyer sternly ordered once more. Observing Erica’s lingering gaze and hesitant expression, the lawyer, assuming she had a tendency to defy, impatiently shouted.
“Are you deaf? Hurry up! Be careful, or I’ll blow your skull off right now.”
Knowing that dealing with a lawyer was not an easy task, Erica followed his instructions. She sat down on the chair, taking a stance as if to protect herself.
“Martin, what are you doing? Where did you get that gun?” Mrs. Lani regained her composure and asked a question.Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
“You don’t care where the gun came from,” Martin replied, turning to face the woman and issuing a warning. “Just remember, I always carry a gun with me for situations like this. So it’s best not to mean to play bad games behind my back.”
“I understand,” Mrs. Lani said, concealing her uneasiness and suppressing her emotions.
Then, seemingly aware that her partner had successfully gained control over Erica, Mrs. Lani approached Erica. Without uttering a word, Mrs. Lani tugged at the bag that Erica clung tightly to her body. Unexpectedly, Erica lost in defense of her fortune.
After successfully taking the bag from Erica, she opened its compartments to retrieve the recording pen.
With the evidence in her hand, Mrs. Lani looked at Erica, mocking her with a self-satisfied smile.
“Open your eyes wide and see. The evidence will be destroyed by me. What can you do to me? Do you dare threaten me again?”
After speaking, Mrs. Lani decisively snapped the recording pen. Reflexively, Erica lunged forward, attempting to intervene. However, Erica failed when the lawyer intervened.
“Sit still; no moving.” The lawyer shouted, causing Erica to startle.
“If you act aggressively, be cautious because the gun in my hand has no eyes.”
The lawyer added a threatening remark when he saw Erica about to attack Ms. Lani.
Being protected by the lawyer, Ms. Lani grew even more confident. She looked at Erica, continuously provoking her.
“You’ll never do anything to us. Ha ha…”
“In the end, what do you want to do? What’s the purpose of using a gun to threaten?” Erica maintained her composure while seeking answers.
“Why do you need to know?” Mrs. Lani replied, her tone sounding authoritative. “I’m not obliged to explain it to you either.”
“You’re breaking the law,” Erica continued courageously. “Being a lawyer’s best friend, you should know the law, but instead, you’re breaking it. The consequences won’t be minor.”
Directly addressing the man, Erica issued a warning: “You will face severe punishment.”
“Shut up.” Regardless of the truth behind Erica’s words, the man shouted angrily, “Say one more word, and I’ll cut out your tongue. Do you hear me?”
With that declaration, Erica became frightened and fell silent. To assert his dominance, the man forcefully kicked the chair in front of him towards the corner of the wall. The chair’s leg broke upon impact. Erica, witnessing the scene, had to swallow her fear and bite her lip. She believed it was better to remain silent in order to avoid physical pain. Erica was convinced that she would soon discover the specific intentions of these individuals.
Erica didn’t know whether the gun in the lawyer’s hand was real or fake. However, she understood the importance of being cautious and vigilant. It was best not to act recklessly. Erica realized that she had been somewhat naive. She had come here with the simple intention of having a serious conversation with Mrs. Lani. Erica hoped that both sides could reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and resolve the situation smoothly. Therefore, Erica was quite surprised when Mrs. Lani covertly made a call and requested the presence of a lawyer.
“Martin, what do we do next?” Mrs. Lani turned to ask the lawyer, “Erica is here now.”
“On my way here, I contacted the director at the bank,” Martin informed. “In a little while, we will take Erica to the bank to finalize the inheritance transfer procedures.”
“Do we have assurance that everything will go smoothly this time?” Mrs. Lani asked with concern.
“Rest assured, I have taken care of all the legal formalities. We just need Erica’s presence for verification,” Martin revealed enthusiastically.
After overhearing the couple’s conversation, Erica used her intelligence to understand the situation clearly. It turned out that all they needed from her was that. Having realized this, Erica made up her mind and decided not to comply with their demands. That was certain.
“What if she refuses to cooperate?” Mrs. Lani deliberately asked this question, aiming to use the lawyer’s name to make intimidating and horrifying threats to torment Erica mentally.
“Well, a bullet from this gun will end her life in an instant.” The man’s voice was sinister. His gaze turned towards Erica, appearing truly terrifying. Erica felt a chilling presence invading the atmosphere.
“Did you hear that, Erica?” Mrs. Lai laughed gleefully, looking at Erica mockingly. “Do you know what you should do now?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Erica pretended to be clueless. “Haven’t you already obtained what you wanted? I’m worthless now, so why do you still need me to do anything?”
Erica asked directly, aiming to make Mrs. Lani confess her malicious plan with her own mouth. But instead of revealing the truth, Mrs. Lani resorted to threats:
“Listen carefully, Erica. I’m kindly reminding you to be obedient and know your place. It’s best to comply with what we demand. That way, your future will be ensured, and you won’t lose anything.”
Erica laughed mockingly at Mrs. Lani. Her attitude clearly showed her determination to resist until the end.
“Why do you dare to laugh at me?” Mrs. Lani became angry and lost her temper. She intended to get closer to Erica and give her a slap. However, Martin intervened in time.
“Enough, let it go. Don’t struggle with her anymore. After all, she can’t escape from us.”
“Lucky for you, I’ll let it go this time. Wait until I get the money, then you’ll see what I’m capable of.” Mrs. Lani angrily stormed off, leaving Erica behind.
Erica rolled her eyes at Mrs. Lani and then turned her gaze toward the lawyer. She maintained her silence, refraining from launching any verbal attacks or provoking the other party. In reality, she was deep in thought, contemplating her next steps. She focused on regaining mental clarity and alertness in order to make thoughtful and wise decisions.
Moments later, the lawyer received a phone call from the director of the bank where Erica’s inheritance was being held. As soon as the call ended, the lawyer and Lani wasted no time and headed to the bank, with Erica reluctantly accompanying them. Erica was coerced into following them, although she honestly didn’t want to.
Kora also received a phone call from Ms. Lani and promptly arrived at the bank to facilitate the transfer of the inheritance from Erica’s name to Kora’s.