Chapter 75

Scarlett's POV

I was about to collapse onto the sofa in my apartment when the phone rang.

"Hugh," I answered, my voice steady without a trace of emotion.

"Scarlett," his voice came through the phone, sounding slightly distorted by distance, tinged with urgency and panic.

"How are the preparations coming along? The casino people have started coming to my hotel every day. I can't delay any longer."

I could imagine him pacing in his shabby hotel room abroad, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Hugh was always like this—panicking when facing the messes he created himself.

I couldn't help but feel a touch of irony that he who once strutted so arrogantly before me now had to rely on my charity to escape his predicament.

"I'll have Emily prepare the contract later. As soon as you agree to sign over your shares, I'll immediately arrange for your gambling debts in Silverpeak City to be settled, and then you can return to the country," I said, my tone businesslike, as if discussing weather rather than a transaction that might destroy someone's future.

Silence fell on the other end for a moment. "Mom? Why is she the one delivering it?" Hugh's voice tensed, and I could almost feel the tightness of his grip on the phone.

"That's not important, the key is that you need to sign, then fax it to me as quickly as possible, and I'll immediately arrange for someone to handle your debt problem."

I didn't want to elaborate; how Hugh would explain this to Emily wasn't my concern.

"Scarlett, I know there are many... misunderstandings between us," Hugh tried to make his voice sound sincere, "but I really appreciate your willingness to help me. Those gambling debts, I swear this is the last time."

"Don't thank me," I replied coldly. "We both know this is merely a transaction. Your shares in exchange for your freedom. Don't treat it like some family favor."

Just then, the doorbell rang. I glanced through the peephole—it was Emily. She'd come so quickly. Hearing that Hugh was also going to give me his shares must have made her restless.

"Hugh, Emily's here. We'll talk later." I hung up without waiting for his response.

When I opened the door, Emily stood there in an ill-fitting designer outfit, her face displaying an affected smile while her eyes shifted nervously.

"Scarlett, my dear, how have you been? Mom has missed you so much," she exclaimed as soon as she saw me, moving forward for an embrace, her voice exaggeratedly affectionate.

I stepped aside to avoid her hug and said coldly, "Come in."

I cut straight to the point: "Did you bring the contract?"

Emily's expression changed instantly. A flash of cunning crossed her eyes before she quickly assumed a look of hurt.

"Scarlett, how can you be like this? Discussing business as soon as we meet—I'm your mother!" Her voice suddenly became choked with emotion. "Do you know how worried I've been about you? Since your injury, I've been losing sleep almost every night..."

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. "Emily, we both know why you're here. Please produce the contract."

She sighed, slowly extracting documents from her elegant but cheap leather handbag.

"You've changed, Scarlett. You weren't like this before. Your father and I raised you from such a young age, gave you the best education, the best living conditions..."

Her eyes began to redden, her voice trembling. "We treated you like our own daughter, and now you're using Hugh's predicament to extort so many family shares..."

I cut her off coldly, "Stop the act. If you want Hugh back, you'll need to exchange something of equal value." I reached for the contract, but Emily suddenly pulled it back, tears welling in her eyes.

"Scarlett, you can treat me this way, but Hugh is your brother! He just made a mistake, gambled a few times—can you really use his crisis for your own gain?"

"Brother?" I gave a cold laugh. "We all know I'm not your biological child, Emily. Stop using this rhetoric."

Emily's expression suddenly turned sorrowful and fragile as she sat on the sofa, sobbing quietly.

"You break my heart, Scarlett. I know I'm not your biological mother, but I loved you like my own child. I did so much for you, devoted so many years..."

She raised her tear-filled eyes, looking at me accusingly, "Now that you've made it, climbing up the Gray family tree, you turn your back on us?"

I watched her performance, feeling both irritated and amused.

Emily was always like this—when rational discussion didn't work in her favor, she would try to suppress others on a moral level.

"Emily, we're all adults, let's stick to the matter at hand. Hugh owes gambling debts, I'm willing to help him, and the condition is that he transfers his shares. This is a fair trade; no one loses."

I tried to maintain my composure, but my inner patience was wearing thin.

Emily suddenly burst into jarring laughter, then angrily tore the contract to pieces. "Fair? You call this fair? I raised you from childhood, and this is how you repay me?"

Her voice fluctuated erratically, her emotions out of control. "You ungrateful person! I gave you everything, and now this is how you treat our family?"

She suddenly stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

The slap wasn't particularly hard, but it was enough to draw a trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. I licked the corner of my lips, tasting the familiar metallic flavor.

"Are you finished?" I asked calmly. "If so, we can continue discussing the real issue."

My composure seemed to provoke her. Emily began to cry hysterically, blabbering between sobs: "Do you know what will happen to Hugh? Those casino people might break his legs! How can you be so heartless? Is your heart made of stone?"

She covered her face, her shoulders shaking violently. "My children, my poor children, how did it come to this..."

I silently walked to the desk and retrieved another contract I had prepared earlier.

"Emily, I anticipated that you wouldn't honestly deliver the contract. I just wanted to see what disgusting thing you would do next," I said, a cold smile forming at the corner of my mouth.

"You certainly didn't disappoint me. So I prepared another contract, drafted entirely according to my terms. I'll fax this one directly to Hugh."

Hearing this, Emily immediately stopped crying, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes.

She quickly adjusted her expression, adopting a pleading look: "Scarlett, please, at least leave us some dignity. Hugh can't come back with nothing. You know how your father will treat him... Couldn't you just take a portion of the shares?"

"We agreed on all of his shares, and Hugh himself has consented," I said, taking out my phone and dialing Hugh's number.

Seeing this, Emily immediately lunged forward, trying to grab my phone. "You can't do this! Scarlett, do you have no conscience? We're your family!"

Hugh answered the call and, hearing Emily shouting in the background, his voice grew more anxious: "What's happening? Is Mom alright?"

"She's fine," I said, avoiding Emily's grasping hands. "She's just having an... emotional reaction to our deal. I'm going to fax you the contract now. Sign it and send it back immediately."

Seeing my determination, Emily suddenly changed tactics. The tear streaks on her face hadn't yet dried when she forced a conciliatory smile: "Scarlett, don't be angry. I was too hasty just now. I know you must have your own considerations... Perhaps we could talk properly? Look, we're family after all. Can't we sit down and discuss things civilly?" Her voice suddenly turned sickeningly sweet.

"There's nothing to discuss, Emily." I gestured toward the door. "If you have no other business, you may leave."

She looked at me, her eyes shifting from pleading to resentful, then to sadness, and finally settling into a strange sort of resignation. "You really have changed, Scarlett. You're not the little girl we brought home anymore."

Hearing these words, I almost shed a tear. "I was never truly that little girl. You just never really knew me."