“From a businessman’s perspective, this is a good opportunity to gain fame and fortune. Why did you refuse?” After we walked away for a while, Julia stopped and asked me.
Tilting my head, I stuck out my tongue and smiled mischievously. “From a spoiled woman’s perspective, this is a good opportunity to redeem my self-esteem, so of course I have to refuse! I can’t be doing whatever they want me to do, right? I’m the woman whom Christopher values wholeheartedly. I won’t do this kind of thing.”
The first half of what I said was my sincere thought, while the second half was meant to please Julia. Clearly, she was happy with my flattery. It was rare that she did not say anything harsh but agreed with me. “You’re right. True talent will ultimately speak for itself. You don’t have to go with the flow at all.”
After walking forward two steps, I realized that she was complimenting me. In an instant, a wide grin spread across my face. “Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Lane!”
“Who said I was complimenting you?” Immediately, she refuted my words. She was resolute and would not admit that she was praising me.
I remained silent as I did not want to make her angry anymore. Otherwise, I would be digging my own grave. When we passed by a bank, she opened her bag and took a brief look inside. “I didn’t bring any cash with me today. I’ll go and withdraw some money.”
In actuality, I wanted to say that I had cash with me, but as someone who was used to living a parsimonious life, I did not have more than three thousand on me. Later on, should she choose something worth more than that amount, it would be embarrassing if we could not pay with our cards.
Entering the bank, I was about to get a number and line up. Just then, I saw her taking out a card with a big red peony printed on it and walking to the VIP counter. Soon after she sat down, a lovely girl came to her service.
At the sight of that, I lifted my head and sighed. As expected, I did not understand the life of a magnate. Just like what Sabrina said, I was the most miserable heiress she had ever seen. I even had to borrow my first credit card from her.
When I was lost in thoughts, a few burly men rushed in, pointing their shotguns at the people inside the bank. “Don’t move! Put your hands above your head!”
Before I could figure out what happened, everyone began screaming. One woman screamed and ran toward the entrance. All of a sudden, a brawny man shot at her back.
The sound of the shotgun buzzed in my ears. As the bullet hit her back, blood splattered everywhere and dyed the surrounding red.
Immediately afterward, the woman let out a heartbreaking scream and collapsed to the floor. She convulsed while vomiting blood from her mouth before she stopped moving altogether.
In an instant, all the screams and shouts stopped and a momentary silence filled the bank. Everyone paused their movements and did not dare to breathe. Outside, firecrackers were crackling continuously, covering up the noise of the gunshot.
“Stay down. Don’t move around. I’ll shoot anyone who moves.” Those men acted quickly. A few of them drove all of us to a corner while their counterparts asked the staff to withdraw money and put them in bundles into a bag they had prepared beforehand.
I sat on the floor next to Julia and looked at the woman lying lifelessly in her own pool of blood. A hint of anger flashed across my eyes. Perhaps it was because I had experienced a shooting incident while on a cruise ship with Christopher. Even though I was afraid, I was not trembling like the others. When I witnessed the woman dying in front of my eyes, I felt my blood boiling.
At that moment, I thought of calling the police. The moment I turned my head sideways to glance at Julia, I saw that she had a calm expression on her face. Despite looking a little panicked, there was no fear in her eyes. Noticing that I was looking at her, she shot me a glance that told me not to worry.
In response, I nodded slightly and mouthed the words “call the police.” Subsequently, I quietly reached into my bag and took out my phone slowly.
“I’ll do it. Some of them are setting off firecrackers outside to divert attention. They must have planned this for a long time. Cover me.” Just as I was about to make the call, she took the phone and moved backward, placing the phone behind me.
