Chapter 11

"Wayne, don't think you've already won," Shirley said. She was like a cornered beast, willing to take her enemy down along with her. "Listen. If anything happens to Megan, I swear I will make sure you pay with your life. Don't test me." With that, she turned to leave. Of course, Bennett wouldn't just let her go. He stood in front of her to block her path. "Shirley—" Shirley raised her hand and slapped Bennett. Her cold demeanor became extra harsh. "Don't call me that." Bennett flinched and was stunned for a moment. Some bodyguards from outside heard the commotion and came rushing over. Bennett quickly came to his senses. Having been slapped by Shirley, the kindness faded from his face. He glared at her and said, "Looks like you want to do things the hard way, don't you?" Many pairs of furious eyes glared at Shirley. Even while faced with such dire straits, Shirley wasn't afraid in the slightest. Her gaze was even sharper and more hateful than theirs. "Even if my dad has fallen, the Weiss family is still standing. Besides, Brook is right outside. Let's see who still wants to get in my way." When Owen had just fallen unconscious, they still had some sense of power. The Weiss family still had connections. Though the Gray family barely had a presence in Elderstone, no one could stop Shirley from making a fuss. Bennett was well aware of this. He was still afraid of what Shirley could do. The two of them remained frozen in place for some time. Eventually, Wayne waved his hand and said, "Let her leave." Shirley's tense expression relaxed as she left with her head held high. Bennett gazed reluctantly at Wayne as he watched her leave. "You're just letting her go like that?" Wayne chuckled coldly. "She's just got a sharp tongue. I'll have her return begging on her knees in two days." The Weiss family had nowhere left to run due to Wayne. He had ties with everyone in Elderstone. So, even if Shirley went to Samuel to ask for help, he wouldn't be able to do anything. After all, the Weiss family was in the palm of his hand. Why not let her struggle for two more days? On the way back, Brook's car tire was shot with a shotgun. He nearly drove off a bridge. Shirley knew that this was Wayne giving her a warning. Brook looked at the burst tire as he took a puff of smoke, leaning against the luxurious car. He turned to Shirley and said, "Wayne is seriously going too far. Perhaps I should get someone to…" He drew a finger across his neck. Shirley furrowed her brows. "Do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison?" Brook fell silent. The night breeze was extra cold. Shirley stared at the lampposts down below the bridge. Her eyes seemed lost in thought. If only someone could tell her what to do next. … After returning to the hospital, Shirley didn't dare say anything to Rachel, either. She barely slept that night. … After breakfast the next morning, Shirley contacted Brook's sister, Cecilia Gray. She asked whether the latter received the invitation from the Blackwoods. As expected, Cecilia also received an invitation. Shirley asked her what to prepare for a birthday banquet. Cecilia told her to bring her horoscope information and asked her, "Shirley, are you going to Benjamin's speed dating banquet, too?" Shirley's gaze darkened. She reminded Cecilia, "You have to keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone else." This was the product of spending all night deep in thought. Nina was right. The only way to get rid of the Weiss family's problems was to find someone who could handle those old geezers at the company. In all of Elderstone, no one was more suitable than Benjamin. However, what troubled Shirley was something else. From their interaction last night, Benjamin seemed to be uninterested in her. In fact, he seemed a bit repulsed. Thankfully, this wasn't directed just at her. Apparently, Benjamin seemed to be repulsed by women in general. There were rumors that he was gay. Regardless, it wasn't an impossible task. There was no point in ruminating. The people from the company called again to threaten Rachel. She was at her breaking point. Shirley promised her she would handle the matter within a day. … In the afternoon, Shirley went to the mall to get a gift for Damian before returning to Weiss Manor. She hadn't been home since the incident. There wasn't a single bit of celebratory decoration at home. Their housekeeper, Jenny Adler, had already put it all away. Shirley plodded upstairs and opened the door. Everything in the room was exactly the same as it was a week ago. She didn't like people touching her things, so she cleaned her room herself. Photos of her and Samuel were put beside the head of her bed and on her table. The things Shirley saw only made her heart hurt. It felt like daggers stabbing into her heart and tearing it to pieces. Shirley's expression turned pale as she quickly stepped forward. She threw out everything in her room that had to do with Samuel. The pre-wedding photos by her bed were also tossed beside the trash can. Looking at her smiling self in the photo, Shirley squatted down slowly. Her hand rested on that smiling face in nostalgia. Her gaze slowly shifted to Samuel's face. Her eyes had already welled up with tears. On the way back, Brook asked her, "Shirley, do you hate him?" She didn't answer then. Now, she couldn't help but ask herself if she really hated him. Of course she did. He had used her for six years and then tossed her aside. Why wouldn't she hate him? If he didn't love her, why would he agree to marry her? Since he had said yes, why did he break his promise afterward? If not for him, the Weiss family wouldn't be in this state now. Now, Shirley still had to rack her brain and figure out how to marry into the Blackwood family. She was going to marry a stranger, a fearsome demon. How could she not hate him? Maybe she hated herself, too. She was also responsible for the Weiss family ending up like this. As the eldest daughter of the Weiss family, all she did was be pampered and enjoy the wealth of her family. She hadn't done anything for her family at all. If she could take responsibility herself and not bet it all on Samuel, the Weiss family wouldn't be in the state it was today. Now, their family was in trouble. Owen was still unconscious, Rachel had just undergone surgery, and Megan was still just a baby. As the eldest daughter of the Weiss family, Shirley had to take on this burden. After some time, Shirley stood up and wiped her tears. She called for Jenny and pointed to the "trash" on the ground. "Get rid of all this. Get rid of everything in the house that has to do with Samuel, too," she said. Jenny quickly moved everything away. Looking at the now empty room, there was no longer a single trace of Samuel. Shirley felt like a large part of her life was torn away from her. It hurt. All these years, her life revolved around Samuel. To her, he was her everything. If he was happy, so was she. If he was sad, so was she. He was her entire world.