From Ashes to Queen: Now I Call the Shots novel Chapter 131

From Ashes to Queen: Now ! Call the Shots

Chapter 131 You Thought I’d Forgive?

Finished

As long as they wanted to, they could turn Scarlett into a criminal and frame her as a fraudster. The amount of compensation, well, that was up to us, wasn’t it?

Scarlett couldn’t possibly afford that astronomical figure; she’d have no choice but to compromise. They could still turn the tables, maybe even keep her firmly under their control.

Franklin sighed and began putting on the good guy act.

“Scully, you’re one of our children too. We may not be related by blood, but we’ve lived together for so many years. Whatever your reason was for trying to frame Rebecca, I’m willing to let it go. But you have to talk to the police right now and clear everything up. Let Rebecca come home first. You know her health isn’t great. And I believe you–deep down, you never meant to hurt her.”

His tone was unbelievably gentle.

One played the bad cop; the other played the good cop. Their goal was clear–put pressure on Scarlett, offer her a few crumbs of kindness, throw her off balance, and get her to help Rebecca walk free.

As long as Rebecca got out, all the chaos surrounding the fire–well, the Joyner family had their ways to make it disappear.

But Scarlett smiled.

Franklin thought she’d come around and quickly said, “Good girl. You’re not a bad person at heart. After all this is over, come back to the Joyner family. You and Rebecca can go back to getting along, be the best of sisters.”

In the face of his hopeful gaze, Scarlett slowly shook her head.

“How could I possibly help someone who tried to burn me alive get away with it? I’m not an idiot. And I’m not like the rest of you–pretending you don’t know the truth.”

The warm mask on Franklin’s face shattered in an instant.

His expression darkened, and a dangerous look flashed in his eyes.

“Scarlett, you still haven’t answered my question!”

Oliver stepped in front of Franklin, keeping him from lashing out.

But his own face didn’t look much better.

The anger radiating off him was palpable; he looked like he was about to explode at any moment.

“Tell me, is it true? Did Rebecca really try to burn you alive?”

Scarlett lifted her eyes and looked at him.

Back when she had first returned to the Joyner family, it was Oliver who had accepted her first.

He’d bought her all the things she needed for college and even had his assistant take her out to shop for

more.

She’d never known what it felt like to be cared for by family.

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17:04 Sat, 9 Aug V

Chapter 131 You Thought I’d Forgive?

For the first time, she’d felt the warmth of a home.

Finished

She’d made up her mind then–to get along with her older brother and try to become a real, loving family. Over the years, in both big ways and small, she’d quietly helped Oliver’s company.

And thanks to that, Oliver had transformed himself into the most influential young man in Trenwyn. If only things had stayed like they were in the beginning.

“She’s already been detained. Isn’t that enough of an answer? You can lie to yourself, but don’t turn yourself into a fool. What do you think?”

Oliver swayed where he stood.

News footage from earlier flashed through his mind.

Thick smoke rolled through the hallway like a black serpent, twisting wildly through the gaps in the stairwell.

The metal handle on the security door glowed red–hot; Scarlett’s palm, pressed against the door, recoiled from the heat as a muffled whimper escaped her throat.

The fire alarm shrieked through the entire building, ripping through the air, but it couldn’t drown out the heavy thuds and splintering sounds coming from the ceiling above.

Flames outside the window crawled up the insulation layer on the exterior wall. The aluminum window frames sizzled and began to warp.

Scarlett huddled against the wall, trembling like a leaf. Gray–black droplets clung to her lashes–ash or tears, it was impossible to tell.

The gypsum ceiling cracked into a spiderweb of fissures. A fist–sized chunk fell at her feet.

Embers and ash rained down on the back of her neck, raising a trail of painful blisters.

Worse still, the smoke was sinking lower. The breathable air near the ceiling was being swallowed up by black waves of poison.

Scarlett couldn’t stop coughing violently; the smoke had turned her apartment into a hellish blur with barely two meters of visibility.

And then there was the injury on her lower left leg, where a falling beam from the ceiling had struck her. Blood mixed with soot trickled down, and every movement sent stabbing pain through her hip.

The rescue air cushion hadn’t even been deployed outside yet; the smoke had already reached her waist.

The load–bearing walls of the building groaned under the heat. A window suddenly exploded–its burning frame crashed to the ground, scattering a fiery crater the size of a bowl on the asphalt below.

When Scarlett was finally rescued,

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