Chapter 4

Over the next few days, my world was plunged into darkness. Because of the drugs, I couldn’t move or speak. All I could do was lie there and listen to the filthy accusations.

Meanwhile, under the Parker family’s arrangements behind the scenes, every major media outlet and tabloid released statement after statement exposing my so-called crimes. They claimed I had ignored the company’s responsibilities, indulged in a corrupt lifestyle, colluded with criminal organizations, and even hinted that my parents’ charity work had all been fake from the very beginning—nothing more than a cover for the family’s dirty dealings.

Overnight, I went from being a respected philanthropist to a disgraced socialite condemned by the entire country. Even my late parents became scapegoats in place of Claire’s real family. Suddenly, they were painted as heartless corporate monsters responsible for countless crimes.

The families of those truly harmed by the Bennett family were manipulated by public outrage. Fueled by anger, they stormed straight into my ICU room.

“Sophia, you evil bitch! The Cartwright family destroyed my life. For that, you deserve to die!”

“Your parents’ charity was all fake! You’re just as rotten as they were! Pay for what you’ve done!”

Their eyes were bloodshot with rage, looking ready to tear me apart. The nurses and security guards couldn’t stop them at all. In the chaos, someone ripped out my IV catheter and oxygen tube. Freezing air rushed into my fragile airway, and the suffocating pain made my entire body convulse.

Another person tore away the bandages wrapped around me. My wounds, which had barely begun healing, split open again, and blood poured out instantly. I could feel my life slipping away rapidly, but I didn’t even have the strength left to struggle.

At that same moment, the press conference in downtown was dazzling with lights and applause. Dean stood on stage beside the elegantly dressed Claire, confessing his love to her in front of countless cameras.

“I know Claire and the Bennett family have suffered greatly over the years. They were wrongfully slandered by the Cartwright family and Sophia Cartwright, forced to endure accusations they never deserved. To make up for everything Claire and her family lost, I will transfer all core assets of Cartwright Group to Claire and restore the Bennett family’s innocence.”

Claire’s eyes glistened with tears as she leaned against him, looking gentle and innocent.

The audience below erupted into applause. Some shouted that Ethan was a righteous man. Others cursed the Cartwright family and me, saying we deserved our downfall. Many also praised Ethan and Sophia as a perfect love story made in heaven.

Just then, the giant screen at the press conference suddenly flickered to life. A live feed from my ICU room appeared in front of everyone. On the screen, the victims’ families were swarming around my hospital bed in madness. My oxygen tube had been thrown onto the floor. My bandages had been ripped apart, exposing my blood-soaked body directly to the cameras.

The smile on Ethan’s face froze instantly. Then, he exploded with rage.

“Didn’t I order the highest level of security? Who let these people inside? Stop them! Shut the livestream down now!”

He violently shoved Sophia aside. Panic was written all over his pale face as he rushed straight toward the hospital. However, after taking one step, he suddenly froze in place amid the crowd’s horrified screams. On the screen, a middle-aged man filled with hatred pushed through the crowd, holding a knife, and plunged it straight into my chest. Blood dripped down the blade, staining his hands red and soaking through my white hospital sheets.

Amid the overwhelming pain, I could feel my heartbeat slowing, and my body temperature faded little by little. Then, the line on the heart monitor suddenly flattened. A piercing alarm echoed through the ICU as my sign of life dropped to zero.

The moment my life ended, the System inside Ethan’s mind began screaming frantically.

System: [Warning! Warning! The Female Protagonist has died!]

[World self-destruction protocol activated! The twenty-four-hour countdown to total annihilation has begun.]