Brooks & Co specialized in perfumes, and Honey Scent was a formula created by Olivia Bennett.
Olivia knew they wouldn't kill her easily since they didn't have the secret formula.
As for her daughter, Abby Bennett, she hadn't returned to the Brooks Family since she sent a million for Olivia's medical expenses seven months ago.
Previously, Roger Brooks and his family focused all their attention on Olivia, neglecting Abby. Now, they were trying to find her but couldn't.
"Mom, stop wasting time with her. It's been so long, and this old woman is still stubborn. Brooks & Co is already in our hands. Even without the formula, it doesn't matter. Let's just get rid of her," Grace Brooks said coldly, kicking Olivia in her injured side. "Only her death will bring Abby out. I need to catch that wench to prevent her from ruining my happiness with Selena."
"Ah..." Olivia collapsed to the ground in pain, her body convulsing.
Abby, through the crack of the electrical closet door, could see everything happening in the hallway.
She lay on the cold floor, her coat beneath her. She was about to give birth, biting her finger to stifle her cries of pain.
Torn between her mother's life and her soon-to-be-born child, she felt utterly helpless, as if she were falling into the abyss of hell.
"Leave it to me," a man's voice echoed.
"Selena," Grace cooed, snuggling into Johnny Wade's embrace.
Johnny stood over Olivia, mercilessly kicking her with his leather shoes.
"Get rid of her, and make sure it's clean," Johnny Wade ordered his men coldly.
Abby Brooks trembled as she watched the scene unfold before her, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe.
Johnny Wade! Hadn't he always claimed to love her and promised to marry her?
No wonder when her mother was in trouble, and she begged him for help, he said he had no money. It was all part of their scheme!
"Mom, I'm sorry... Mom..." Abby could only scream silently in her heart as she watched them drag her mother away.
She held her breath and used every ounce of strength to bring her child into the world. She vowed revenge.
She would take down Grace Brooks and the others, even if it meant haunting them from beyond the grave!
---
Five years later...
In the Empire, at the Grand Palace Estate.
A sleek black Maybach was parked across the street. The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing the stunning face of a young woman.
"Miss Lydia, we've arrived," the man in the passenger seat said respectfully.
Lydia Miles removed her black sunglasses and then raised her hand to undo the neat ponytail on top of her head, letting her long, dark hair cascade down.
Before stepping out of the car, she took off her jacket, leaving her in a simple white mid-length dress.
Her assistant respectfully opened the car door for her, and she stepped out in her flat shoes, her gaze fixed on the imposing Grand Palace Estate across the street.
"Miss, the Gordon family is large and complicated. Are you sure you don't need me to go with you?" her assistant asked worriedly.
"No need. You keep an eye on the Brooks Family. I can handle this on my own," Lydia Miles replied coldly.
After five long years, she was finally back.
The debts owed by the Brooks Family would be settled, one by one, in due time.
But right now, the most important thing was her visit to the Gordon family.
Five years ago, in the hospital's utility room, she had given birth prematurely to two sons and a daughter. She had passed out from excessive blood loss.
Fortunately, before losing consciousness, she managed to call her best friend, Jessica Lee, for help.
Jessica secretly took her out of the hospital, but in her haste, she only managed to take one of the sons with her.
Lydia had intended to return for her other two children, but Grace Brooks and her people had heard the babies crying...
At the same time, the Gordon family had arrived. Jessica feared that the Brooks Family might harm her.
Considering that the two children were Gordon Chase's, she believed they would be safe with his people.
Without Lydia's consent, Jessica took the unconscious Lydia and one son to Los Angeles.
For five years, she had missed out on loving her other two children. Now that she was back, she wanted to see them as soon as possible.
The past week had been quite eventful for the Gordon family, the largest in the empire.
They were willing to spend a fortune to find a wife for their second son, Gordon Chase.
Once hailed as the most handsome man in the empire, Gordon Chase had admirers all over the country, with countless women wanting to marry him.
However, five years ago, Gordon Chase had an accident and never woke up. The doctors diagnosed him as being in a permanent vegetative state.
Who would want to marry a living dead man? No matter how handsome he once was, after five years, his looks would have surely faded.
No amount of Gordon family wealth could change the fact that no woman wanted to spend her life with a living dead man, becoming a living widow.
A crowd gathered outside the gates of the Grand Palace, buzzing with curiosity and speculation.
Lydia Miles walked straight up to the entrance and tore down the marriage notice posted on the wall.
"I am willing to marry Gordon Chase," she declared.
Her bold announcement left the servants of the Chase family dumbfounded, wondering if this woman had lost her mind.
"Take me to see your young master," Lydia demanded, ripping the notice into pieces and tossing them into the air with authority.
"That's not how things are done. I must inform the lady of the house first," the butler replied coldly after giving Lydia a once-over.
The butler made a call, which was answered by Gordon Chase's mother, Mu Xinci. She agreed to let them bring Lydia to meet Gordon.
However, as they headed to Gordon's villa, the butler received another call from the head lady, instructing them to teach Lydia a lesson and under no circumstances allow her to stay with the Chase family.
Lydia didn't expect to meet Gordon Chase immediately.
After all, this was the Chase family, the most prominent family in the empire. Meeting someone wasn't as simple as just asking.
Yet, the butler made a couple of calls and granted her request. It seemed the Chase family no longer held Gordon in high regard, or they wouldn't have been so casual about it.
The Grand Palace was vast, with numerous courtyards resembling an imperial palace. The car drove along the asphalt road for nearly ten minutes before stopping in front of a white villa.
"Miss Miles, please," the butler gestured for Lydia to enter the villa's living room.
"Pay up, pay up, you lost again, haha…"
"Why am I having such bad luck? Losing every single round," someone grumbled.
In the living room, a group of male and female servants gathered around, watching the people playing cards on the sofa.
"Ahem," the butler cleared his throat twice.
They quickly started picking up the cards, though the scattered fruit peels on the floor weren't cleaned up as fast.
"Uncle, what brings you here?" The man who had been winning grinned as he approached the butler.
"Let me introduce you to the new second young mistress," the butler said formally. "Lee, I'll leave her in your care."
"Got it, understood," Lee replied, catching the hint from his uncle.
With that, the butler left, and Lydia Miles took a moment to observe the living room.
Compared to the villa's grand exterior, the inside felt almost bare. Aside from a few simple tables and chairs, there wasn't much else.