Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 174: Get Rid of Her (1)
"Mother, what should I do? Uncle and Elise received retribution, and Ares Gu is now dead. I fear Adrienne will come after me next. ’’ Ayla paced back and forth in the living room. She couldn’t stop worrying about her safety and her future.
She’d been on edge since Elise encountered a mishap instead of Adrienne. It also didn’t help that Ares Gu was found dead at their grandparents’ mansion. The scene was etched clearly in Ayla’s mind, causing her sleepless nights because of the nightmare it induced.
"Dear, what are you afraid of? Do you think Adrienne would discover we were involved in the scheme? Your Aunt Camila and your grandparents wouldn’t dare sell you out. Between you and Adrienne, they value you more." Maryam could see the worry in her daughter’s eyes but could not allow Ayla to lose focus.
Ayla stopped her pacing and looked at her mother. "But what about Uncle and Elise? They didn’t think they were in danger either, and now they’re gone. And Ares Gu...who knows who else is next?" Ayla’s voice trembled with fear.
It was a pity that their plan failed. Ayla had been looking forward to Adrienne in a helpless state.
Maryam stood up from her seat and walked over to her daughter, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me, Ayla. We have to be smart about this. We can’t let fear control us. We have to make sure we stay one step ahead of Adrienne and anyone else who might come after us."
Ayla looked up at her mother, searching for some sense of security. "But how do we do that?" she asked.
Maryam took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice. "We need to make sure we have leverage over Adrienne. Something that will keep her from coming after us and keep us safe. Something that she wants more than anything else in the world."
Ayla’s eyes widened as she began to understand what her mother was suggesting. "You mean...her mother?"
Maryam nodded. "Yes. We have to use what we know about their relationship to our advantage. We have to make sure she knows that if anything happens to us, she’ll lose her forever."
"Don’t you even dare?" Waylen’s voice startled the mother-daughter pair. None of them noticed his arrival and were ashamed to be caught scheming once again toward Adrienne.
"Haven’t you seen how my brother and his family utterly lost Adrienne? Did you want our family to suffer the same fate?" Waylen glared at them before turning his attention to his wife.
"You disappointed me today, Maryam. If you truly care about Ayla, you should teach her to avoid Adrienne at all costs." He chastised her.
Maryam was left flustered but immediately recovered from it. She went to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. Her gentle approach easily dispelled the disappointment on his face.
"Honey, don’t be angry anymore. It’s my fault. I won’t teach Ayla nonsense ideas anymore. Why did you look upset today? Did something happen at work?" She asked, trying to change the topic between them.
"It’s nothing. I have had a lot on my mind lately. You don’t have to be worried." He answered, then glanced at his daughter.
Ayla took it as a cue to leave and return to her room, but not before giving her father an odd look. Something about her father had changed. He has been short-tempered lately and easily gets angry over trivial matters. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Perhaps it was because of his heavy load at the university, but Ayla couldn’t help but feel something was amiss with her father. Ayla never knew that Adrienne had already dealt with her and her family beforehand, and Adrienne could easily destroy them at any time. Elise Jiang and Ares Gu’s ends reminded Waylen that they cannot underestimate Adrienne now.
Waylen frowned but didn’t dare confess that Adrienne was blackmailing him for money. His niece had become someone they could barely recognize. She had always been weak and submissive, but lately, she had turned manipulative and cunning.
Waylen couldn’t understand what had caused this drastic change in her behavior. He knew he had to find a way to confront Adrienne and put an end to her blackmailing before things got worse. He sighed and shook his head as he tried to brush off the thought. Adrienne had a tight grasp on his weaknesses, and one wrong move from him could destroy his reputation and his family.
That night, Waylen paced back and forth in his study, his mind racing with thoughts of how to escape this precarious situation. He knew that he had to act quickly and decisively to save his family’s reputation. Suddenly, an idea struck him, one that would require him to take a great risk, but it was worth it if it meant getting Adrienne out of their lives.
He quickly picked up the phone and dialed a number he had memorized long ago. The line rang twice before a voice on the other end answered. "Hello?" the voice said.
"It’s me," Waylen said, his voice low and urgent. "I need your help. I’ll pay whatever it takes, but I need you to take care of Adrienne Jiang."
There was a pause on the other end, and Waylen held his breath, waiting for the person to respond. Finally, the voice spoke again. "You know the price, Waylen. It’s not something I can do for free."
"I understand," Waylen said, his heart pounding in his chest. "Just name your price, and I’ll pay it. I need this done quickly and quietly." Waylen could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on him as he awaited the response. He knew that time was of the essence and that he had no other choice but to agree to whatever terms were presented to him.
The voice on the other end chuckled softly before responding, "You always were willing to pay whatever it takes, Waylen. I’ll make sure Adrienne Jiang is taken care of, but remember, once the job is done, there’s no going back."
"I know, but failure isn’t an option. You have to get rid of her once and for all." Waylen insisted.
