Thea wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes. Ignoring Duncan, she turned to the lawyer.

The lawyer cleared his throat. "Mr. Rowland," he said kindly, "what you just said constitutes a threat against my client. If you intend to carry it out, we will have no choice but to call the police."

"You!" Duncan Rowland gritted his teeth.

Thea remained fearless. "Duncan, you have a bad temper. Calm down and take care of yourself."

He left with the safe and the lawyer.

"I'll arrange for you to go abroad soon," Thea said calmly. "You won't have to worry about their threats."

The lawyer was surprised and touched. "Miss Rowland, now that you have your belongings, there's no need for you to be responsible for my safety. This is a society ruled by law; they can't do anything to me."

Thea smiled. "You're too naive. My family members appear upright, but they're masters of manipulation. They won't harm you directly, but they'll make your life in Key Biscayne impossible. There's really no need for you—" She waved, intending to leave.

The lawyer caught up, looking guilty. "Miss Rowland, I'm sorry. There's something I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to get into trouble or put myself in danger. Mr. Max Rowland arranged for me to find you. If he finds out, I'll be in serious trouble." He smiled bitterly.

Thea looked puzzled. "What? It's okay. Tell me. I have the Hendrix family's backing now. Max can't touch me."

The lawyer whispered, "Joshua mentioned that as a Rowland child, you should receive the same treatment as the others—a share of Rowland Group shares."

"What do you mean?" Thea was confused, but quickly understood.

A sense of grievance and bitterness welled up inside her. Every Rowland child was supposed to inherit shares, but no one had ever told her. She knew immediately who had taken her share. She couldn't understand such partiality. She even suspected she was repaying a karmic debt from a past life—perhaps she'd committed arson or murder.

The lawyer noticed her pain. "Miss Rowland, don't be too disappointed. If this is a rule set by your parents, we can fight for your share."

Thea was weary, her disgust evident. "There's no need. I want nothing more to do with the Rowland family."

Her eyes lit up. "Draw up a document severing all ties. From now on, Thea is Thea, and the Rowland family is the Rowland family."

The lawyer worried. "Miss Rowland, the document is easy to draw up, but your brother and mother won't agree."

Thea smirked. "That's simple. Send it to Duncan. He'll be more eager than I am to get them to sign it." After all, he hated her most. Given the chance to be rid of her, he wouldn't hesitate. She still had faith in Duncan and Emmalie's abilities.

Seeing her resolve, the lawyer sighed.

Thea stood by the roadside, letting the cold wind blow on her. She needed to go home and see what her grandfather had left her in the safe. Fortunately, she had the only key; otherwise, her family would have emptied it long ago.

Darwin called.

"Tonight?" Thea hesitated. She wanted to check the safe, but Nicolas had sent an invitation. There might be something important to discuss. She agreed. "Send me the time and place."

Meanwhile, Max returned to the Rowland family home and was attacked by Duncan.

Max stumbled, leaning against a wall, staring at Duncan in disbelief. "Are you crazy?!"

Duncan, agitated, panted. "You're crazy! We had the lawyer under control. Why did you let him go?"

Max was guilty. Wiping blood from his nose, he said coldly, "It wasn't me. I don't know why he left."

Duncan scoffed. "Max, you can deceive Mom, but not me. It's no coincidence you were away today and Thea showed up with someone." He stared intensely. "Max, you're the most hypocritical. You were afraid we'd see you were lying, so you stayed away, right?"

Max was speechless. Resentment flared in his eyes. He grabbed Duncan's collar. "Do you think I wanted this? You don't care about the Rowland Group's future! Thea hates us, and there are people behind her."

Duncan glared. "So you think this will appease Thea? She's just being peaceful now. When she strikes, she'll show no mercy. I hope you don't regret this."

Max tried to speak but couldn't.

Duncan regarded him as an enemy. "If you have a heart, go to the hospital to see Emmalie and Mom. Mom fainted from anger. You've become as cruel as Thea. It's unbelievable."

Max called out, his expression complex. "Duncan, I've been thinking maybe we've been too harsh on Thea. If someone had considered her feelings…"

Duncan sneered. "Consider her? Didn't she bring this on herself? If she were half as sensible as Emmalie, I would consider her my sister."

Max sighed, feeling helpless.

After Duncan left, Max called a subordinate. He learned that the lawyer had…

(The passage cuts off here. The ending needs to be added to complete the cleanup.)