Chapter 215

Winifred raised an eyebrow and flashed a sly grin, tearing into the drumstick with relish.

Amber froze, then realized what had happened, fury blazing inside her. “Winifred, you wicked woman! Give me back my drumstick!” She shouted, her voice breaking with indignation.

“You mean this one?” Winifred said, waving the drumstick before taking another exaggerated bite. Seeing Amber’s frustrated, teary face, she felt a wave of satisfaction and chomped down with exaggerated enjoyment. She let out a satisfied, tempting hum. “Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Mmm, so good, absolutely delicious,” Winifred said, savoring every bite.

“Ugh! You… you’re the worst!” Amber was so upset, her eyes turned red in an instant, and she looked like she was about to cry right then and there.

Winifred glanced toward the stairs and yelled, “Sienna, Amber stole my drumstick!”

Amber’s big, teary eyes went wide in shock as she stared at Winifred, both furious and hurt. She blurted out in a panic, “No, no, I didn’t! She’s lying, Sienna, I-“

Amber nervously glanced back, but Sienna was nowhere in sight. Winifred was totally making it up.

“Winifred! You jerk!” Amber screamed.

She puffed up, ready to leap to her feet and go head-to-head with Winifred, but one sharp glare from Winifred–and a warning look from her snake–made her deflate instantly.

Amber knew her limits. She couldn’t win against Winifred. Besides, with Sienna not around, if Winifred tried to start something, she’d have no one to complain to.

Winifred, fully aware of this, finished the last sip of her soup, let out a triumphant burp, and strolled over. She gave Amber a mocking pat on the shoulder. “That drumstick was delicious. Too bad someone didn’t even get a taste.”

Amber looked like she was about to burst into tears.

In the end, she could only eat her noodles through a blur of tears.

Winifred curled her lips into a smile, thinking. “Trying to go up against me? You’re still too green for that.”

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sienna Hart stood silently before Winifred’s painting. Though her expression remained calm, a subtle light of joy glimmered in her eyes. The painting depicted a black rose blooming in a shadowy swamp–wild and fiery, its petals as dark as ink, exuding a unique allure. It seemed to stretch beyond the frame, unbound and fierce.

[This is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you.] Sienna Hart messaged Winifred.

The moment Winifred read it, a grin spread across her face. Her steps practically bounced as she headed to the gym. But an hour later, her mood was shattered by a message from Ryan. Something terrible had happened to Iris.

Almost all of Iris’s research labs across different cities had been blown up all at once. Billions in assets and years of research went up in smoke. If she didn’t go bankrupt after this, it’d be nothing short of a miracle.

[Was it just a coincidence, or did someone do it on purpose?] Winifred texted Ryan.

[I think it was sabotage,] Ryan replied.

Iris did everything she could to take the ZS-25 serum out of the lab. As long as she had this serum, losing a lab didn’t count as a loss.

She was battered and bruised, her eyes full of unwillingness as she stared at the ruined lab. “Whatever! It’s just a lab. If worst comes to worst, I can rebuild. I always can,” she told herself.

“Miss Grant, something’s wrong! All the other labs are destroyed!”

The words hit like a bomb. When she heard that every single lab had been destroyed, Iris coughed up blood, her vision going dark. She nearly collapsed, grabbing onto her subordinate for support, teeth clenched so hard her jaw ached.

“Find out who did this! I want the culprit found, no matter what!” she shouted.

Iris stared at the serum in her hand. This was her last shot.

‘If I succeed with this, I’ll rise from the ashes. I’ll make them all pay,’ she told herself.

With unwavering determination, she started testing the ZS-Serum in her hand, brimming with confidence. “Sienna, no matter how many times you come after me, it won’t make a difference.”

“I’m destined for greatness. And when that day comes, the Hart family will be the first ones I drag down to hell.”

But then she saw the test results. Her fingers clenched around the report, turning the paper white at the edges.

“Impossible,” she whispered. Her voice cracked.

“No way. This can’t be happening. There must be something wrong with the test,” she kept telling herself, refusing to believe it.

She ran the test again. And again. And again.

All thirty tests gave her the same answer: just urine.

“No, no… this can’t be!”

Her eyes went bloodshot, her face twisting into something monstrous. With a violent crack, the serum vial shattered in her hand.

Shards of glass cut into her palm, blood dripping down her wrist.

“Sienna!” She snarled through gritted teeth; hatred boiling in her chest.

“Sienna, it’s you, you ruined me! We are mortal enemies. I’ll never let this go!”

Her hatred surged like a tidal wave. She grabbed her phone and called Vallaris Hospital.

“Hello, is this the hospital director? If Calvin Bayer has any surgeries scheduled, let me know right away,” she demanded.

The next day, Henry marched into the mental hospital with a swarm of reporters and TV crews. “Aiden, just say what you need to say,” he coaxed with feigned sympathy. “I can’t stand seeing your own daughter treat you like this. It breaks my heart.”

“You’re a perfectly sane man, yet she locked you up just to seize the company. Isn’t that true?” he continued, shaking his head as if in disbelief.

“Aiden, I know Sienna is at the top now–she’s got power, influence, she’s practically untouchable. But don’t be scared, just speak up! The public will rally behind you. Justice is on your side,” he added, his tone dripping with false sincerity.

“Mr. Hart,” a reporter jumped in, eyes gleaming. “Is it true that after your daughter’s return, she ousted you from the CEO position at Hart Corporation? Did she have you thrown into this hospital just to consolidate her power?”

Another reporter leaned forward eagerly. “So, Mr. Hart, was her whole plan just to take over Hart Corporation for herself?”

“And what about your wife? We heard she was imprisoned because of Sienna’s schemes. Is that true?”

“Mr. Hart, you’re not actually mentally ill, are you? Was all this forced on you?” another reporter pushed, not letting up.

“What Sienna did is totally against the law. We can help you call the police, Mr. Hart. We can help you press charges if you tell us the truth,” one of the reporters urged, trying to sound all righteous.

Henry couldn’t hide his glee. His lips curled into a satisfied grin as he clung to Aiden’s arm, almost trembling with excitement. Just imagining Sienna getting roasted by everyone online and Hart Corporation’s stock tanking made him almost giddy with joy.

He couldn’t hold back anymore and slapped Aiden on the shoulder, raising his voice. “Aiden, don’t be scared! With all these witnesses, Sienna can’t touch you now. Just speak the truth! We’ll make sure you’re free from this nightmare!”

Henry was practically vibrating with impatience. He was moments away from blurting everything out himself.