Chapter 146

Samuel just smiled indifferently at his words. "If I decide to marry her, she can step over anyone's dead body."

Holland's face turned ashen with rage. A surge of breath rose to his chest, causing a fierce coughing fit. His face flushed then paled. "Cough... You... You'd probably be happy if I died, wouldn't you? How could I have fathered such a beast!"

"Do you really think the Holland Group can't survive without you?"

"Everything you have, I can take back at any time."

"Cough, cough..."

While Holland issued threats with his words, his body betrayed his frailty, resembling a once-mighty lion now drained of strength. Samuel, on the other hand, was the young, robust lion in full command of the kingdom.

The balance of power had already shifted, and Holland felt a creeping fear. Had he lost control? Had he raised a tiger only to court disaster?

The thought made him even more furious.

His son was now beyond his control.

"I will marry her and give her the grandest wedding. Rest well," said Samuel without a glance at Holland. His indifference made it seem as if the old man lying on the bed had nothing to do with him. Without looking back, he left the room.

"Cough, cough... Cough, cough..."

"Dad, Dad, are you alright?" Lucy rushed in, patting Holland's back gently and handing him a glass of water. "What did Samuel say to upset you like this?"

"The animal, the calamity!" Holland cursed, hitting the bed in anger. If this continued, he feared his next pounding might be on his own coffin lid.

"Samuel is beyond rude. He didn't come to visit the sick; he came to provoke you. If you die from anger, he gets to take over the Holland Group all by himself," Lucy added, fueling the fire with her resentful words.

"He won't kill me that easily," muttered Holland, clutching his aching chest. He wouldn't go down without a fight, certainly not before he had dealt with that poor girl.

He was determined to live long enough to see her downfall himself.

"Dad, now's the time to get Holland Enterprises back before it's too late. If Samuel gets complete control, he'll have even less reason to fear you." Lucy urged, "You have me and your secondborn; it's not like we can't manage without him. If this goes on, he'll..."

"Enough, Lucy," he snapped. "I know what I'm doing."

In truth, Holland felt like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Holland Enterprises was thriving, a testament to Samuel's leadership. Jovan and Lucy couldn't hold a candle to him. Plus, Samuel had the backing of many shareholders - after all, nobody liked to bet against a winning streak. To wrestle control back from him might not even be possible.

Holland knew trying to use Holland Enterprises as leverage over Samuel was basically a fool's errand.

The only thing left that could possibly hold sway over him was...

"Get out," Holland ordered.

"Dad?"

"Out."

"Alright, I'll go call the nurse." Lucy didn't understand his plan and didn't dare ask. She exited the room with a scowl.

Holland grabbed his phone, his gaze icy. "You have two weeks. If you can't find that woman Caroline, I'm throwing you all to the sharks."

Samuel, no matter how clever, was still his son, and couldn't outsmart him.

...

On the ground floor, Samuel had just exited the hospital lobby when he was bumped into.

"Samuel?" The woman looked up, startled to see him.

It was Emily.

While Samuel remained cool and detached, Emily seemed flustered, her cheeks reddening. "What are you doing here? I was just coming in for an appointment; never expected to bump into you."

"Yeah." Samuel didn't meet her eyes, missing the hint of guilt lurking in hers, but it didn't matter to him whether this meeting was accidental or intentional.

Not even bothering to inquire about her ailment revealed his indifference, leaving Emily feeling dejected.

It seemed he couldn't care less about her now. Even if she fainted right in front of him, he'd likely leave her to the doctors and not look back. Had Layla completely taken over his heart?

"It's been a while. Maybe we could catch up sometime if you're free..." she tried.

"I'm not." Samuel cut her off without a hint of leniency.

"You're still mad about the breakup, aren't you? I left you for your brother, but I'm not the gold-digger you think I am. I never told you - my father was hospitalized and needed money for his expensive surgery. I had no choice but to be with your brother; I never loved him. I had my reasons, I..."

Emily spoke with intense emotion, her eyes brimming with a mix of grievance and distress. But Samuel cut her off with a level of indifference that seemed almost cruel. "Miss Olivia," he said, flatly.

Miss Olivia? The unfamiliar formality of the address pierced Emily's heart once again.

"I have no interest in your woes," Samuel stated, expressionless, each word dripping with aloofness, "If you're looking to complain, you've got the wrong person."

"It's not just about me; it's about our past."

"There is no 'us' between you and me."

"Is it because of Miss Adkins?" Emily asked, the pain palpable in her voice. "Have you fallen for her?"

"That's none of your business." Samuel walked away with long strides.

Emily caught up, blocking his path, her questions and accusations fueled by hurt and anger. "How could you fall for someone else after just a few years? You're so heartless. I had no choice, my body may have betrayed you, but my heart has always been yours. Heart betrayal is far crueler than any other."

Samuel had long become indifferent to such issues, but the accusation of "betrayal" still struck him as absurd.

"You become who you surround yourself with," he said with a sharp glare, filled with cold mockery.

Emily's face turned pale as she felt the sting anew.

Was he mocking her, implying she was becoming like Jovan? No, she wasn't.

She resented Jovan, hated him even, so she couldn't be the same as him, she just couldn't.

"I'm not like you. You have no idea what I've been through these past years," she protested. Her life might have been one of material luxury, but her heart was lonesome to the core, tortured, and aged far beyond her years.

Still, he would speak to her like this? Another knife twisted in her already scarred heart.

"I'm not interested in hearing about your life. Miss Olivia, I respected your choice back then and never blamed you. But this conversation is making me sick," Samuel said before turning away.

Sick? He found her repulsive?

Emily felt her strength waning, her body on the verge of collapsing. Her spirit was shattered, the pain unbearable.

Tears welled in her eyes. He was cruel for turning her into a laughing stock.

She hadn't slept well in days, tormented by anguish. She had lied to herself, clinging to the hope that he still had feelings for her. She had rushed to the hospital, hoping for a chance encounter, only to be met with his harsh rejection.

Did he really love Layla that much?

Pain twisted into hatred for Layla.

They were both his women, so why did Layla get his love while she suffered Jovan's torment? It was so unfair!

Gazing through tear-filled eyes at his tall, cold silhouette walking away, Emily clenched her fists, swearing she wouldn't let this be the end.