Olivia conducted a full-body examination on Ethan as I waited, during which I encountered Isabel.
"I'm heading to the restroom, Olivia," I said.
"Alright," she replied.
I followed Isabel to the top-floor VIP ward. In my bag, perpetually nestled, was a palm-sized Swiss Army Knife, a gift from a friend with a warning: "Beauty in the business world attracts ill intentions; keep it handy." Little did I know, It will be of great use to me today.
Both my mother and Isabel were present, with Matthew sprawled on the hospital bed, bruised and swollen. My arrival surprised them.
Isabel fumed, "Sophie, what brings you here?"
Matthew, eyes askew, sneered, "Realized you need to beg for my mercy?" My mother stood silently by.
The room echoed with Isabel's shriek as I drew the knife from my bag.
A fierce determination surged within me, beyond anyone's restraint. To win this game, I had to be ruthless. The blade pressed against Matthew's neck, drawing blood instantly. Isabel's attempts to pull me away were futile.
"Sophie! Would you dare?!" Matthew challenged, his fear barely concealed. The knife inched deeper, the metallic scent of blood filling the air. I sneered, "I have nothing left to lose; might as well drag you down with me!" Raising the knife high, I gritted my teeth, ready to strike.
"Sophie!!!" No one could hold me back.
"I'll give you the project!" he yelled, trembling with terror. The tip of the knife hovered perilously close to his throat.
"I want the video!" I demanded.
"It's gone, lost when my computer crashed," he pleaded.
With the knife aimed at his eye, I insisted, "Tell me the truth!"
Security arrived, followed swiftly by Ethan and Olivia. Ethan enveloped me in an embrace, both of us shaking.
"I won, Ethan," I whispered.
He acknowledged with a simple, "Mm."
Olivia leaned against the wall, impressed. "There is really something in you."
"I want her to be my sister-in-law, Ethan. If you don't marry her, I'll find myself a new brother," she declared decisively.
------
Tonight, Ethan was unusually wild.
I bite the pulse point of his wrist hard.
He had read the cryptic words I sent him.
In response,a chuckle, dark and ambiguous, rumbled from his chest.
"Yes, together we'll embrace death."
------
Next year, my company in City A experienced a meteoric rise, akin to a miraculous bloom in barren land.
I successfully reclaimed my dignity, rendering the past insults and defamation insignificant.
My friend clung to me, sobbing with laughter, repeatedly uttering, "You did it, you did everything you set out to do."
The Campbell family encountered numerous setbacks, and I, having a vindictive streak, repaid them in kind for every blow that Matthew had once dealt me.
Isabel came pleading to me with her former arrogance gone.
"Sister, Mother sent me to beg you," she said. "You can hate Father, but Mother and I are innocent! We're family, after all."
I smiled wryly. "Don't bother, Isabel. I'm not some saint who easily forgives and forgets."
In the distance, Ethan was waiting for me. I sprinted into his arms. "My Green Puppy," I called affectionately.
"I'm here," he replied softly.
"Let's go home," I suggested.
"Okay," he agreed tenderly.
I had a home of my own now, and in it, my beloved Green Puppy.
