**Chapter 3**
Fortunately, just to be safe, I had secretly sold my most valuable jewelry under the cover of night, leaving behind only the cheap trinkets Julian had bought me and a few flashy designer bags.
By the time Julian, wanting not to wake me, personally moved the wardrobe, a full ten million had already been transferred into my bank
account.
But I never imagined he would be shameless enough to steal my mother’s keepsake and sell it for cash.
The hatred from the previous life, when he had personally dragged me into that death trap, surged through me. I silently wiped away my tears, a plan slowly brewing in my mind.
Since your whole family is so united in preparing for the apocalypse, how could I not lend a hand?
I don’t know how much time passed before my phone rang again. The caller ID showed it was a shareholder from Dad’s company.
“Cassie, get to the company immediately! Your father has gone mad! He’s selling all his shares!”
My heart tightened. I rushed over, only to find Dad and Blair confronting a group of shareholders.
This company was founded by my parents, and its current status as an industry giant was partly due to my mother’s tireless dedication. I wouldn’t let him ruin it like this.
Dad’s eyes lit up when he saw me. “You’re here at a good time. Hurry up and transfer your shares too, give me the money so I can reinforce the villa.”
Blair arrogantly held her head high, looking at me as if I were already dead.
In her eyes, I had neither the good fortune of being reborn nor the willingness to be subservient, destined for a dead end. Their family would stay safe in their impenetrable fortress, laughing at my miserable fate.
The shareholders, all long–time company veterans, were caught off guard by Dad’s sudden actions. Fearing he was being scammed, they clamored to dissuade him from doing something foolish.
“If you don’t want the company to have problems, there’s another solution,” Julian quickly approached, a refined smile playing on his lips.
“You just need to acquire Dad’s shares.”
My fingers clenched tight, nails almost piercing my palm, my knuckles white.
Julian’s expression was as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow’s weather, but his words were like dull knives, carving into my heart, slice by slice.
Blair scoffed, “Her? Want to buy Dad’s shares? Does she even have that kind of money?”
Cold sweat trickled down my back. I couldn’t believe my former husband would scheme to such an extent.
Dad, desperate for a quick sale, had lowered the price significantly. All my liquid and illiquid assets combined barely scraped by.
“Well, Cassandra, even if it means spending every last cent you have, you want to keep this company, don’t you?” Julian whispered gently in my ear, his voice as soft as ever, yet it felt like steel knives piercing right through me.
He watched me with keen interest, like a predator sizing up its destined prey.
In two months, companies and shares would be nothing but garbage. But now, he wanted to use that garbage to squeeze every last bit of value out of me.
Once the apocalypse came, I would have to swallow all humiliation, humbly bowing at his feet just to survive.
My gaze was fixed on Julian’s utterly hypocritical face, my own pale and bloodless. “It’s a deal!”
The paperwork was processed quickly. My dad, thinking he’d rid himself of a hot potato, had no idea he was abandoning their last lifeline. Ever since my dad remarried, the company shares had been firmly clutched in my stepmother’s hands. She never imagined there’d be a day she’d hand them over to me.
Blair triumphantly announced that they had sold all their properties and the entire family had moved into the suburban villa.
The cash obtained from selling all their assets was transformed into sacks of rice and instant ramen in the warehouse, and long–lasting potatoes, winter melons, and cabbages in the cold storage.
The construction crew was working feverishly at the villa, erecting various illegal structures. Blair smiled proudly. “When the zombies attack, these watchtowers will be the best observation points.”
I snorted, about to leave, but Julian wouldn’t let me go.
He forcibly dragged me away. A hulking man with a menacing face eyed me up and down, his lewd gaze making me intensely uncomfortable. “This is Mrs. Julian, isn’t she? Quite an alluring woman.” The man rubbed his hands together, placing a contract in front of me.
“Mr. Julian is in a hurry to borrow fifty million. We don’t exactly distrust him. But we’d appreciate it if Mrs. Julian could sign too. If anything goes wrong, a wife should naturally help repay the debt, right?”
