Chapter 140

"Yeah, you got it all figured out! So, what now? You gonna kill me?"

Anna's hair was a tangled mess, and she was hysterically rolling on the floor, laughing one moment and crying the next.

"Why..." Tony slumped to the ground, defeated.

"Why? Did I, Anna, ever have a good day after marrying you, this useless man? You two put on quite a show. I wondered why the compensation for the Sand Village demolition fight never came through. I wondered why Nancy suddenly went silent. Turns out the compensation had already been paid, and you used it to buy a huge insurance policy for your mom. You're such a dutiful son. What about me? What about me?"

Anna pounded her chest, spitting as she screamed.

"I came to your house, and what did you give me? Didn't I help you find your job? Wasn't it my live streaming, acting like a clown in front of the camera, that kept us afloat? What did I ever do wrong to you? And now, you're planning to die, right? Is the Entertainment Club murder case related to you? I misjudged you. I didn't expect you to be so heartless. If you die, your mom gets the money, and I continue to sell my dignity?"

Anna added, "Yes, I had thoughts, but I didn't kill her. She's lying in the hospital just fine. She never liked me since I married you."

Tony watched quietly the hysterical Anna, his expression growing colder.

He never imagined that the woman he had risked everything to save from that room, naked and vulnerable, would turn out like this. He had married Anna despite Tammy and Tom's objections, hoping to give her a new life. Was it all a mistake?

He couldn't understand, or perhaps he didn't want to. He remembered the despair and rage he felt when he saw Lally being stripped and abused by a group of men. He had wanted to tear them apart but ended up beaten and bruised, returning home in silence.

From that moment, he swore he would never witness such a scene again, even if it cost him his life.

It was all a misalignment of fate.

The day he went to find Lally, he saw Anna being stripped in a room. He saved her without hesitation, but it plunged his soul into an abyss.

The door opened.

Frank, in a wheelchair, slowly entered, his sickly face showing no emotion.

Lally glanced at him, a flicker of joy quickly replaced by endless sorrow and sadness.

Anna's eyes darted around, remaining silent.

Frank's gaze lingered on Tony and Lally, not sparing Anna a glance, as if she were invisible.

"Your task is complete."

Frank's eyes finally fell on Anna.

Tony's head snapped up, and Lally looked at Frank in disbelief.

"Frank, what do you mean?"

Frank didn't respond, just looked at Anna emotionlessly, repeating.

"Your task is complete. Laura is out. The person who promised you money was Ronald, right? Well, he won't be able to pay you. He's going to die soon."

"No!" Anna crawled over to Tony, clinging to him, sobbing. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay with him."

Tony looked at Anna and Frank in disbelief, his mind blank, unable to process what was happening.

"It is never beneficial to immerse oneself too deeply into the role."

Frank looked deeply at Anna, his words carrying an undeniable authority.

"I beg you, I don't want the money. I just want to stay with him." Anna crawled over, clutching Frank's wheelchair, pleading.

"Tony, I don't know you well, but I've been in contact with your father over the years. I owe him a great debt. You and Tom are like brothers, even without blood ties. I understand that. And your relationship with Lally... In short, I see you as one of my own." Frank said.

Tony stood up abruptly, eyes wide, looking at Frank in disbelief. When Frank smiled gently and nodded, tears streamed down Tony's face as he choked out. "My dad... He's still alive... Where is he?"

"Mr. Thompson is still alive?" Lally's spirits lifted, her surprise evident.

"Yes, he didn't die in that fire years ago. Ronald betrayed him and tried to kill him. When news of George's death came out, he didn't believe it. He had Douglas, the Entertainment Club owner, and Anna stage this whole act, forcing your father out. This marriage was a sham from the start." Frank said solemnly, patting Tony's shoulder.

Frank continued, "Only I, Tom, Bob, and Mike knew about this. We didn't tell you to protect Mr. Thompson. Keeping you here was to keep you safe from Ronald. It's been tough on you."

Lally's eyes grew colder. Frank seemed increasingly unfamiliar. His perfect words hid one person: Laura.

She and Tony were captured because they wanted to tell Nancy the old steel mill's secret. Frank discovered this and intervened. How did the narrative change to Frank's self-sacrifice for their sake?

"Hypocrite... You monsters are all the same!" Anna pointed at Frank, trembling with fear.

"This world is too complex to explain in a single sentence. It's like a web, full of entanglements and grudges. Anna, you can leave now." Frank smiled faintly.

His first message revealed Anna as Ronald's spy, stripping Tony of his trust in her. The second message revealed George was alive, implying Frank's sacrifices for the Thompson family's survival, drawing Tony to his side.

No matter what Anna said now, it was futile.

"Go, leave with some dignity." Frank said, then slowly left.

Anna looked at Lally and Tony, suddenly smiling with relief. She stood up, pushing Frank's wheelchair, and slowly left.

"Anna, where are you going?" Tony stood up to stop her.

"Tony, the game is over." Anna smiled, turned back, and walked away.