Lillian was completely unprepared. Focused on her work, she answered her phone without even looking at the screen.
Only after picking up did she realize it was Martin.
Before she could even speak, Martin was already unleashing a torrent of abuse.
"Lillian, you jinx! You're not even a Mercer anymore, and you're still causing trouble for me, still dragging me down. What on earth did I do to deserve a daughter like you? You’re a goddamn curse! Why don't you just go die already? Why aren't you dead yet? I'm telling you, if you cause the Mercer Group to go bankrupt, I'm not done with you."
Lillian was confused at first, but after a few sentences, she mostly understood. It seemed the Mercer Group was having a really tough time. But that made sense. Why should people like them get to live easy lives? It wasn't right.
Martin's words were vile. In the past, being cursed like this by her own father would have left Lillian heartbroken. But now, she was immune to this kind of pain. She had been hurt so deeply and so often that it no longer had any real effect on her. In fact, she felt he could do whatever he wanted; Martin couldn't touch her life anymore.
Lillian let out a cold laugh. "Not done with me? Right now, with a snap of my fingers, I could make that Mercer Group you're so proud of go bankrupt at any moment. The only reason I haven't pulled the plug on the Mercer Group is for Grandma's sake. You should get on your knees and pray to every god you can find that she wakes up soon. Maybe then I'll spare the Mercer Group. Now, stop screaming at me. And don't ever try calling me with a new number again. We stopped being a family a long time ago. You're no longer my father, and you have no right to lecture me. This call has been recorded and can be used as evidence in court at any time. Given the Mercer Group's situation, I doubt you want it dragged further into the abyss over your slander and verbal abuse, do you?"
After saying her piece, Lillian hung up and immediately blocked the number.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice