Chapter 4 Plotting to Seize the Family Property

"Do you know how to skydive?" Ethan immediately pulled a parachute pack from under his seat and handed it to Elara, then added, "It's okay if you don't. I'll jump with you. I promise you'll be safe."

As he spoke, he was already helping her put on the parachute and walking her through the basics.

Elara had been into extreme sports for a while and knew skydiving inside and out. Why would she need him to teach her?

But the way he said it — she could feel he was genuinely concerned. Was he worried about her?

She tossed the parachute back to him and turned to James. "It's just some turbulence. The balance system shouldn't be too badly damaged. Take me to check it."

"You can fix an airship?" Ethan froze, standing there with the parachute pack, unsure what to do with it.

Elara walked quickly into the cockpit. "The system has shifted — you need to manually lock the attitude control stick right now!" she called out sharply. She didn't even glance at the control panel, her hands flying across the keyboard, entering codes without looking.

"Do what she says! If you don't want a five-hundred-million-dollar airship turning into scrap metal, cooperate with her right now!"

The pilot hesitated. One look from Ethan and he didn't dare object again.

Elara opened the panel beneath the main control system and got to work — checking, fixing — all while giving the pilot instructions without missing a beat.

One minute later...

"We're back to normal!" The pilot couldn't hide the relief on his face. "Ms. Shaw, you're incredible!"

Elara's expression didn't change. She packed up the toolbox and looked at Ethan. "I think you should keep an engineer on staff. There's really no need to be jumping out of aircraft every time something goes wrong."

Ethan nodded hard, not the least bit embarrassed.

He turned to James. "Did you hear that? Once we land, make it happen — just like Elara said."

Elara had long given up on the idea of family.

But watching Ethan make arrangements with such genuine seriousness, she felt something stir inside her.

Maybe the Shaw family was different?

Then again, after the circus that was the West family's funeral, she wasn't letting herself hope for too much.

They arrived at their destination soon enough.

The Shaw Manor was massive — several times the size of the West estate. Drivers and housekeepers lined the entrance.

Did Jasmine have some kind of misunderstanding about what being poor actually meant?

"Mom and Dad are on a world trip. They just heard about your situation and are already on their way back. The others are all tied up with things, but they'll definitely be at your welcome party — and they'll bring gifts!"

Ethan kept chattering away, but Elara didn't really mind.

Still, when she was shown to her room, she couldn't help but be a little taken aback.

It was a suite — at least eighty square feet — with a bedroom, a study, a walk-in closet, a bathroom, and a balcony with beautiful natural light.

A swing chair with a soft, girlish feel hung on the balcony.

The whole room had clearly been put together with great care.

"Do you like it? We put it together in a bit of a rush. If anything doesn't feel right, we can change it." Ethan watched her face, asking carefully.

"It's nice."

She wasn't sure how long she'd be staying, but so far, this family seemed to actually give a damn.

She set the box she'd taken from the West house on the table and started going through it carefully.

A lot of the medication was still sealed. Aiden hadn't been taking it?

How could that be?

Her brow furrowed hard. Thinking back to how Jasmine had looked at this box with such disgust, she had a strong feeling they'd kept it away from Aiden entirely.

The thought that Aiden's death might have been indirectly caused by the West family filled her with a rage she could barely hold back.

She had never been someone who let things slide — and she wasn't about to let Aiden suffer for nothing.

If the West family had done wrong, she wasn't going to let them off the hook.

She opened her laptop, fingers moving fast. She sent out the jewelry designs under Mia's name, then forwarded a video to Gordon.

Would finding out his beloved daughter had been scheming to take his fortune really be enough to give him a heart attack?

Maybe the West family would be planning a second funeral very soon.

Meanwhile, back at the West Manor.

Gordon had never cared for Aiden out of genuine filial affection. Every arrangement for the funeral was just for show.

Once the guests were gone, he settled onto the sofa with his wife Wendy, and the two of them tore into Elara — that ungrateful, thankless girl.

They were really getting into it when his phone buzzed.

He picked it up with mild irritation, but after just a few seconds, his eyes went wide.

By the time he finished watching, his face had gone dark.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

He didn't answer her. He walked upstairs with a stormy expression and kicked open Jasmine's bedroom door.

Jasmine, wearing a face mask, jumped in fright and sat up straight. The mask slipped off her face.

She was about to snap at him when a hard slap came down across her face.

She never saw it coming. Gordon put his full strength into it. The blow knocked her to the ground, her ears ringing.

Jasmine tasted blood in her mouth. She was furious — but when she looked up and met Gordon's cold, vicious eyes, she shrank back despite herself.

She raised a hand to cover her face. Tears streamed down in big drops, her voice thick with grievance.

"Dad, what are you doing? If you're upset that Elara left, I can right now—"

"Shut up!"

Gordon hurled his phone at her. "You did something this disgusting, and you still have something to say? I never thought you'd team up with outsiders to scheme against your own family!"

Jasmine cursed him silently. What the hell was wrong with him?

But she kept the wounded look on her face.

The phone had hit her, and it stung, but she forced herself to pick it up.

When she saw what was on the screen, her face fell.

She tried to say something, but her finger accidentally hit play. The room was filled with unmistakable sounds.

On the screen, the footage of her and Brandon went even further than she'd realized.

"Dad, this — Brandon and I are together. Of course, we're going to be close. Who would do something this disgusting, secretly filming us like that?"

Tears kept falling as she tried to defend herself. "She's bringing this to you not just to ruin my reputation — she's trying to drive a wedge between us..."

She didn't get to finish. Her own voice came through the phone first — soft and coy:

"Brandon, when are you going to help me take over as head of the West family? Once I'm in control, we can move on to the next step."

Jasmine went completely silent, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

She scrambled to close the video and looked up at Gordon, her face full of panic.

"Dad, it's not like that — please believe me... The video is fake!"

"Get out of the West family right now."