The Unwanted Daughter: When Love Comes Too Late Chapter 235: Open the Door

Chris acted like he didn't hear the disgust in her tone. He closed the door, walked over, and sat on the couch across from her.

He stared straight at Felicia. "Is there really no way to fix this?"

Felicia knew exactly what he meant. She gave a short, cold laugh. "You really think you're in any position to bargain with me?"

Chris's face froze. His hands, resting on his knees, clenched tight without him noticing.

Felicia clearly enjoyed seeing that. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "You thought holding onto that video your brother left would let you control me forever? Too bad, you're still too naive."

The look in her eyes felt like sharp needles stabbing into Chris's chest.

It hurt.

It hurt so badly that it gave him a clarity he had never experienced before.

Felicia wasn't done. "Compared to Derek, you really are hopeless. Good thing I picked you back then. If it had been him, I'm not sure I could've handled him so easily."

Chris's hands tightened even more, but he didn't argue. He asked, "Back then, when you kept meeting me in secret, giving me gifts, and asking me to hide things from Derek—was it because you saw I was easier to control and wanted to use me to get rid of him?"

He might not have been as smart as Derek, but he wasn't stupid. He'd guessed her plan early on, when she started getting close.

But money was tempting. In the end, he couldn't resist the bait and killed the brother he depended on.

Felicia lifted her brows but stayed silent. That was all the answer he needed.

Hearing what he already knew, Chris let out a laugh. "Hahaha ... hahaha!"

His laugh got louder and wilder until tears rolled down his cheeks. The sight made Felicia uneasy, but she kept watching like it was just a show.

She frowned. "What's so funny?"

Chris wiped his tears. "I'm laughing at how dumb I am. I saw right through your tricks but still fell for them.

"Derek even had a backup plan. He hid a copy of that video somewhere you'd never find. But I thought I was so smart; I took it out and hid it where I thought it was safe, only for you to find it right away.

"I'm the one who ruined my own winning hand. So ending up like this ... that's on me."

Everything he said was true, but Felicia couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping in.

She glanced at the door—it was still shut tightly. Suddenly, she wished she'd brought her bodyguards inside.

But she didn't let it show. She leaned back into the couch and said impatiently, "I'm not here for your sob story. Where's the thing you promised me?"

Chris had messaged her, saying he had dirt on Albert and wanted to make a deal.

If it had been Chris's own doing, she wouldn't have believed him. But he'd said it was something Derek had prepared long ago.

Derek had been so smart and capable that Felicia had more than once regretted that he wasn't her own blood. So she'd believed it.

Chris was still smiling now, but not as manically as before.

"You're right. I'm not as smart or capable as Derek. But there's one thing he could never beat me at."

He locked eyes with her. The strange look in them made her heart skip.

When Chris stood up, her body tensed before she even realized it.

But he didn't touch her. He picked up a lighter from the table and walked toward the window, curtains pulled shut.

Felicia watched closely as he flicked the lighter open. His smile twisted into something vicious. "Derek was smart, but he lost to me because he wasn't ruthless enough.

"He wasn't like me. I can be ruthless to others—and to myself."

He threw the lighter at the curtains.

The moment the flame touched the fabric, the fire roared to life and spread like water bursting through a dam, racing across the room.

Felicia suddenly understood the smell she'd noticed earlier.

It was gasoline hidden under the scent of incense.

"You're insane!"

Felicia's calm act fell apart. She bolted for the door frantically.

But no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't move. It was like it was part of the wall.

"Help! Help! Somebody open the door!"

She pounded on it like crazy, hoping her bodyguards outside would rush in.

Chris just stood there, smirking. "Don't bother. It's useless. I modified this door—only I know the code to open it.

"Even if they figure it out and try to break in, by the time they do, we'll already be in hell."