Michael threw his head back and let out a cruel, triumphant laugh. He taunted, "Lauren, I told you—you could never beat me! Whether it's Aunt Tiana or the entire Rhodes Corporation board, they're all on my side.

"They favor me because they know I am the future of this company. So what if you and Andrew keep defeating me over and over? At the end of the day, you will always be beneath me!"

A sharp gurgle sounded, and Lauren suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain in her heart was unbearable—it felt like someone had carved a hole straight through her soul.

She looked at Tiana and let out a hollow, bitter laugh, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She whispered, "I see now… you never loved me. You're still the same person—always saying it's for my own good, always pretending to care, but it's all a lie."

Marcus and the others clenched their fists, their eyes burning with fury as they glared at Tiana. What she had just done to Lauren—her own daughter—was beyond