Part 3The Soft Touch of Love

That afternoon, a phone call from the assistant made my heart leap into my throat. When I arrived at the warehouse, the sight before me turned my blood to ice.

This massive storage facility, holding hundreds of millions of dollars worth of imported raw materials, was now engulfed in a roaring inferno. Thick plumes of smoke billowed skyward, and the wail of fire truck sirens grew closer.

Amidst the raging blaze, my father was inside, desperately trying to salvage goods alone.

“Dad!” I screamed, a raw, tearing sound, and rushed in, heedless of the danger.

The thick smoke choked me, blurring my vision, and the heat seared my skin. I stumbled forward, my hands outstretched, finally finding my father behind a collapsed shelf.

“Olivia, what are you…” He was covered in blood, his voice a mere whisper. “Get out… quickly…”

“I’ll get you out! We’ll go together!” I gritted my teeth, helping him to his feet. But the next second, what I saw made my eyes widen in horror.

At the warehouse’s only emergency exit, Dex Vance was slowly closing the fire door. He stood there in his impeccable suit, a chillingly elegant smile on his lips, as if admiring a meticulously staged artistic performance.

“Dex!” I shrieked, a desperate, gut-wrenching sound. “Open the door!”

He tilted his head, his long fingers pressing a silent ‘shush’ to his lips. “Shhh…”

The fire door closed inch by agonizing inch, sealing us off completely from any hope of escape.

“No!!” I dragged my father, frantic, towards the door, but at the last possible second, a collapsing shelf blocked our path with a deafening crash.

Thick smoke flooded my lungs, and my consciousness began to waver. In a haze, I saw Dex through the glass door, his lips forming a silent message.

“This is your fault.”

In the final moments before darkness consumed me, I stared at that blurry figure, pouring all my remaining strength into a curse.

“Dex Vance, even as a ghost… I won’t let you go…”

At that moment, Dex’s assistant, standing beside him, spoke up, a hint of fear in his voice. “Mr. Vance, are we really just going to let them burn to death in there? What if the police investigate…?”

But Dex merely chuckled, shaking the signed confession in his hand. “What’s there to be afraid of? They’ll be dead, completely gone, turned to ash. What could the police possibly find?” He flashed an utterly brutal smile, one that sent shivers down the spine of the person next to him.

The next day, Dex Vance strode into Dawson Industries, radiating confidence. On the large screen outside the building, news of the Dawson Industries fire was playing. Dex paused for a moment, seeming to admire his triumphant handiwork. In his mind, the Dawson family father and daughter were dead, and the signed confession was in his grasp. Everything had gone so smoothly.

“Olivia, what good was a second chance at life? This time, I still won!”

He carried the documents into the CEO’s office, a look of smug satisfaction on his face. “Mr. Dawson, the Dawson father and daughter have perished in the fire. Regarding our partnership…” He respectfully placed the documents on the desk.

“Excellent. You’ve gone to great lengths.” Mr. Dawson flipped through the documents, then suddenly looked up and subtly gestured to his secretary. The secretary immediately understood, turned, left the room, and locked the door behind her.

As Dex watched, bewildered, Mr. Dawson suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to a figure behind a large screen.

“Mr. Blackwood, sir, the person you requested has arrived.”

“The evidence of his arson and corporate espionage has also been submitted to the police.”

“Before the police arrive, is there anything you wish to say to him?”