"Who knows if you can be Mrs. Nichols? Paying upfront is our standard procedure here," sneered the man, his voice dripping with malice. "Not a cent less. Otherwise, I''ll cut your fingers off one by one."


    Shelia panicked, speaking with feignedposure. "I only have 100 thousand dors on me right now. But don''t you know about the Nichols family? If you kill me, you''re killing their future heir in my wom


    Her words made the man hesitate. Shelia pressed her advantage and continued, "Think about it. Juan and his wife have long been at odds. As soon as you take care of her, I can leverage my pregnancy to be Mrs. Nichols. How much more money would that bring you? I promise you, once I marry Juan, I''ll give you not just one million dors, but two million."


    "Words are cheap. You must sign and seal," he said, taking out a document from his pocket.


    One of his aplices scribbled something on it and ced it before. Shelia. She scanned the paper, her face turning pale as she read the stark words. It explicitly stated that failure to pay on time would result in her life as repayment.


    A chill ran down her spine, but she steeled herself. To kill Debra would require a hefty investment. High risks yielded high returns. That was what she''d learned over the years.


    With a determined hand, she quickly signed and sealed the document.


    Nearby, rissa trembled, her eyes wide with fear. Shelia was literally staking her life. A misstep could cost them everything.


    "Shelia, where did you get 100 thousand dors?"


    was already a huge sum beyond their ability to raise. Shelia pulled


    open a drawer and took out a bundle of money. She handed it to the


    three men before her.


    rissa hurried over, trying to stop her. "No, that''s my life savings. How could you use it?"


    Shelia held rissa back and spoke to the three men. "Take it. I want Debra to die as soon as possible,"


    The three men exchanged nces and left the room.


    rissa tried to chase after them, but Shelia shoved her to the ground," It''s just 100 thousand dors. Once I be Mrs. Nichols, money will be no object. Do you want to clear your gambling debts or not?" rissa instantly fell silent. To raise enough money to save her life, she could only rely on Shelia.


    With a trembling voice, she said, "If you can''t be Mrs. Nichols, then


    19


    Shelia cut her off, her eyes gleaming with cold determination. "I''m carrying Juan''s child. With Debra gone, I will be Mrs. Nichols."


    Later that evening, Debra''s phone buzzed with a message,


    Juan: [Get ready, Someone ising to pick you up.)Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Debra: [Where to?]


    There was no reply. Despite her confusion, she cleaned up and left the house to find a ck car waiting outside. To her surprise, it wasn''t Joe who stepped out of the vehicle.