**Phoenix of Revenge**

**1.4 Assassination and Rebirth**

The rain poured down like a curtain over the night, and the howling wind, mixed with thunder, raged around the villa. As Amelia returned home, she could feel an eerie sense of foreboding in the air. The light at the entrance flickered unsteadily in the storm, casting distorted shadows, as if foreshadowing the impending disaster.

She hurried into the villa, her shoes making soft squeaking sounds on the wet floor tiles. Raindrops trickled down her hair onto the ground. She paid no attention to these small details, her mind consumed by the image of her father’s frail figure in the hospital bed and the betrayal of Jason and Lily. She needed to make decisions quickly, to take care of everything at hand, and then leave this place that had once been filled with memories.

As Amelia entered the living room, the lights were still on, but the villa felt cold and empty, as if it had lost all warmth and life. She rushed upstairs, intending to gather the important documents her father had left behind in preparation for the next steps of her plan. But when she pushed open the door to the study, a chill crept up her spine, and an unsettling feeling tugged at her heart.

Something wasn’t right. The study was eerily silent, with only the sound of the wind and rain outside. Yet the quiet made her uneasy, as if an invisible force was lurking, waiting for her arrival.

She slowly approached her father’s desk, her fingers lightly brushing the neatly stacked documents. Her gaze wandered over the desktop. Just as she was about to pick up the files, she suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind her. The sound was faint, yet eerily distinct in the silent room, as if someone was approaching her.

**“Someone’s here…”** Amelia’s body instantly tensed, her heart pounding wildly. She quickly turned around, her eyes scanning the doorway, filled with alertness and fear.

A tall, dark figure appeared in the doorway, followed by Lily’s cold laughter. She stood there, arms crossed, her eyes filled with contempt and mockery.

**“How pathetic, Amelia,”** Lily’s voice was low, laced with a hint of sarcasm, as if she had everything under control. **“Did you really think you could fight back? You’ve always been just a pawn in our plan.”**

Amelia’s heart sank as she realized things had spiraled far beyond her control. Forcing herself to stay calm, she tried to steady her trembling voice. “Lily, what are you two planning? If you can’t get the company, are you willing to destroy it at all costs?”

Lily chuckled softly, stepping gracefully into the room, her fingers lightly grazing the documents on the desk as if they were her spoils of war.

**“We don’t want to destroy the company, Amelia. On the contrary, we’ll make it better… without you in it.”** Lily’s voice was cold and merciless, dripping with malice.

Amelia’s breathing quickened, and she gripped the edge of the desk tightly, trying to suppress the fear swelling inside her. She knew she couldn’t show weakness, not now—not in front of Lily.

**“You can’t just take the company like this. I won’t let you succeed,”** she responded firmly, her voice filled with anger.

But Lily was unfazed by Amelia’s defiance and instead sneered, “You really are laughably stubborn. Haven’t you realized yet that your game is over?”

As Lily finished speaking, the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind. Amelia quickly turned her head and saw Jason slowly walking into the room, a smug smile on his face. The man she had once loved had now become the source of her nightmares.

**“Amelia,”** Jason’s voice was low and icy, his gaze cutting into her like a blade, **“Did you really think you could defeat me? I’ve been in control this entire time, and you’re just a puppet in my hands.”**

Amelia’s body stiffened, cold sweat breaking out on her back. She knew she was in extreme danger now. The two people standing before her were no longer hiding their malicious intentions. Today, they wouldn’t let her walk away easily.

She wanted to retreat, but it was as if her feet were nailed to the floor, unable to move. Jason walked closer, each of his steps hitting her heart like a hammer. Lily stood to the side, watching Amelia struggle with amusement, as though this were a game she had meticulously orchestrated.

**“What are you going to do?”** Amelia’s voice trembled, but she forced herself to look them in the eye, trying to remain composed.

Jason chuckled coldly, raising his hand to point at her, his tone full of icy threat. **“You need to disappear, Amelia. You know too much, and keeping you around would only cause us trouble. Tonight, you won’t be leaving this villa.”**

**“You’re insane!”** Amelia’s eyes widened, fear and fury surging within her. She knew things had spiraled out of control—Jason and Lily clearly weren’t planning to settle this through legal or business means anymore. They had chosen the most extreme method—to erase her from this world.

**“Insane?”** Jason’s voice grew even colder. **“No, we’re just making sure everything is flawless. You should understand by now—power and wealth don’t belong to the weak.”**

Amelia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, her mind racing for a way out. She had to escape; she couldn’t let them trap her here.

Her eyes darted toward the door—it seemed like her only way out. Just as she was about to take a step, Lily suddenly sneered, as if she had seen right through her intentions. “You won’t have the chance to escape, Amelia.”

With a wave of Lily’s hand, two bodyguards suddenly burst in from outside, swiftly blocking her only exit. They were tall, expressionless, standing at the door like two insurmountable walls.

Amelia’s heart plummeted. She was cornered. She refused to be controlled like this, refused to lose everything so easily, but now she was at an absolute disadvantage. Her mind flashed with images of her father’s frail face, the promise she had made to her family, and all the hopes she had once held for the future.

**“I won’t let you win!”** Amelia shouted, summoning all her strength to try and push through, but the bodyguards coldly shoved her back toward the desk. She stumbled and fell, her arm scraping against the edge of the desk, a sharp, burning pain spreading across her skin.

Lily stepped forward, looking down at Amelia with cold, triumphant eyes. “You’ve already lost, Amelia. Tonight is the end for you.”

**“No!”** Amelia roared in anger, her eyes filled with the last flickers of hope and defiance, but her body had reached its limit.

Jason slowly approached her, a cold smile curling on his lips as he leaned down and whispered, “Stop struggling, Amelia. You’re only wasting your strength.”

He motioned for the bodyguards to move, and they roughly dragged Amelia up from the floor. She struggled desperately, but the towering men easily overpowered her, shoving her toward the door.

Outside, the rain continued to pour, the storm raging, and thunder crashing. Amelia was dragged to the entrance of the villa, her eyes shifting from anger to despair. She knew there was no escape.

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She was thrown into the courtyard, and the rain instantly drenched her, the freezing cold cutting into her skin like knives. Jason and Lily stood before her.