"You... What did you say?" Aria trembled. She had already guessed that coming here would be dangerous—but she hadn't expected things to escalate this quickly.
And she definitely hadn't expected this man to use such a cruel method.
But then again, this wasn't right—Micheal was no longer thinking rationally.
His most respected and beloved grandfather had not only died, but his corpse had been desecrated with excrement.
Who could possibly remain calm after witnessing that?
"Aria, I'm going to throw you into the cremator!" Micheal roared.
Aria shut her eyes for a second, then opened them, her gaze now sharp and clear.
"Micheal, do you know why I showed up here, even though I knew you'd kill me if you found me?"
Whether he would listen or not, Aria had no choice but to try reasoning with him.
In terms of strength and dominance, she was no match for him—and behind him stood that scheming woman, Ruby.
"You just came to humiliate Grandfather," Micheal growled.
"No. I came to expose Ruby," Aria snapped. "Micheal, that night—it was you who raped me. But the one who drugged you was Ruby. Someone saw her on that floor that night. And the oxygen tank that kept Grandpa alive—she was the one who pulled the tube. If I, Aria, am lying, then let my dead daughter be condemned to hell."
She screamed it, even dragging her dead daughter into the vow, just to shake some sense into Micheal.
"You're lying! It was you! And now you…" Micheal glanced again at his grandfather's desecrated body. "Someone, clean Grandpa up and reapply the makeup. I want him to leave this world clean and dignified."
The crematorium staff immediately wheeled the old man into the makeup room next door for a second cleanup.
Micheal then looked at the bucket of foul waste still on the floor. Despite his usual obsession with cleanliness, he didn't hesitate—he grabbed the bucket and dumped it straight over Aria's head.
The stench overwhelmed her. She wanted to vomit from the sheer disgust.
She had never imagined that Ruby would be so heartless—to defile the old man's corpse just to incite Micheal into killing her.
Desecrating a body.
Just to fuel his rage.
Just to push him to kill her.
"Ruby, aren't you afraid of karma? Grandpa won't let you go even if he becomes a ghost!" Aria suddenly struggled hard, breaking free of Micheal's grip and lunging at Ruby.
Even if she died—she'd take Ruby down with her.
"You... What are you saying? I don't understand." Ruby feigned innocence, pushing Aria away like a frightened little rabbit. "Madam, whatever grievances you and Sir have, they have nothing to do with me. I don't know anything."
Aria's body trembled. She looked up, locking eyes with her. "Who was it? Who helped you set me up?"
"Shut up! Don't cause a scene here!" Micheal roared. "Throw her into the cremator. I don't want to see this woman ever again. Ruby, keep an eye on her—don't let her escape again."
"Micheal..." Ruby clung to his arm like she was terrified. "I'm scared."
"Fine. Tie her up. I'll do it myself," Micheal growled, still consumed by fury. He no longer even looked at his grandfather—his only thought now was to destroy Aria.
Aria was dragged and hoisted onto the sliding table used to push corpses into the cremator.
A white cloth was thrown over her.
Her hands and feet were bound.
Her mouth was gagged.
At this point, no matter how hard she tried, there was no escape.
Then she heard the sound of footsteps—Micheal's familiar footsteps.
And his familiar presence loomed over her.
The bed beneath her shifted.
She was moving—toward the furnace.
A wave of searing heat blasted her face. Flames danced near the edge.
In that moment, two faces overlapped in her mind—and suddenly, she knew who had framed her.
But it was too late.
She was being pushed into the cremator...