The next evening, I walked up to the familiar door as promised.

I took a deep breath and pushed it open. A thick, suffocating smell of alcohol hit me right away.

Four people sat on the couch. The lights were off, and the only glow came from their phone screens.

The pale light from below made their faces look twisted and cruel.

When they saw me, Johnson jumped up and walked toward me.

He held a thick rope in his hand.

“Where’s the money?”

He stepped closer. His eyes shone dangerously.

“Don’t try anything. $50,000. Transfer it now!”

I stood my ground and looked at him coldly.

“Johnson, are you trying to kill me or just rob me?”

“Stop talking! You forced us into this! No year-end bonus, supplementary cards locked, and not even enough from the loans! How do you expect us to survive?”

“Survive?” I almost laughed. “I supported you all these years. Without me, you wouldn’t have survived at all!”

“You supported us?”

Phoebe suddenly stood up and snapped loudly, “Besides giving a little money, what have you ever done? Other moms take their kids shopping or on trips. You just work overtime every day. You’re not fit to be my mother!”

“Not fit, am I?”

I stared at her. My heart turned to ice.

“The clothes you wear and the food you eat… I earned them all with my overtime! Now you’re upset I didn’t spend time with you?”

“That’s enough!”

Whitney suddenly cut in and pointed angrily at the floor.

“Look at this floor and this window. We’ve set everything up! If you don’t give us the money today, don’t expect to leave this place in one piece.”

I stared at the slippery soap on the floor, the wide-open window, and the icy balcony. I could hardly believe it.

“So, the $2 million accident insurance is for today?”

I let out a cold laugh. I was thinking about how to push them over the edge.

Then, I saw Johnson’s face twist with rage. His calm facade completely vanished.

“So? What does it matter if that’s true? Mindy, you’d better act smart. Hand over the money, and we might spare you!”

“Spare me?”

I stepped closer and stared at him.

“When you sent people to ambush me, did you think about letting me go? When you spread lies online to ruin me, did you think about letting me go? Johnson, tell me. How do you plan to ‘spare me’ this time?”

He went silent for a moment, and his face grew darker.

“Stop wasting my time!”

My father-in-law, Benjamin Clark, shouted impatiently, “Just take the money and deal with her later!”

Johnson grabbed my hair and yanked with terrifying force. It felt like he was trying to tear my scalp off.

“Since you won’t do as we said, you’ll be punished!”

Pain shot through me, and tears threatened to spill over. I fought back and scratched his arm.

“Let go of me! Johnson, you jerk!”

But he was incredibly strong. He pinned my shoulders and dragged me toward the balcony.

Looking down at the concrete floor a dozen meters below made my stomach drop.

Phoebe grabbed a small stool nearby and slammed it at my feet.

There was a loud crash, and I felt a sharp pain in my feet.

“Mindy!” she screamed, and her face twisted in wild satisfaction.

“Don’t push us! Give us the money or die! You’re a waste of air!”

Johnson took advantage of the moment and shoved me hard toward the balcony.

My back slammed against the icy railing. I was bent over the edge.

“Die! If you die, we get the money! Then, we can have a good life!” Johnson yelled like a madman. He pressed his hand against my back and forced me down.

Just when I thought I was about to die, the door burst open with a loud bang. A strong, commanding voice shouted, “Stop!”