Rewrite Her Thrilling Life (Lillian and Sebastian) novel Chapter 168

The flap of the tent rustled as the twisted old man stepped inside, his voice rough and gravelly, cutting through the tense air like a blade.

“This girl cannot be set free,” he rasped. “You know her uncanny skill with stone-gambling. With her on our side, why should we bother rebuilding a second Stint Corp? Trust me, Richard, as long as we keep her, let the old Stint family crumble—we’ll build our own empire. Isn’t that the best of both worlds?”

For a rare moment, Richard’s confident demeanor faltered, and Lillian’s heart burned with silent fury toward the deceitful old viper standing before them.

“Is that what you think?” she replied, her voice icy and steady. “Then I have some very bad news for you. If you refuse to release me, the master of the Austine family will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. With all your manpower? You’ll be wiped out before your so-called new Stint Corp even takes form. Think carefully. Let me go, and you might still have a chance to control that mine. Keep me captive, and I swear, you will regret ever being born.”

Her words were calm but lethal, slicing through the room and draining the color from both men’s faces.

Richard was well aware of the Austine family’s power—their influence stretched deep into the very fabric of the economy. The tales about their master were chilling: ruthless, unforgiving, a man who never forgot a slight. To cross him was to invite certain death. Richard had never imagined that holding onto a single teenage girl could place him in such a precarious position.

Nicholas sneered, his contempt barely hidden. “Don’t waste your breath with these games. I don’t believe for a second that the Austine patriarch would shake the world over a mere girl. Richard, don’t let her cloud your judgment.”

But Lillian felt no fear anymore. She knew the man well—if he couldn’t find her, he would never stop hunting.

“Richard, no!” Nicholas shouted, panic and fury in his voice. “This is a trap. They want to lure you out!”

But Richard cut him off sharply, his tone edged with fierce determination. “Enough, Nicholas. Do you want the entire Stint family buried? Those people are your blood as much as mine. Even if I want Stint Corp for myself, I won’t build it on the graves of my kin.”

Lillian blinked, surprised. For the first time, she saw a side of Richard she hadn’t expected—one with a clear line he wouldn’t cross.

No wonder Jill and Rina had survived their abduction unharmed—Richard had a bottom line after all. It was Nicholas who had been pushing from the shadows, relentless and ruthless.

Realizing he had lost the argument, Nicholas shot Lillian a venomous glare before storming out, his fury barely contained as the tent flap fell silent once more.