From Sneers to Cheers: Anthea’s Ascent (Anthea )

Found it at last.

Alex couldn't recall how long he had been waiting for this moment. Throughout countless pitch-black nights. it was only a faint glimmer of hope that kept him going. Without that light, he would have been long gone.

The car was eerily silent. After a moment, Alex pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. The familiar taste spread through his mouth. A slight smile appeared on Alex's lips, feeling for the first time that being alive wasn't too bad after all. At least, it reminded him that candy was sweet.

He looked up at the apartment building where Anthea lived. She had protected him when they were kids. Now, it was his turn to protect her.

It took a while before the dark car vanished into the night. Alex drove to the Peterson family's sanatorium, located in a quiet suburb. The area was. deserted, surrounded by a vast forest, and it was deep into the night. Only a lonely streetlight shone outside the sanatorium, and the only sound was the eerie hooting of an owl, giving the place a chilling atmosphere.

The sound of the car attracted an old lady, hunched over, from inside, "Boss." Her voice was hoarse and unpleasant, as if scraped by a blade. Alex nodded, "Olivia."

Olivia handed Alex a pair of white gloves. He calmly put them on. In the light from inside, Olivia's face, with a ghastly scar, was clearly visible, adding to her intimidating appearance. Her hands were also scarred, with parts of her thumbs missing.

They proceeded to a brightly lit room on the second floor. The room was sparsely furnished, with just a bed and a chair, and a strong smell of antiseptic filled the air. A disheveled middle-aged woman on the bed looked around warily. Seeing Alex, she screamed, covering her head with the blanket, shaking uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better after this shot." Alex said, picking up a syringe, pushing out the excess air with a calm expression "No, please no..."

This scene overlapped with a memory from Alex's mind. In a dark room, a beautiful young woman with a syringe stood in front of a frail boy, “You have to treat your illness, sweetheart. This shot will make you better."

The next moment, the needle pierced his flesh.

"Why don't you just die!"

"If you die, my son will be the sole heir to the Peterson fortune!”

"Die! Die!"

The woman lost all control, like a madwoman. But the boy in the corner remained silent, his eyes filled with endurance.

When you're not strong enough, all you can do is endure. Time will make you stronger!

Thinking Qfthis, the repressed anger in Alex's eyes flared up again as he injected the middle-aged woman withthe syringe. The medication slowly entered her bloodstream.

Soon after, Alex tossed the empty syringe into the trash, "Has she been taking her medication on time?"

"I made sure of it.”Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.

Alex nodded slightly, "Good."

Then, turning to the middle-aged woman, he added, "By the way, there's something you might not know. Naylor Peterson is dead.”

The woman sat on the bed, her expression blank, as if she couldn’t comprehend his words.

"Do you know how he died?”

Alex answered his own question, "Just likemny mother, burned alivesin a fire. When the firefighters arrived, theycfound the door covered. his bloody handprints...” ~~

Hearing this, the woman finally broke dewn, crying out loud, “Naylor! Naylor!" "What's the matter? My dear stepmother, are you done pretending to be insane?"

Yes.

This middle-aged woman was Alex's stepmother, t Kily. In her youth, Lily was one of Bioudcrest's most os admiredttalents and was also. = incredibly beautiful. Nobody knew that.béneath her seemingly perfect exterior, she harbored a dark, rotten H@art. .~

She had a peculiar habit: she enjoyed inflicting pain. In public, she was a good wife, a loving stepmother.

But when night fell..