The Salvager's Revenge

The gilded chandelier's light pierced my eyes, making them ache; this was the Lewis Family's banquet hall, a place meant to flaunt their standing. I clutched the edge of my dress, standing in a corner, waiting for that so-called relative to arrive. "Jennifer Scott?" A cold male voice rang out, steeped in unhidden disdain. I lifted my gaze, locking eyes with Kevin Lewis—deep, yet icy—the head of the Lewis Group, and the man my mother had entrusted on her deathbed. "My mother said you would take me in." My voice trembled, carrying the last flicker of hope. Kevin Lewis sneered, reaching out to grasp my chin with such force that it made me wince. "Take you in?" He leaned in close, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol and scorn. "An illegitimate child who doesn't even know who his father is—how dare you think yourself worthy to cross the gates of the Lewis Family?" Whispers rose around us, their gazes piercing me like needles. "I am not an illegitimate child!" I struggled to reply. "Not?" Kevin Lewis released his grip and flung a stack of photographs before me. "Your mother's reckless past means no one knows where you truly came from." Photos litter the floor—all grainy glimpses and indistinct snapshots. "My mother is not that kind of person!" I knelt to gather them, my fingertips icy cold. "Enough." Kevin Lewis's voice was as cold as ice, "Here's some money. Now get far away, and don't ever show your face before me again—you dirty my sight." The woman beside him linked her arm with his, laughing lightly as she added, "Kevin, why waste your time on someone like her? She might just be after money." I stared at this flawless pair before me, a suffocating tightness in my chest—the lifelong kin my mother treasured was revealed to be so utterly despicable. "I don't want your money." I stood up and looked Kevin Lewis straight in the eye. "From now on, I have no ties to the Lewis Family, nor to you." With that, I turned and rushed out of the banquet hall, letting the cold wind whip across my cheeks. The seaside wind was strong, carrying a salty, damp scent. I stood on the rocks, with those Kevin Lewis had sent to mock me behind me. "Ms. Scott, Mr. Lewis said if you keep pestering him, he'll break your legs." I looked back at them and was suddenly overwhelmed by a bitter sense of irony. Without hesitation, I plunged into the icy depths of the sea. The seawater enveloped me, and as my consciousness faded, I had but one thought: If there is a next life, Kevin Lewis shall repay his blood debt in full. When I woke again, I was on a fishing boat. An old fisherman had saved me, saying I was fortunate to have been cast ashore by the waves onto a shallow beach. I touched my lower abdomen, still flat but harboring a secret — I was carrying Kevin Lewis's child.