Gopher stared at Claudia in shock after hearing what she said. After a moment of hesitation, he dropped on his knees and choked out, "Claudia, I... I was confused. I beg you, give me a chance to change! I'm willing to do anything if you'll spare my life! We're relatives, after all! Blood runs thicker than water! Please spare me on account of that! Just this once!"
Claudia's face was icy. "Gopher, don't you find it amusing to say something like that? You forsook the fact that we're related by blood and killed my family. Yet now you dare beg me?! I've killed you in my dreams countless times every night in the past few months! I've been looking forward to the day my wish will come true, and now, I finally have the chance. I'd rather die with you than spare you!"
Upon hearing that, Gopher knew that he was destined to die today. And so, he retracted his begging face and laughed. " Who would've known... You're so young, but you're already so cunning and cruel. Had I known this would happen, I would’ve killed you the first day you returned to prevent future troubles... I was wrong to assume that you didn’t know anything...”
He cackled and pointed to the fake scar in her hand, lamenting, "Claudia, you were really thorough in your schemes. If I knew your face wasn't burnt, I wouldn't have killed you. I'd try to sell you off instead!
With your beautiful face and your identity a s the daughter of a former Italian mob boss, you'd fetch a much higher price than Stephanie..."
He sighed and said exasperatedly, "Despite my calculations, I couldn’t win against a brat like you..."
Then, he added, "Claudia... I admit my defeat. I don’t wish for you to spare my life, but I hope that you can end it quickly. Just shoot me or something!"
Claudia shook her head, defiant. She shot him a glare of disgust and hissed, "The fairest method I can think of is to burn you i n a huge fire. This has been my only motivation for the past few months!”
After her family was killed, Claudia’s only purpose in living was to avenge her family.
From the moment she pretended to be disfigured by the fire to her return to Vancouver, she had been seeking an opportunity to execute her revenge.
Thus, she came up with a plan to die together with Gopher. She would take his life using herself as a weapon.
The only problem was, she couldn't find a suitable time to execute her plan all this while.
If it weren’t for Charlie, she might not have found a chance to take revenge on Gopher even now!
By this point, Gopher had completely given up. He didn't think that the seemingly fragile Claudia would be so resolute in wanting to burn him to death.
At the thought of the endless suffering, he begged in a hoarse voice, "Claudia, it's true that I killed your family. But I didn’t let them suffer! Your parents and brothers passed away in their sleep. Even if you must kill me, you should do it humanely!"
Claudia shook her head, disgusted." Humanity is for humans. Monsters aren’t worthy of that privilege!”
At her steadfast declaration, Charlie, who was watching by the sidelines, found his admiration for the eighteen-year-old Claudia rising.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Man in Power After Being Married into Her Family