The Reaper's Redemption

Chapter 006

The dead of night had settled over Liverton by the time Robert Depp returned to the clinic. Viper was waiting in the dim light, staring intently at a thick legal contract.

"Boss, you're back," Viper said, immediately stepping forward with the document. "Lily's employment situation is locked in. It's with Northgate Group, a highly reputable cosmetics R&D firm here in the city. Her exact position is still pending, but they guarantee it won't be a low-level placement. But..."

"But what?" Robert asked, sinking heavily onto the battered sofa and lighting a cigarette.

"Northgate Group officially wants you to step in as their Vice Chairman. They are offering you a forty percent equity stake and major executive voting power. They desperately want you on board."

Viper tapped the heavy contract. "I know they're just looking for a powerful umbrella to protect their assets, but tactically? I highly recommend you take the position. Being the Vice Chairman means you'll be in close, daily proximity to Lily. It's the perfect staging ground to slowly repair your relationship and let things develop naturally."

Robert considered it silently. Ten years of horrific suffering had calcified Lily's trauma into a bone-deep, corrosive hatred. Throwing money at her wouldn't magically erase a decade of hell—it was an absurd, insulting thought. If he worked in the same building, he could quietly protect her and slowly wear down her defenses through simple, everyday presence.

He took a slow drag of his cigarette and handed the contract back. "We'll finalize the Northgate deal tomorrow. Right now, I have a different order. Take the Phoenix Heights Luxury Villa and list it for rent at rock bottom."

Viper blinked, caught entirely off guard. "What? Boss, you bought that estate specifically for Lily and Jenna."

"I made a tactical error," Robert said, his dark eyes filled with heavy remorse. "I thought providing her with extreme material wealth would earn her forgiveness. I was wrong. My money only insulted her and deepened the wound. Rent the place out."

Viper nodded firmly, instantly understanding his commander's pivot. If extreme wealth was violently rejected, a quiet, protective presence was the only path forward. He immediately uploaded the villa's photos and listing details to the local real estate network.

Viper assumed it would take time to find a tenant. Less than five minutes later, the clinic phone rang. A frantic, excited young woman was on the line.

"Hello? I just saw the listing for the house. Is it really available?" she asked breathlessly. "A massive luxury villa for only three thousand a month? This isn't a scam, is it?"

"If you have time, we can meet face-to-face right now to discuss it," Viper replied calmly.

Twenty minutes later, a young woman in her twenties hurried up to the dark clinic. Her name tag read Lindsay Butler, an accountant employed at the Grand Continental Hotel.

She looked around the dilapidated street, her suspicion growing. This has to be a scam, she thought, reaching for her phone.

Before she could dial, a phantom-black Rolls-Royce glided silently out of the shadows and stopped right beside her. The heavy door opened, and Robert stepped out into the streetlights, wearing his black trench coat. "Miss Butler, I presume?" he asked with a polite smile.

Lindsay was instantly starstruck. She felt her knees go weak. As a single woman desperate to climb the social ladder, she had absolutely zero defense against a man with Robert's overwhelming aura and rugged, handsome features.

"Y-yes! I'm Lindsay!" she nodded frantically.

"If you are serious about renting the property, I can drive you there to inspect it right now," Robert offered.

"Yes, absolutely! Let's go!" Lindsay agreed instantly, her critical thinking completely short-circuiting. He drove a Rolls-Royce, possessed a terrifyingly powerful aura, and carried himself like a true gentleman. If a man this magnificent was a scammer, she was fully prepared to let him scam her.

Sitting in the luxurious interior of the Rolls-Royce, Lindsay felt like she was dreaming. She was just a hotel accountant from the countryside; she had never been inside a car like this.

When they pulled up to the Phoenix Heights Luxury Villas, Lindsay's jaw dropped.

"Wow... it's massive," she gasped, staring at the breathtaking, palatial architecture. "Mr. Depp, are you absolutely sure this is only three thousand a month?"

"I am. I have no intention of living here, so I want it occupied," Robert lied smoothly. "If it meets your standards, we can sign the lease immediately."

"I'll take it!" Lindsay agreed without a second of hesitation, locking down a one-year lease on the spot. She knew if she waited even a day, this absolute steal of a property would vanish into someone else's hands.

Clutching the signed contract, Lindsay walked out of the estate and excitedly dialed her best friend's number.

"Lily!" she squealed into the phone. "You know how you said you wanted to move out of your parents' place? I just found the absolute perfect house for us! It's massive, you're going to love it!"

"How big is it?" Lily's exhausted voice drifted through the receiver. "I don't have a lot of cash to spare right now."

"It's only three thousand total! If we room together, we split it down the middle. Fifteen hundred each. What do you say?" Lindsay asked, slightly worried. Fifteen hundred was still a significant expense for her struggling friend.

There was a brief pause. "Deal. We move tomorrow," Lily replied decisively. "I desperately need to get out of this house."

In her small, cramped bedroom, Lily hung up the phone and lay back down, pulling a sleeping Jenna tight against her chest. She stared out the window at the cold, distant stars, her eyes burning with unresolved anger.

Her fragile, quiet life had been completely shattered the second Robert stepped back into it. Because she had violently rejected the luxury villa and the sports car he offered, Brit and Austin Lohan were furious with her. Her parents were currently giving her the cold shoulder, making the atmosphere in the tiny apartment incredibly toxic. She couldn't take it anymore; she had to move out.

"My sweet baby," Lily whispered, gently kissing Jenna's forehead. "We're leaving tomorrow. You won't have to look at Grandpa and Grandma's angry faces anymore."

Robert's towering silhouette flashed through her mind, and her jaw clenched tight.

"Don't worry," she muttered, her eyes hardening with fierce independence. "Whatever that monster can buy you, Mommy can earn for you. As long as we have each other, absolutely nothing is going to break us."