Chapter 3

In an instant, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

The woman who had sworn up and down to get justice for Mom and me had secretly protected the killer all along.

I remembered the day of the trial. I had lunged at the "suspect" in the defense dock and slapped him three times across the face.

Megan had held me back, rubbing my back to calm me down. "Leave it to me. I'll make him pay."

I trusted her. I handed Mom's case over to her entirely.

I had absolutely no idea that the real killer was right beside her the whole time.

I stumbled backward, turning around only to find Megan standing right behind me.

"You went through my computer?"

There was panic in her eyes, mixed with blame, but not a single shred of guilt.

"You fabricated evidence to protect Edward, didn't you?" I asked.

After a brief silence, Megan pulled me into her arms and used her softest voice to deliver the cruelest words. "It happened so long ago, and Edward already feels terrible about it. Can we just let it go?"

I stared at her, feeling as though a lump of cotton were choking me.

She used to share my rage, acting like she wanted to tear the killer to pieces herself. Now, she kept Edward right by her side and expected me, the victim, to keep my mouth shut.

Right then, Edward burst into the office, the rims of his eyes completely red. "Zachary, please stop threatening me. I won't tell anyone even if you hit or yell at me. I just don't want to bring shame on Ms. Mitchell and the firm…"

As he spoke, he "inadvertently" shifted his collar, revealing bruises and scars on his neck.

After just one glance, Megan turned back to me with a gaze filled with disappointment. "You knew all along, didn't you? That's why you've been bullying Edward behind my back. How could you do that to him?"

Those fake, poorly made-up scratches couldn't compare to even a fraction of what Mom lost!

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, and my eyes burned with rage. "I honestly wish I had done it…"

That single sentence made Megan look at me with utter disgust. "Zachary Lawson, you really are something. But don't think you can keep threatening Edward. Don't forget that I'm the one keeping your dad's business in Helmont afloat. I could bankrupt him tomorrow if I wanted to."

I stared at her, my mind going completely blank.

After losing Mom, my father, Aaron Lawson, had fallen into a deep depression, barely hanging on. Wanting to take the pressure off me, Megan had invested her money to help him start a business in Helmont.

I knew better than anyone that Dad's weak heart couldn't take another major shock.

Yet, Megan was using him to threaten me.

A suffocating wave of fear washed over me, draining every last bit of my strength to fight back.

I reached into my bag, pulled out my resignation letter, and slid it across the desk. "Sign it. I'm leaving the firm."

My words caught her off guard, but she recovered quickly. The next second, she grabbed a pen and signed her name with a sharp flourish.

"Zachary, you know how many people would kill to have your spot. I'll be waiting for the day you come crawling back, begging for your job."

Leaving me with those words, she turned and left while comforting a still-sniffling Edward.

Out in the hallway, the onlookers were already placing bets. They wanted to see how long it would take for me to get down on my knees and beg Megan to take me back.

…

That night, Megan didn't come home. Instead, she accompanied Edward to various galas, networking and locking in votes for the Golden Cloud Award ceremony tomorrow.

She wanted to show me that since she could build me up, she could do the exact same for Edward without breaking a sweat.

I went back to our apartment in Helmont, packed a few changes of clothes, and booked a flight for tomorrow evening.

The next day, just as I was about to walk out the door with my suitcase, Dad's employee called me.

"Mr. Lawson, your father was reported for code violations! A group of creditors just showed up and abducted him!"