Chapter 1

By my 20th trip to the police station, the officers weren't even surprised anymore.

A female officer led me into her office, poured me a cup of tea, and gave me a helpless look.

"If you don't pay your mortgage, Mr. Cole, the bank has every right to foreclose on your house. Your mother has depression and bipolar disorder. It's understandable for your father to put her in a psychiatric facility," she said.

"As for your younger siblings, forming cliques and bullying classmates at such a young age is unacceptable. The school's decision to expel them is entirely justified. If you are dissatisfied, you can lodge a formal complaint with the relevant authorities."

I'd heard those things enough times to memorize the words by heart.

At first, I used to get angry. Now, I simply felt powerless.

…

Two months ago, I met Warren Parker for the first time.

Warren was the CEO of Avante Technology and my immediate superior.

When I was summoned to his office, my colleagues joked around, saying, "Sean Cole over here has produced five patents in five years! He has done a great deal for the company in his role as an engineer. I bet the boss is going to promote him!"

I'd been with the company for five years, and my work had brought in substantial profits. All of the senior management thought highly of me, but I'd never met the CEO himself before.

Before heading into his office, I even took care to tidy up my hair and straighten my clothes.

The moment I saw Warren, I was stunned.

Dressed in a tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses, he was watering his plants with a spray bottle. He looked extremely young and seemed like a refined gentleman.

Instead of the CEO of a company, he looked more like a top male celebrity who'd have an army of passionate fans.

He seemed to have a good temper and didn't have any airs about him. After talking about work, he also asked about my family. He even smiled when he heard that I had a great relationship with my mother and two younger siblings.

At the time, I thought I'd met a decent boss who cared about his workers.

Alas, I soon came to see just what kind of demon I'd encountered.

…

When I was a kid, my father abandoned the family. He went to live with his mistress and the children he had with her.

Yet, out of nowhere, he suddenly came back and had Mom forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

My younger siblings, Seth and Sadie Cole, also encountered trouble at school. Even our family home was seized and put up for auction.

I called the police, but after their investigation, they said that everything had been done according to proper procedures.

When I was at the end of my rope, Warren called me. "I heard about what you've been going through. I feel so bad for you. Maybe I can help you."

As if I'd found a lifeline, I dashed to his office at once.

However, what awaited me was yet another nightmare.

…

When I entered Warren's office, he had the same gentlemanly manner he had before. He had me stand right in front of him before asking me, "Do you acknowledge your wrongdoing now?"

"W-What wrongdoing?" I asked, utterly dumbfounded by his question.

Warren shook his head. "I despise talking to fools."

His bodyguard was a man named Nelson Lane. Nelson had a youthful face, but when it came to his job, he was ruthless. He gave me a good thrashing.

Warren stepped on me with his leather dress shoes and asked, "Do you remember what you did wrong now?"

With my face pressed to the floor, I continued to rack my brains. "H-Has there been some kind of misunderstanding between us, Mr. Parker?"

I was in so much pain that I couldn't even keep my eyes open. The taste of blood filled my mouth. Even so, I still believed that he might've just gotten the wrong idea about something.

After all, he seemed like a reasonable man. We even had a friendly chat two months ago.

However, I soon found out just how horribly, outrageously wrong I was.