Chapter 4

Flies buzzed in the back alley. The stench was unbearable.

My soul floated in the air. I watched helplessly as stray dogs caught the smell of blood and pounced. Their sharp teeth ripped into my shredded clothes, tearing open my cold, stiff skin.

A wave of intense grief crushed my soul.

Once, I was the pampered Young Lady, loved by everyone in the family. Now, I was just a pile of worthless meat, dumped next to trash, torn apart by wild dogs.

All of this... just because my mother stopped loving me.

Meanwhile, inside Valerie's office, the room was lively and loud.

"Underboss, you are so fair! If you hadn't stripped away certain people's privileges, how could we loyal crew members get shares and profits from that top-tier gallery?"

A few capos walked in with bright smiles, rushing to flatter Valerie. They held the inheritance and gallery transfer papers that belonged to me.

Valerie sat tall behind her desk. She took an elegant sip of red wine, a fake, arrogant smile on her lips. She soaked in every bit of their praise.

"Take it. You earned this with your loyalty," Valerie set her glass down, pure disgust flashing in her eyes. "Some people think having my blood gives them special treatment. A weakling who can't even kill a rabbit doesn't deserve a dime!"

"So true, Underboss! Only a ruthless leader like you can carry this family forward!"

"She's a total disgrace! Nothing like your cold, decisive leadership!"

The executives laughed, carving up my inheritance. Flattery echoed through the room.

Valerie bathed in the high of pure power. She felt amazing. In her eyes, she had set a fierce example of zero favoritism and broken my stubborn pride once and for all.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A heavy, rushed knock sounded at the door.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. Her pride and arrogance grew even deeper.

To her, the daughter playing dead in the alley had finally given up. Starving, filthy, and humiliated, I must have come crawling back to beg for mercy.

"Come in!" Valerie straightened her expensive suit. She leaned back, resting her arms across her chest with her chin held high.

Before the door even opened fully, she barked her angry command:

"So you finally decided to come back? Good. Tomorrow morning, you get on your knees at the field and apologize to everyone! Then write a ten-thousand-word apology letter for the internal network! If you don't—"

Her scolding cut off instantly.

The person walking in wasn't me. It was the trembling old butler.

The man who was always put-together now looked pale as a ghost.

"Underboss... please brace yourself. The police are outside."

He stepped aside. Behind him stood two detectives in suits, their faces dead serious.

The sudden twist froze Valerie's expression completely.

"Did Gemma actually call the cops? She's out of her mind. I was just disciplining my kid. Officers, it's all a misunderstanding—"

"Are you Ms. Valerie?" The lead detective ignored her completely and showed his badge. His eyes were cold as ice. "We got an anonymous call. A woman's body was found by the trash pile in the back alley."

Valerie's brows dug deep into a frown. Her face darkened instantly. She slammed her hand on the desk and stood up!

"You have the wrong place! This is private family property. There are no dead bodies here! Don't pull that cop attitude with me!"

"We checked her ID and performed a preliminary examination," the officer interrupted her roar, his voice ice-cold and heavy. "Our condolences. Miss Gemma died of severe heart failure."