Chapter 2

Cherise strode forward and gave Vincent a precise military salute. Her voice was slightly hoarse as she said, "Former Unit Theta soldier now retired—Cherise Rhode, here to receive the ashes of martyrs Stanley Rhode and Marlene Bronson."

Vincent's eyes were slightly red-rimmed as he said, "Your father died in a retreat operation while trying to protect over a dozen civilian children. He hugged a bomb and perished while taking the enemy down with him. Your mother took several bullets while covering for him; the doctors couldn't save her.

"By the time our backup arrived, your father's body was… We could only cremate him with your mother. Their ashes have also been placed together."

Cherise accepted the urn with both hands. It was light, yet it felt like it weighed tons in her arms. She said, "My parents didn't have many chances to be with each other in life. I'm sure they'll be happy that they can now rest together for eternity."

Vincent looked somber as he straightened up and gave Cherise a military salute. Behind him, the rows of soldiers followed suit. Then, they started singing the national anthem in sync. Every note was a tribute to the fallen soldiers and to bring them home.

Cherise held the urn tightly, murmuring to herself, "Mom, Dad, we're going home."

…

The rain had stopped by the time Cherise exited the airport. She took a cab back to Sterling Manor and cautiously opened the door while balancing the urn. To her surprise, she was shoved backward before she could even set foot inside.

Caught off guard, she almost lost her balance and fell. As soon as she steadied herself, she heard Morgan's mother, Heather Beech, snap, "Who said you could bring that cursed thing into my home?"

Cherise's expression darkened. "Your home? Morgan and I have been married for two years. I own half of this house, too. Also, apologize to my parents for what you just said."

Heather was taken aback. She didn't expect Cherise, who was always silent and invisible, to act so differently that day. She even dared to talk back to her! That infuriated her.

She screeched, "This house exists because my son is good at what he does! How is that related to you?"

She strode forward and stood before the door, pointing at Cherise as she shrieked, "I just had a fortune teller read the family's fortunes yesterday. Morgan's grandfather's illness hasn't shown any improvement lately, so we can't have such cursed items in the house!

"If anything happens to the old man after you bring that thing in here, even paying with your life won't be enough to cover it!"

Cherise gritted her teeth as anger filled her eyes. Heather had always picked on her, so she'd heard far worse things in the past. However, she wouldn't allow anyone to insult her parents.

"They're already dead, so dig them a hole and bury them somewhere! Why do you want to bring them back here and make misfortune befall us all?" Heather was still talking. "I bet you're deliberately trying to curse the old man to death! No wonder your parents died so young—it's their retribution for raising a daughter as evil as you are!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when she felt her collar tighten. Cherise had lifted her off her feet!

Cherise's eyes were bloodshot as she snarled, "Shut up. What makes you think you deserve to talk about my parents like that?"

Heather was startled and instinctively felt fear, but she still put up a strong front and snapped, "This is mutiny! How dare you talk to me like that!"

Cherise's expression was frosty. She was about to say something when someone shoved her roughly from behind. She still had one arm around the urn, and she lost her balance from the sudden attack, crashing onto the floor. However, the urn was her only concern. She instinctively pulled it to her front, shielding it from harm as she scraped her arm on the floor.

As she endured the pain and staggered to her feet, she met Morgan's furious gaze. "Who allowed you to speak to my mother like that?"

Cherise pursed her lips and looked at him. "So, you think my parents aren't worthy of passing through this door, too?"

He faltered. Whatever it was, she was still his wife. He had no reason to turn her down. However, it was also a fact that she'd gone overboard earlier—she'd gotten physical with Heather! He had to teach her a lesson now, or she would only become worse.

He said, "What my mom said makes sense. Be sensible, and stop acting so willfully. You're just making a fool of yourself. Besides, your parents are already dead, and all that's left of them are their ashes. That's something that you can just store somewhere else—you can't let it affect those who are still living.

"If you're so bothered by this, I'll personally look for a better burial spot for them and arrange for them to be buried there."

Whatever remnants of warmth in Cherise's eyes faded with every word he said. Honestly, she had to thank him for saying these things. They told her how blind she'd been over the past two years and how she'd been mistaken about him the whole time. They made her give up on him.

Instead of saying anything else, she turned and left. It would just be a waste of her time to say another word to Morgan.

Morgan had expected Cherise to argue with him, so he was surprised to see her leave without another word. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do.

Meanwhile, Heather snorted. "What's she acting so high and mighty for? She's just an orphan whose parents are dead—does she think she's that great?"

Morgan frowned but ultimately said nothing. Heather was right. Cherise had lost her parents, so the most she could do now was throw a tantrum and kick up a fuss. She would be back once she'd had enough.

Aside from his home, where else could she go? Maybe she would cave in less than two days. After all, that was how things had always been in the past.

…

Cherise got a room at a nearby hotel. When she checked her phone to get an Uber, she saw a push notification on a trending article on Twitter.

It stated that the head of the Camden family, one of Jenton's most prestigious families, had passed on. Lucien Camden, the family's youngest son, would be taking over.

Most of the article sang Lucien's praises, saying that he was ruthless despite his youth. Not only was he a partner at a top law firm, but he'd also gotten rid of a few unruly board members in succession. That had stabilized his position in the company; no one else dared object to his appointment.

Cherise's eyes glinted. After a moment's hesitation, she called Lucien's law firm. His assistant, Toby Black, answered the phone.

"Hi, I'd like to schedule a divorce case," Cherise said calmly. "Do you know when Mr. Camden will be free to take it?"

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Camden doesn't handle divorces," Toby said politely. "He usually only takes finance-related cases."

"Please tell Mr. Camden that this divorce involves Morgan Sterling of Sterling Group, then," Cherise drawled. "I think he'll be interested in that."

There was a brief silence before Toby said, "I understand, Ms. Rhode. I'll pass the message."

Cherise hung up, her expression cold. Everyone in Jenton knew about her and Morgan's marriage. Naturally, so did Lucien.

Sterling Group and Camden Group had had business dealings in the past, and she had handled the negotiations. Morgan felt he and the Camdens were on rather good terms, but it was just surface-level. After all, there was only so much of the pie to go around. Conflict was inevitable.

Cherise was betting that she could use this divorce as leverage to muddy the waters at Sterling Group. Whatever Lucien could gain from the situation would depend on his abilities, though.