Chapter 2

Joe had been defending a man over seventy who had molested a neighbor's daughter.

After the hearing, he had come straight at Warren with fiery emotions. "Do you have any compassion at all? He's an old man! He was lonely, and that's why it happened. Do you want him to die alone in prison? Would that make you happy?"

When Rose had heard about it, she had wrapped her arms around Warren. There had been nothing gentle about her expression as she asked, "Who does he think he is? Do you want me to deal with him, honey?"

Warren had told Rose to leave it alone.

He had not expected that she would change her mind about Joe six months later when she hired him as legal counsel for her company, Chapman Group.

"Honey, it's just that we coincidentally needed someone," Rose had said as she cajoled him. "Besides, his personality is kind of interesting, don't you think?"

After that, she talked about Joe more and more. Warren had trusted her love too much to see him as a threat.

But now, the same woman who had sworn she would rather die than betray him would gladly sacrifice his whole family to keep Joe happy.

"Fine. You win." Something inside Warren went numb. He signed the agreement she handed him and walked out without looking at her again.

He had barely made it outside when Warren's mother, Angelica Smith, called. "Warren, come to the hospital! Mia has just tried to kill herself!"

He got there as fast as he could. Angelica was begging several doctors with Mia in her arms, with blood still flowing from the wound in Mia's neck. "Please save my daughter! She's still warm! I've been trying to stop the bleeding! Please, you can still save her!"

Angelica held on to a doctor's coat, pleading and begging harder every time he tried to pull free. Her hair was in tangles, and her forehead was red and swollen from the struggle.

The doctors looked away. "It's Ms. Chapman's orders. All our ER doctors have to be on standby, ready to treat Mr. River's dog. We need to go."

Warren nearly stumbled when he heard what the doctors said. He caught one of the doctors as the man turned away, his eyes red. "A dog? Take it to a vet! My sister's dying right in front of you! Are you really just going to watch her die here? Aren't you supposed to save human lives?!"

The doctor shook him off and said, "Sir, please try to understand. That dog means everything to Mr. River. Ms. Chapman says he'll stop eating if it dies. If anything happens to him, we're the ones who'll pay for it."

Warren lost the doctor just for a moment and ran after them, calling for help until his voice gave out. By the time he came back, Angelica was sobbing over Mia's body. She was already growing cold.

He sank to his knees beside them. Then he began slapping himself, hard, over and over. "It's my fault. She's dead because of me."

Angelica caught his wrist, her fingers still covered in Mia's blood.

Through her tears, she looked at him with a new resolve. "We're taking your sister and leaving this place. I'll find someone to officially give up our citizenship. Give me seven days, and we'll migrate out of the country. We're never coming back."

Warren took Angelica and Mia's body to the crematorium.

By the end of the afternoon, Angelica seemed to have aged decades. She stood hunched over the urn, holding it in silence.

He could hardly bear to look at her.

Then a message came from Rose: [Get Joe's suit from the stylist and bring it to the banquet hall. You have two hours. He'll send you the address.]