Chapter 3

The bedroom door swung open moments later.

Theo stepped inside with Diana following close behind. She had changed out of her evening gown and was now wearing an oversized men's shirt. It was Theo's shirt.

I'd worn that shirt once during our first year of marriage. He'd frowned and told me to take it off, saying he didn't like anyone else touching his clothes.

As it turned out, he didn't mind people wearing his clothes at all. The problem was, I hadn't been Diana.

"Ivy, is your hand feeling any better?" Diana asked, walking over to the table and reaching for the pendant.

I quickly covered it with my hand. "Don't touch it."

Diana looked at Theo through her red-rimmed eyes.

"Theo, do you think Ivy took something important from the company? Before Mr. Judd died, I think he was looking for some kind of storage device," she said.

Theo's gaze fell on the pendant.

"Wilson stole a batch of confidential company files before he died."

He held out his hand toward me, his expression turning cold. "Give me the pendant."

I turned away, trying to keep it out of his reach, but he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall.

"What exactly is inside the pendant?" he demanded.

"I told you," I gasped. "It's a keepsake from my mother."

"Then why did it come from Wilson?" Theo pressed.

I said quietly, "I don't know."

"Are you still going to lie to me?" he demanded.

He grabbed the pendant and twisted it with force.

But the silver casing had been warped by the heat of the grill. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open it.

Diana stood close behind Theo and spoke softly. "Theo, just let it go. If Ivy really wants to use something from the company against your family, then let her take it."

Then, she added, "After all, she hates me now. And she hates your family, too."

Theo's expression darkened.

"I won't let anything that belongs to my family fall into an outsider's hands."

I stared at him, feeling as though an invisible hand were squeezing my heart.

"I'm not an outsider," I said.

"Then give me the pendant," he demanded.

"It's mine."

"Ivy, don't force my hand," he warned.

Diana gently tugged at Theo's sleeve.

"Theo, Ivy was just confused. We can't let Mr. Judd's files get out. We'd better destroy them."

Theo stared at me for a long moment.

There was no guilt in his eyes, only the anger at being deceived by me and a fierce need to protect Diana.

The next second, he tossed the pendant to the floor and stomped hard on it. Its silver casing shattered into pieces.

I touched the hidden chip inside the bandage on my hand, my heart racing with relief.

"Take her upstairs and lock her in," he ordered the bodyguards coldly. "She isn't allowed to leave until 6:00 am."

I made no attempt to resist.

The chip hidden inside my bandage dug into my wound, sending sharp pain through my hand. But I couldn't afford to worry about that now.

The moment the bedroom door locked behind me, I tore the bedsheet into strips, twisted them into a long rope, and tied one end securely to the windowsill.

I was on the second floor, and the ground below was covered in hard stone tiles.

My father was still waiting for me. I had no other choice.

I couldn't put any weight on my injured right hand, so I used my left hand to lower myself down inch by inch.

Halfway down, the bedsheet suddenly gave way. For a moment, I felt as if I were weightless. Then, I hit the ground hard. A sharp pain shot through my ankle.

Before I could even get back to my feet, the entire villa was suddenly flooded with light.

"Mrs. Zeller has escaped!" one of the bodyguards shouted.

I gritted my teeth, forced myself to my feet, and ran barefoot toward the hillside behind the villa.

I'd studied the security camera blind spots around the back of the property long ago. I knew there was a gap in the construction fence.

It was the last escape route I'd prepared for myself.

Sharp gravel cut into my feet as I ran. The footsteps behind me grew louder and closer.

I didn't stop until I managed to flag down a passing cab. Then, I used the driver's phone to call Alan.

The moment he answered, I spoke in a rush. "Mr. Clark, I've got the evidence! If I bring it over now, will there still be time?"

The other end of the line fell silent.

A few seconds later, he finally spoke, his voice choked with emotion. "Ivy, the execution schedule has changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Your father's execution had originally been scheduled for 6:00 am today. But last night, the Zellers used their connections to submit an emergency security report," Alan explained.

After a brief pause, he added, "They claimed your father was at risk of harming himself, so they've moved the execution up to 5:00 am today."

"We can still try to get a stay of execution, but we have to submit the new evidence to both the prosecutor's office and the court immediately."

My breath caught.

The dashboard clock read 4:22 am. I had only 38 minutes left.

Just then, blinding headlights flooded the car's interior. Several black sedans blocked the road, leaving us nowhere to go.

Theo stepped out of the car at the front. Through the curtain of rain, he fixed his cold gaze on me.

"Ivy, hand it over."