Chapter 2 When Mother Chose Him

The air fell silent for a moment. Just as I thought Lucia would finally help me up, she asked, "You're the Fraser heir?"

Her voice was low and unreadable, but it felt like I'd grabbed onto my last lifeline. I nodded frantically. "I've been the one supporting you all these years. I originally planned to tell you after graduation—"

Lucia burst into laughter before I could finish.

Only after she laughed her fill did she finally sneer, "Logan, I don't know where you heard that I was being sponsored, but there's no way the person helping me was some broke loser like you. Just look at what you're wearing. There isn't even a logo on your clothes.

"Plus, the Fraser family built its fortune on jewelry. I've never even seen you wear any."

All my clothes had been custom-made, so they naturally weren't marred by those flashy logos. As for jewelry, it was because I'd been kidnapped when I was young. My father had worried constantly about my safety ever since, insisting I dress modestly to avoid attracting attention.

I never expected those precautions would one day become the very thing that got me killed.

Keith curled his lips into a cruel smile, malice flashing in his eyes. "So, you thought pretending to be the Fraser heir would help you date Lucia? It's too bad you ran into the real deal. In front of a true scion like me, all your lies are falling apart."

Lucia immediately rushed to prove her loyalty to Keith.

She glared at me viciously and snapped, "Logan, we're through! Maybe I really did like you once, but that was only because I hadn't met Keith yet. I only understood what real love was supposed to be like after I met him!"

As she spoke, she gazed at him lovingly. Her cheeks were flushed as she behaved like a girl hopelessly in love. Then, she looked back at me and said, "Return every gift I ever gave you."

I suppressed the rage boiling inside me and said coldly, "The gifts I gave you over the years were worth hundreds of thousands at the very least. Wasn't that enough to cover the few drinks you bought me?"

I knew Lucia came from a low-income family, so I'd constantly find excuses to give her things—luxury watches, designer clothes, expensive accessories.

There were too many to count.

Lucia scoffed. "I already threw all those fake goods away."

Before I could respond, Keith said impatiently, "Enough chit-chat. It's getting dark. Let's go. As for you, Fraser, stay here and think about what you've done. As for whether any wild animals will come out tonight…" He drawled menacingly. "Well, I can't guarantee that."

The look in his eyes made it obvious that he was already picturing me dying alone in the dark.

As the two of them left, I vaguely heard Lucia telling the classmates who'd come with them that I had already left early because of something urgent. I instantly heard complaints erupt among the group, everyone criticizing me for being antisocial.

I lay helpless beneath the cliff, shouting for help. Unfortunately, the distance was too great. No one could hear me.

Then, I spotted the phone Keith had smashed earlier. I used every last ounce of strength in my body, and I hurled it upward as hard as I could. Thankfully, the broken phone landed on the slope above and caught the attention of the other students.

"Logan's down here! He fell off the cliff! He didn't leave! Hurry, let's save him!"

I let out a long breath of relief. Thank God, I'd always treated my classmates well. It seemed my goodwill had made them willing to help me.

The group hastily made their way down the mountain. Just as everyone was preparing to help me, Keith suddenly cried out, "My Tear of Orion is missing! My mother gave it to me on my 18th birthday. It's worth hundreds of millions!"

Everyone immediately started searching for it when they heard how valuable it was.

Sadly, they found nothing.

The group was about to give up when Lucia suddenly kicked me hard in the stomach. Pain exploded through my body, forcing me to curl over as cold sweat poured down my face.

"I knew something was off with you! You must've stolen Keith's Tear of Orion and panicked while trying to escape, which is why you fell off the cliff!"

She ignored my struggles completely as she began patting down my body.

One of the girls nearby couldn't stand it anymore and tried to stop her, but Keith immediately interrupted coldly, "Why are you defending Fraser so much? Don't tell me you're his accomplice?"

No one dared speak up for me again.

Lucia quickly stripped off my outer layers while I struggled desperately, earning myself punches and blows until my face was bruised and swollen.

Just as she reached for my final piece of clothing, she suddenly raised her hand and shouted, "I found it!"

She eagerly handed the necklace to Keith like she was presenting a treasure, and before leaving, she even spat on me. The sticky yellow phlegm clung to my hair, but I was too weak to react anymore.

The moment Keith saw the necklace clearly, his eyes widened intensely. "M-Mine had a sapphire..." he muttered.

Yet, the Tear of Orion in Lucia's hand was set with a pink gemstone.

Lucia shoved the necklace into Keith's hands. "You probably just own too many necklaces and remembered wrong. How could a poor loser like Fraser possibly own a gem this huge?"

…

Just then, a roar thundered through the sky, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

A helicopter landed in the clearing nearby.

The cabin door opened, and a stylishly dressed woman stepped out before walking straight toward us.

The instant I saw her face, the fear hanging over my heart finally disappeared—my mother had arrived. I was definitely going to survive.

I struggled against the pain and forced myself to stand, wanting to grab her hand and pour out all the grievances I'd endured across both lifetimes.

Yet, my mother walked straight past me.

She stopped in front of Keith, pulled him tightly into her arms, and asked tremulously, "Keith, are you alright?"