Chapter 1

"Nathan, you're really coming with us? That's wonderful! We leave in two days."

On the other end of the line, the HR representative from the foreign tech giant sounded thrilled.

They had waited seven years for me. They even built a domestic branch specifically to make it easier to recruit me.

"Yes."

The morgue was so quiet I could hear the echo of my own voice.

I took one last look at my ten-year-old sister, Anna Harper. Her face was pale and tinged blue. I signed the death certificate and sought out the doctor.

The doctor said cremation required a two-thousand-dollar advance payment.

After Anna's condition turned critical, my savings from years of work were nearly gone.

I had spent all these years revolving around my girlfriend, Gina Whitmore. I had no friends. After she removed me from my VP position, my coworkers distanced themselves from me too.

Now, I could not find a single person willing to lend me money.

Instinctively, I glanced at the watch on my right wrist.

It was a token of love Gina had given me years ago. It cost her three months of salary. She said I was worth a fortune to her.

Today, I had considered listing it on a resale site, but it appraised at only three thousand dollars, nowhere near enough for the 30,000 dollar surgery.

What I had was merely a drop in the bucket. After hesitating repeatedly, I had not sold it.

Perhaps fate wanted me to sell it now.

I listed it at the low price of two thousand. Soon, a local buyer contacted me.

As I hurried out to complete the transaction, a bodyguard in black coming from the opposite direction knocked me to the ground. My phone hit the floor and cracked.

When I looked up, Gina was rushing into the hospital, pushing Lincoln Morris in a wheelchair. A crowd of medical staff and bodyguards followed closely behind.

She looked anxious, fine beads of sweat dotting her forehead. Our eyes met briefly by accident, but her gaze quickly moved away.

A nurse helped me up and could not help but sigh.

"The world's not fair, is it? This female CEO's husband just sprained his ankle, and she's got the entire hospital's medical staff attending to him at once. Meanwhile, some poor girl suffers from a heart disease and can't even afford the surgery."

I shook my head to indicate I was fine. The next second, Gina strode back with a serious expression.

She grabbed me and pulled me down to the underground parking garage. Once we were in the car, she frowned.

"Why are you coming here to ask for money?"

Realizing her tone was too harsh, her expression softened.

"Lincoln sprained his ankle going down the stairs. He's being such a baby about it and absolutely refuses to get examined unless I'm with him.

"I know you're still angry about him not approving your salary advance. I'll give you the money. Just go and don't let Lincoln see you. He'll misunderstand."