Chapter 4

My vision went black, and I fell into a familiar embrace. Daniel's voice was gentle to the point of cruelty. "I have the wooden carving your mom made. Charlotte, clarify things with the reporters, alright?"

Through my tear-blurred vision, I almost burst into laughter. In the end, my anger became two words forced out between clenched teeth. "You bastard!"

I snapped, "Daniel, you should've just died in that gutter back then!"

The smile on Daniel's face didn't fade. He took my hand and opened a live security feed.

Dozens of bodyguards surrounded Mom's grave with shovels raised on standby.

My breath hitched, and my heart skipped a beat. "No!"

Before the words fully left my mouth, a loud crash echoed from the video.

The frame containing Mom's photo on the tombstone shattered on impact. The web of cracks in the glass looked heartbreakingly like her tear-streaked face.

The pain in my chest became unbearable, and I collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

A flash of pain crossed Daniel's eyes, as though he recalled the ten years he spent hiding in my home to escape hitmen.

He remembered the bruises covering Mom and me and the muffled cries that echoed through the night. Even so, we never let him miss a single meal.

Daniel tilted his head back, letting out a heavy sigh. However, he never called for them to stop.

The grave cracked open under the heavy blows. And with it, my heart was completely shattered.

Drenched in tears and snot, I begged him, "I agree! I agree to everything! Just tell them to stop!"

Daniel's brows instantly smoothed over, and he wrapped me tightly in his arms. "I can forgive you this time. But from now on, you're not to trouble Sienna again, understood? Be good. We're the ones who are supposed to grow old together."

His chest was as warm as ever, yet it sent a bone-chilling shiver through me.

"Daniel, that person's plane is about to land. We don't have a future anymore," I thought.

…

At the press conference, flashes from the cameras surrounded Sienna and me.

I read the script aloud like a marionette, "Ms. Sienna Thomson's mother was not a mistress. My parents' marriage had already broken down…"

Daniel sat in the audience, frowning, looking less than pleased.

Suddenly, Sienna flashed a faint smile at me.

The next second, countless photos rained down from the ceiling. Every single one showed the moment Mom was dragged away by vagrants.

"No! Don't look!" My eyes nearly burst from their sockets as I lunged forward to grab them.

Sienna snatched the microphone and shrieked in shock, "I have always respected the late Mrs. Thomson! But it turns out she was the one who cheated during her marriage! And she was living quite the wild life!"

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

I threw myself at Sienna like a madwoman, trying to beat her down.

But before my slap could even land, Sienna's crying echoed through the venue over the microphone.

The scene spiraled completely out of control.

"Charlotte!" Daniel grabbed my wrists in an iron grip.

His cold, hard eyes stared down at me, filled with nothing but disappointment.

"You pretended to apologize just to set up a trap like this to ruin Sienna? Is the kindhearted Charlotte completely dead?"

I couldn't hear anything at all. All I could do was beg incoherently. "Daniel… please call the police… Don't torture my mom like this…"

A trace of reluctance flickered in his eyes, but Sienna leaned against his shoulder, weeping softly. "I always thought Charlotte truly loved you. But the day you became head of the family, she threw a bucket of filth at my mom and said you were just a simping tool to her!"

Daniel let out a series of cold laughs, scooped her up into his arms, and turned to leave.

Watching the chaotic crowd below, Daniel's butler, Harvey Richards, couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Mr. Lowe, aren't we leaving any bodyguards for Ms. Charlotte?"

Daniel's footsteps paused. Just as he was about to say something, Sienna suddenly collapsed backward.

As Daniel caught her in a panic, Sienna held up her phone and broke into tears. "Someone poured sewage all over my mom's tombstone…"