Chapter 1

Stepping onto Bellmont soil again after five years, I felt surprisingly calm.

Checking my watch, I flowed with the crowd toward the exit.

I waited for a while, but there was still no sign of my ride.

What was going on? My wife, Catherine Carter, said everything was arranged.

Just as I took out my phone to check, a black sedan pulled up right in front of me.

The window rolled down to reveal Pearl Moran, my ex-fiancee who had sent me to prison five years ago, all for the sake of her assistant, Richard Greer.

Richard and a few other familiar faces were sitting in the car with her.

I turned to leave, but they actually got out of the car.

Someone blocked my path. "Well, look who we have here! If it isn't Alex Foswick, the murderer. He actually dared to come back!"

"He must be missing Ms. Moran so much he couldn't sleep. Probably came back on his knees begging for forgiveness! Haha!"

They shoved and jostled me, laughing amongst themselves.

The moment Pearl saw me, a flicker of surprise crossed her face. "It really is you? I thought you'd never have the nerve to come back."

Richard chimed in sarcastically, "Alex? I heard you were off playing boy toy for some wealthy old hag overseas. What's with the cheap outfit?"

The crowd erupted into laughter.

"How could some old hag compare to Pearl? Besides, the Moran family is a vassal to the Carters now. They're about to blow up. He probably heard the news and came back to offer himself up."

"Look at those rags, though. Tsk tsk. Can't even afford a decent suit? Talk about pathetic."

"No wonder he's back to leech off Ms. Moran. Must have hit rock bottom out there."

I glanced down at my dark gray shirt. This was a custom-made outfit Catherine had a master tailor in Montvale make for me last month. I heard the fabric alone cost 30 thousand dollars. Unassuming as it looked, it was incredibly comfortable.

Just because it lacked a brand logo, they took me for a broke loser?

A guy who used to be somewhat friendly with me tried to smooth things over. "Alex, it's good you're back. Honestly, Ms. Moran has been looking for you all these years."

The smile on Pearl's face stiffened for a second before she brushed it off. "Life hasn't been easy for you out there. Now that you're back, just stay by my side. Richard's driver retired last month. You can take over."

Still the same condescending attitude. She was always acting as if she were doing me a grand favor.

Seeing her again, all I felt was disgust.

I had no desire to waste another second on them and was about to reveal my true identity, but Richard cut in. "Alex, don't blame Ms. Moran. She's only looking out for you.

"Down as you are, offering you a job as a driver is pure charity on her part. She's only doing it because of your past relationship. Don't worry. As long as you drive straight, nobody's going to look down on you. Being a driver beats living off a rich old widow, doesn't it?"

I frowned. Five years had passed, and her crowd remained just as vile.

Pearl mistook my silence for resentment over the past, and a flash of smugness gleamed in her eyes.

"Alright, you know how tough it is out there now. You never had much talent anyway. It's only natural that those older women threw you out once your looks faded.

"Don't worry. I won't hold it against you that you lived off a woman. You used to rely on me back then anyway. Just know your place from now on, and I'll treat you right.

"I still have that apartment you used to live in. You can move back there. It's no villa, but it beats a basement."

Her words triggered another round of mean-spirited laughter from the group.

"See, Alex? Ms. Moran is way too good to you. Worrying you'd suffer out there, she's got your housing and job all sorted. All you have to do is drive for Richard. Isn't that better than catering to old hags? Come on, thank Ms. Moran."

Richard adjusted the Rolex on his wrist, putting on a modest front. "Won't this be too much of a step down for Alex? After all, he was a star student at Bellmont University Fine Arts Department."

Pearl let out a sneer. "What step down? He beat you up over a trivial matter back then. He deserves to suffer a little now.

"Besides, he was never a star student. Who knows what tricks he pulled back then just to get an auditor spot? He didn't even graduate."

Richard feigned sudden realization. "Don't worry, Alex. If you drive well, I'll take care of you. I'll throw in an extra 500 dollars a month for gas."

Even now, she still believed Richard sexually harassing her back then was just harmless fun.

Back then, when she failed to get into her dream university, I couldn't bear to see her heartbroken. So I lied, telling her I was just an auditor at Bellmont University to make her feel better.

As for why I never got that degree…

I gave her a long, hard look.

Because she sent me to prison.

Whatever. There was no point in digging up old history. I had far better things now—a beautiful, capable wife, a sweet daughter, and a second child on the way.