Chapter 1

"It is this court's decision that the defendant, Ezekiel Clark, is found guilty of the charges of murder and fund-raising fraud, and will be sentenced to death two years from now."

Thunk!

Following the sound of the gavel striking against the sound block, Ezekiel's fate was sealed.

Catelyn stood up abruptly from the audience stand. Tears gathered in her amber-colored eyes but stubbornly refused to fall as she stared anxiously at Ezekiel.

"Dad…" She went up in an attempt to speak to Ezekiel, and it felt like there was a lump in her throat.

Dressed in the prisoner's white uniform, Ezekiel was dragged along the way by a few prison guards. He looked worn, without a trace of his previous spirit. He appeared as though he had aged, and even his sideburns had started to turn gray.

"Cat, believe me—I am not a murderer. All these are false accusations; my enemies are framing me!"

Catelyn's heart ached at this. She believed with all her heart that her kind father could not possibly be a murderer. With tears pooling in her eyes, she hoarsely croaked, "Don't worry, Dad, I'll find a way to overturn your case and get you out!"

When the guard saw Catelyn in his way, he pulled her away impatiently. "This isn't time for your visit. The prisoner needs to return to the prison."

As though all strength was drained from her body, Catelyn stumbled and fell to the ground. The skin on her wrist tore, but despite the pain, she could not shed a tear when she still had to find a way to save her father.

'I… That's right! I'll go find Jamie Mason! He's my fiancé, and he must have ways to handle this!' She thought to herself before dialing Jamie in tears like he was her lifeline.

"You're begging me to save your dad? Don't be so naïve, Catelyn. The arrangement between us was based on your father's financial status. Now, with him going to prison and the Clark family announcing bankruptcy, why should I help him?"

Though they were physically apart and only connected by a phone call, Jamie's words stabbed Catelyn in the heart like countless knives. She bit her lower lip so hard that she could draw blood. With a trembling voice, she asked, "The entire community knows about the union between the Clarks and Masons, and even if you want to withdraw from the arrangement, you still need to at least act your place! Aren't you afraid of ruining the Mason family's reputation?"

"Well, that is something I need to pay attention to," Jamie responded carelessly. "Since you asked nicely, I'll give you a chance. Come to the Four-Seasons Hotel tonight at nine, and if you can satisfy me, I might consider your proposal."

Catelyn gritted her teeth as blood rushed toward her head. "You're rubbing salt into our wound!"

He sneered in contempt, "The ball is in your court now."

The tears Catelyn tried so hard to keep at bay the whole day finally cascaded down her cheeks, her defenses finally crumbling at that moment.

Jamie made it clear that he would not be marrying her yet still asked her to keep him company in a hotel, which meant that he wanted her to be his secret lover.

Regardless, what would happen to her father if she refused to go?

All her fair-weather friends pretended to not know her with what was happening to her father, and amid her despair, Catelyn decided to dance with the devil.

When she arrived at a specific room in Four-Seasons Hotel, she knocked on the door and realized the door was not locked. She pushed the door open with a trembling hand and stepped into the darkness.

Catelyn pursed her lips, her lashes fluttering as she feebly called out, "Jamie? I came as you asked. You—mmpfh!"

Before she could finish, a shadow ran by before her. The man grabbed onto Catelyn's wrists with both his hands before she had the chance to react and pinned them on each side of her head against the door.

"No. Jamie, calm down…" Terrified at the abruptness, she shivered uncontrollably, but the man had completely lost his senses.

…

Beep, beep!

An unknown period had passed, and Catelyn was woken by the sound of notification from her phone.

She struggled to move her body and slowly clenched her fists. For a moment, she desperately wanted to kill that wretched fiancé of hers, even if it would cost her life.

Alas, Catelyn then remembered that her father was still in prison, waiting for her to get him out.

She took her phone miserably, and a message popped into her sight that read, [Cat, hurry back. Your dad got into a car accident on his way back to prison, and we don't know if he's going to live!]

Her blood froze the moment she saw the message, and she immediately sat up. Without a care for anything else, she frantically put on her clothes before stumbling outside.

'Why would he be in a car accident? He was fine just now!' fretted Catelyn anxiously.

As she was leaving, a breeze lifted the curtains, and the pearl white moonlight shone onto the bed through it, bringing light to the man's face.

He had an aquiline nose, seductively thin lips, and stern features. Everything was put together delicately like the work of God himself, and even when the man was asleep, his brows furrowed out of habit.

It was a face that resembled Jamie in some way, but he was not Jamie Mason.