Chapter 2

A contract for a top-tier project landed on the desk in front of me, the second female lead's name printed on the cover.

Richard sat behind his desk. "Take it. It's not the lead, but the team behind it is solid."

I'd once told him how much I loved this project and how badly I wanted a part in it. I hadn't expected him to remember.

I tried to smile but couldn't, then pushed the contract back across the desk.

"Give it to Daisy. She's a better fit."

Richard froze, his brow furrowing as if he couldn't understand what I was saying.

He was about to speak when the door flew open.

Daisy rushed in and threw herself into Richard's arms, her face twisted with fear.

"Richard! Help me..."

Tears streamed down Daisy's face as she pointed toward the door. "The gift Eve sent me... it's horrible..."

She turned to her assistant and shouted, "Bring the box in!"

Her assistant placed the gift box on the desk and opened it. The metallic smell of blood hit us.

It was filled with bloody razor blades and dozens of photos of Daisy, each with bright red Xs slashed across her eyes and mouth.

Richard held Daisy in his arms and soothed her as he glared at me.

"You act so gracious, but behind everyone's back, you pull filthy stunts like this? Eve, you've disgraced the entire company!"

He never questioned it. He simply decided I was guilty.

I clutched the hem of my shirt and met his gaze, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

"I would never do anything like this. Richard, you've known me for 20 years. No matter how much I hated someone, I'd never stoop this low!"

Richard hesitated for two seconds, and the suspicion in his eyes began to fade.

But then Daisy began sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, her face the picture of wounded innocence.

"Maybe someone used Eve's name to set me up. I should've been more careful..."

"That's not all..."

Owen Price, Richard's assistant, walked in and handed him a tablet.

"Mr. Crane, look at today's headlines... Ms. Lawson even paid influencers to spread rumors that Daisy slept her way to the top and hogged all the best opportunities. The internet is flooded with smear articles, some even featuring fake screenshots of bank transfers!"

Daisy screamed and passed out.

Richard glanced at the screen, and his eyes went ice-cold.

He turned to Owen. "Get those stories taken down. Tell legal to freeze all of Eve's bank accounts and put her comeback on hold!

"Tell them anyone who hires her will be blacklisted! And lock her in her apartment right now. No one sees her without my permission!"

Richard scooped Daisy up and headed for the door.

"Richard!" I ran after him, desperate to explain. "Check the security footage! Check the payment accounts, and you'll see I had nothing to do with any of this!"

He didn't listen. He turned and shoved me away.

"Get back to your apartment and think about what you did!"

He pushed me harder than he intended. I stumbled backward and slammed my back into the doorframe.

A bolt of nerve pain shot through my spine.

The pain was so intense that I curled up on the floor, my entire body convulsing.

Owen sucked in a breath. "Sir... something's wrong with Ms. Lawson..."

I fought through the pain, pushed Owen's hand away when he tried to help me, and forced myself up on shaking legs.

"Don't worry about me. I can walk on my own."

This pain would make sure I never forgot this moment or longed for Richard's warmth again.

Late that night.

Back at my apartment, my internet had been cut off and all my bank cards had been frozen. I was running a high fever, curled up under the covers and shivering.

In my feverish haze, I felt as if I'd gone back to the days right after my parents died.

Overnight, I'd become an orphan, buried under debts I couldn't repay even in several lifetimes.

My relatives shut their doors on me, and I ended up on the street.

When the debt collectors tracked me down, I was sure they'd beat me half to death.

But they didn't.

Richard appeared when I had nowhere else to turn. From then on, we were each other's only family.

Just like that, the young man who had been more like an older brother became my adoptive father.

He stroked my hair and promised me, "Eve, I'll always protect you.

"I've paid off all your debts. From now on, you can lean on me."

From that day on, I saw him as my savior and the center of my world.