Chapter 1

"Who on earth are you calling?" Marvin Cooper snapped. "A helicopter? Seriously, Hannah Huston. Have you been reading too many trashy romance novels that they've fried your brain?"

Marvin stared at me coldly, his lips curling into a deeply mocking sneer. As he flicked his custom lighter open and shut, the sharp metallic click sounded harsh in the spacious living room.

Alyssa hid behind him and covered her mouth in a sweet, delicate giggle. "Don't talk about Hannah like that, Marvin. She's probably just scared. Taking the fall means spending years in prison, after all.

"She grew up in an orphanage and hasn't seen much of the world, so, understandably, she's fantasizing about a romance story with some billionaire CEO."

Though her voice was soft and gentle, her words were as poisonous and sharp as venom-coated needles.

Clutching the phone, now with a completely black screen, I shot a cold stare at the despicable pair standing before me.

"I'm not joking, Marvin. I'm not signing that confession, and I'm not taking the fall for a crime."

Marvin shot to his feet and came to me in a few big strides. He towered over me, staring down with eyes full of contempt and a sense of superiority.

"Enough with the pathetic act, Hannah. Do you honestly think pretending to be stubborn is going to make me go soft on you?

"I'm telling you, Alyssa's hands are meant for playing the piano and can't be stained by the slightest imperfection. Who do you think you are, compared to her?

"You literally owe your life to me! If I hadn't been giving you your monthly allowances, you would've starved to death on the streets years ago!"

He reached out to jab me violently in my shoulder. "Now is the time to pay your debt. Go to the police station and take the blame. I'll obviously get you out once the storm blows over."

I stumbled a step back from his harsh jabs, feeling a wave of nausea roll through my stomach.

For three years, I had burned my hands cooking and cleaning for him. For Alyssa, I had donated my blood over and over again, until I became severely anemic and fainted from exhaustion, all because of a single sentence he had told me, "Alyssa has a rare blood type, and yours is a match. Save her."

I had foolishly believed I could melt his frozen heart, only to realize I had been caring for a venomous snake instead.

"Are you delusional, Marvin? I met his gaze without the slightest fear and continued, "I already said I'm not signing it. Alyssa ran into someone with her car, so she's the one who should go to prison for it."

When Alyssa heard that, her eyes immediately turned red, and tears started rolling down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.

"Look at her, Marvin… How could she curse me like that? I'm scared. Who's going to stay with you if I actually end up behind bars?"

She clung to Marvin's sleeve tightly and buried her face in his chest, while he wrapped his arms around her in distress.

When he turned to look at me, the look in his eyes instantly turned dark and menacing.