Chapter 2

I snatched the box, ripped it open, and stared inside.

It was completely empty. A brand-new leather bag, identical to mine.

No encrypted drive. No design sketches. Not even a single piece of scrap paper.

"Why the hell did Mrs. Smith send this?! Where is my actual briefcase?!" I spun around and glared at Evelyn.

"What are you screaming about? Mrs. Smith was being thoughtful!" Evelyn got up from the couch and smoothed down the new bag with a satisfied look. "She thought your old leather bag looked cheap, so she bought you a brand-new one out of her own pocket. As for your little sketches and flash drive, her granddaughter isn't done looking at them. She'll give them back in a few days."

"A few days?!" All the blood rushed to my head. My eyes felt like they were going to burst. "My pitch is at nine today! Without my sketches and pass, I get automatically disqualified!"

"Then get disqualified! With your reputation in fashion, can't you just wing it?" Evelyn waved her hand like it was no big deal, totally shameless. "Don't be so selfish. Helping that poor girl get some design inspiration is the greatest good deed you could ever do."

I didn't have time to argue with this crazy woman. I turned on my heel and sprinted toward the garage.

If I floored it in my Porsche right now, I could make it to HQ, find a high-level manager, and get a temporary pass. Even if I had to pitch verbally, I wasn't giving up!

I hit the garage door opener, jumped into the Porsche, and slammed my foot on the gas.

A bright red warning light flashed on the dashboard.

Battery: 0%.

"No, no, no!" I pounded the steering wheel like crazy. "I fully charged it last night!"

Evelyn walked into the garage, leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile. "Oh, I woke up at five this morning to attend morning prayer at the Church of Holy Light. Your sports car drives so smooth, so I took it to pick up and drop off our church sisters all over town. As for last night, didn't you know the neighborhood sent out a notice? The charging grid went down for routine maintenance at eight, so the power was cut off hours ago!"

"Evelyn! Are you even my real mother?!" I completely broke down, screaming at her through my tears. "Why do you have to ruin my life over and over again?!"

"When I was seven, you stripped off my winter coat to 'show love' to a homeless man! I nearly froze to death in the snow and spent two weeks in the ICU!"

"When I was twelve, my blood sugar crashed on the street! I was holding a piece of emergency chocolate, but you snatched it out of my hand to feed a stray dog! I went into shock and ended up in the ICU again!"

"And now, on the biggest pitch of my life, you give away my designs and drain my car's battery!"

Tears streamed down my face, hitting the steering wheel as my whole body shook violently.

Evelyn just scowled, her eyes as cold as a snake. "You ungrateful brat! Everything I do is to wash away your sins! Without the massive good deeds I earned for you, you would’ve died on that hospital bed years ago!"

I pulled out my phone and opened the rideshare app. A red warning popped up: High Demand. Estimated wait time: 45 minutes.

I checked my watch in pure despair: 8:42 AM.

Driven into a corner, my shaking fingers dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?" the dispatcher's voice came through loud and clear.

"This is Chloe, a lead designer at L'étoile! My confidential commercial documents were stolen! I'm being held against my will on 8th Street, and I need emergency police escort to a critical meeting at nine! My location is—"

Tears of hope had barely welled up in my eyes when a sudden shadow lunged at me from the side.

Evelyn charged forward out of nowhere, her face twisted in rage, and slapped my wrist with all her strength!

SMACK!

The iPhone flew through the air in a hopeless arc and landed with a loud splash right into the freezing swimming pool in the yard.