Chapter 1

Staring intently at the judge, Aella sat there, anxiety written all over her face as she awaited the verdict of the judge concerning her brother's case.

Her brother, Collins, was accused of a crime he never committed: rape.

Her gaze went up to her brother as he shook his head, indicating that he was innocent and knew nothing about what he had been accused of.

Hurt and betrayal were clearly written on his face as he averted his gaze from the judge to the family that had framed him. The family that housed the real culprit.

They were the people he worked for as a cleaner in their mansion, along with the victim, who happened to be his girlfriend.

She was raped by the son of his boss, but in an effort to manipulate the situation, they bribed the girl's family to coerce her into accusing Collins instead of their own son.

"After hearing from both parties," the judge's voice resounded in the court, and this brought Aella out of her thoughts as she focused on the judge to hear the judgment that would be passed on to her brother.

"This honorable court..." He paused, his gaze fixed on the accused, Collins, who stood in the witness box, visibly consumed by fear and anxiety.

"...finds you, Collins Thompson, guilty of the accusation of rape, and you are hereby sentenced to fifteen years in prison... while the court finds Liam Macaulay not guilty."

Rage and sadness rose within Aella as soon as she heard the judgment.

She tried to get to her brother but was stopped by the police as she watched them whisk him away from the courtroom.

"I promise to get you out of there, brother!" She screamed at the top of her voice.

Seething with rage, she glanced at the girl and her family, who were sitting amidst the crowd in the courtroom.

Then, her gaze shifted to the real culprit and his family, who were smirking with confidence in a corner.

She stomped outside to go and have a talk with the lawyer who was in charge of her brother's case.

"Barrister John!" She called out, and a young man in his early thirties, dressed in the customary attire of a black robe and white wig and clutching a leather-bound legal briefcase, turned to her amidst the crowd leaving the courtroom.

Hurrying down to him and slightly out of breath, she went on, "Barrister John, we both know that Collins... isn't guilty of the crime he was...sentenced to prison for," she said, her voice trembling as she spoke to him.

"Err… Well, Miss Thompson, you heard when the girl testified that your brother was the one who had violated her."

"And there was other evidence, along with witnesses to corroborate it... I'm sorry, but at that moment, the case was out of my hands," he said with a shrug.

"I really tried my best to help you and your brother despite the little you paid me, but I guess you just have to suck it up." He said it with an air of indifference.

"It is just fifteen years, after all." He added.

If only looks could kill, then he would have been dead by that moment as Aella shot him a deadly glare.

"If you would excuse me," and with that, he walked away.

She felt her phone vibrate in her hand, and as she checked the caller ID, it turned out to be the doctor in charge of the hospital her grandmother was admitted to.

"Hi, Dr. Martinez," she said as soon as she picked up the call.

"Good day, Miss Thompson. As you are aware, I'm calling regarding your grandmother's health."

"Her condition is deteriorating rapidly, and her kidney has ceased to function," he explained over the phone.

"I'm afraid there's a significant risk that she may not survive this illness unless she undergoes a kidney transplant within the next few weeks," he concluded.

"No…"Aella muttered.

She had been tested and confirmed as a potential donor for her grandmother. However, the delay in the entire process was primarily due to the cost of the transplant.

Aella was already feeling suffocated after hearing what the doctor said.

"Dr. Martinez, please, I am begging you to do everything in your power to save my grandmother.

"I promise I'll find a way to get the money... I'll pay you," she said with a shaky voice.

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do, Miss Thompson. It's only fair that you deposit at least half of the money before we can do anything for her."

"Remember that we have treated her without collecting a dime from you. Or better still, you can take her to another hospital."

A brief silence lingered between them over the line before the doctor's voice returned, saying, "Have a nice day." And with that, the call came to an end.

Aella felt like the whole world was closing in on her. She wondered how she was supposed to come up with a whopping sum of twenty million dollars for her grandmother's kidney transplant surgery when she only had three thousand dollars in her account.

Frustrated, she crouched down in front of the court as others left the court premises. She caught a glimpse of Emily, Collins' girlfriend, who had played a vital role in putting him in jail.

As she attempted to call out Emily's name, another call came in, and this time, it was from her boss, Simon.

Aella worked as a waitress at a restaurant. While the pay wasn't sufficient to cover all her expenses, it was still reasonable.

Groaning in frustration, she picked up the call. "Good morning, Mr. Simon," she greeted anxiously, already anticipating his outburst as he is a man with anger issues.

"What is good about the morning, Aella? Huh?! You tell me what's good about the morning. Your shift was supposed to start at 8 a.m., and it's now past ten, yet you're not here," he exclaimed suddenly as soon as she greeted him.

"...errm, Sir, I-"

"Cut the crap, Aella!" He stopped her from explaining anything to him.

"I am not paying you to slack off or just play around, Aella."

"In fact, you are fired! Don't bother showing up at the restaurant anymore."

"Wait, sir, you can't do it." But the line was long dead.

Aella felt like the whole world was against her. "Where do I start from?" She asked herself as tears streamed down her cheeks.