Chapter 1

Benjamin's POV

After I turned down Sophia Lambert’s offer, she went stiff almost imperceptibly.

Orlando Hulk wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her hair to comfort her.

“Babe, he’s probably busy. Another entrepreneur is coming next week to sponsor the program, and he’ll need to line up for that too.”

The people at the back of the line urged us to move along.

Orlando dropped a double portion of supplies into the satchel hanging across my chest. The extra weight pulled my body downward.

I took a steady breath. I fought back the urge to cough up blood as I struggled to keep my footing.

Even so, my upper body pitched forward, and I crashed to the ground.

The milk spilled everywhere.

I instinctively tried to push myself back up.

But the drug traffickers had crippled my hands using electric shocks during interrogations.

Sophia paused mid-stride.

Orlando crouched beside me and patted me on the back. I saw the humiliating sight of myself writhing helplessly on the ground from the reflection in his satisfied gaze.

“Sorry about that. The rules say one allotment per person. Since you spilled yours, there’s nothing we can do. Even though we know each other, I can’t make an exception for you.”

The people waiting behind us were unaware of the situation. They grumbled angrily at me for wasting food.

Just then, Wendy Zen finished her patrol and happened to witness the scene. She threw down her motorcycle and rushed over.

Her eyes turned red with anger as she confronted Sophia, who stayed rooted in place.

“How can you treat him like this? Do you have any idea what he has done for you?”

Wendy helped me up from the ground. I coughed very badly and shook my head almost pleadingly.

Sophia was about to get married and step into a life of wealth and privilege.

We had missed our chance, and there was no getting it back.

Back then, Sophia’s parents were both narcotics officers. They had rescued me from a transnational child trafficking operation and taken me in.

A few years later, they dismantled the network of the country’s most notorious drug lord. As a result, they became the target of ruthless retaliation.

One died, and the other was left permanently disabled.

Before the explosion at the harbor, Sophia’s mother, Mary Lambert, held back her tears as she entrusted her only daughter to me.

From then on, I swore I would protect Sophia with my life.

For a time, our days were peaceful. We depended on each other, and somewhere along the way, we fell in love.

On our wedding day, a few scar-faced men showed up in the middle of the crowd of guests.

A chill ran down my spine. The day I had feared had finally arrived.

The drug lord had always wanted to wipe out the Lambert family to satisfy his thirst for revenge.

As information filtered down through layers of subordinates, all knew that there was one surviving child in the family.

I took her place and claimed to be the surviving family member.

I was worried that Sophia would notice something wrong, so I slipped her a sleeping pill.

Then, I got into my car and drove the scar-faced men away.

What I had not expected was that, during my absence, a hotel employee had handed out the wrong room key and given it to Orlando. Orlando had pursued Sophia for years. As a result, he took advantage of the opportunity and claimed Sophia.

When I returned from giving my statement at the police station, I saw Sophia covered with a blanket inside the hotel room. She sobbed and demanded an explanation from me.

Orlando navigated both the lawful and unlawful circles. He had recently cleaned up his image and became a businessman. He had sufficient resources to keep someone safe.

He made me realize my own weaknesses.

I did not have a foolproof security team. The drug lord would learn the truth sooner or later.

In the end, I did not explain anything to Sophia.

I only told her that Orlando had always loved her and would take good care of her.

I counted the money right in front of her and walked away.

The moment I turned around, tears streamed down my face.

After Wendy Zen sent me home, she stocked the refrigerator and prepared dinner.

Back then, she was the rookie officer who had stepped into the wedding and pretended to be my bride to help me out of a desperate situation.

She was also the one who introduced me to the police as an informant.

Thanks to Wendy, I was eventually able to help bring the drug lord who had killed Sophia’s parents to justice.

I was about to ask her to stay for dinner when my phone rang.

Orlando dropped the courteous mask he had donned during the day to warn me coldly from the other end of the line.