Chapter 1

On the day Yara Cullen was released from prison, it was raining.

A chilly wind carried the drizzle, striking her as the media swarmed the prison gates.

"Ms. Cullen, in the Crestwood Estate sexual assault case, your client lost the lawsuit and took her own life six months ago. Her mother is demanding accountability. Do you have anything to say?”

"Ms. Cullen, your attorney's license has been revoked, and your mentor was forced to retire. What are your thoughts on this?"

No matter how the reporters pressed, Yara kept her head down and pushed forward, forcing her way through the crowd.

A black G-Wagon was parked by the roadside, where Westley Langston leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette.

Beside him, Elena Cullen tugged at his arm. He turned, glancing toward the prison gates.

The two of them walked up to Yara.

Elena pointed at the scar on Yara’s forehead, her face twisted in shock as if she’d seen a ghost.

"Yara, what happened to your forehead? It’s so ugly and terrifying! You looked disfigured!"

Yara lowered her head and adjusted her bangs, trying to cover the scar, but it was too large to hide.

The scar was a result of the bullying she endured in prison.

Westley remained silent, his gaze cold and distant.

With a cheerful smile, Elena pulled out a box.

"Yara, this is a gift from Westley and me. It’s a pair of new shoes. A little reminder to stay on the right path and not make the same mistakes again."

To Yara, the words were dripping with irony.

She knew all too well why she ended up in prison a year ago, and no one was more aware of it than Elena and Westley.

Yara was a lawyer with an impeccable five-year record, celebrated as a gold-standard attorney in the industry.

Elena, on the other hand, was the Cullen family’s illegitimate heiress, brought back by their father two years ago.

She was also a lawyer, but after three years of practice, she had never won a single case, earning her the reputation as one of the most incompetent lawyers in the industry.

However, everything changed because of the Crestwood Estate case a year ago.

In that case, Yara represented the victim, a young girl, suing the wealthy businessman, Leo Harrington.

Elena was Leo’s defense attorney.

Initially, the evidence was conclusive, and victory seemed assured for the victim.

But the night before the trial, all the evidence on Yara’s computer vanished, leading to a devastating loss.

The case garnered widespread attention, and the media painted the young victim as a prostitute.

Shortly after, Yara was accused of fabricating evidence.

Her law license was revoked, and she was sentenced to a year in prison.

Meanwhile, Elena, having won the case, rose to prominence almost overnight.

For quite some time, Yara couldn’t understand how it had all happened until she stumbled upon a private chat group on Westley’s phone, consisting of him, Elena, and their father.

“Elena, your sister has her reputation and status, yet she showed you no mercy in court. I think she just wants to humiliate you.”

“Your sister was indeed out of line, Elena. Dad’s on your side.”

“What about you, Westley? What do you think?”

"Elena, just tell me which evidence or files you want gone."

…

The car drove toward the Cullen family estate. Along the way, Yara stared out at the cityscape passing by.

A year was neither too long nor too short, yet it felt like everything had changed in that brief span of time.

The Cullen family villa had been completely renovated inside and out, and Yara immediately noticed that the peach tree at the front gate was gone.

She rushed over and asked one of the housekeepers, "What happened to the peach tree my mom planted?"

The housekeeper responded with a cold glare. "Miss Elena prefers chamomile tea. She insisted it had to be grown at home, so Mr. Cullen had the tree cut down and replaced it with chamomile plants."

Yara felt as though her heart was struck with a heavy blow.

The peach tree was over twenty years old. It had been planted by her mother when she was alive and was the only memory her mother left for her.

Now it had been cut down just because Elena wanted chamomile tea.

Yara turned and headed back inside, intending to confront her father, but before she could, a hysterical woman came rushing out and grabbed her.

A sharp slap landed on her face with a loud crack.

The woman clung to her, sobbing and accusing her bitterly.

"Everyone, look! This heartless lawyer is the one who caused my daughter’s death!"