Chapter 2

Chaos erupted throughout the ballroom.

Guests exchanged uneasy glances and whispered among themselves, speculating about who would dare pull such a stunt at a Carter family event.

As every eye searched the crowd, I picked up a glass of red wine from a nearby table and gave it a gentle swirl before slowly rising to my feet.

The steady click of my dress shoes cut through the commotion.

I walked from the corner of the room toward the stage, stopping beside the black chest.

"No need to keep looking."

A trace of cold amusement colored my voice. "I'm the one who sent the gift."

In an instant, every gaze in the ballroom locked onto me—the masked stranger standing at the center of the storm.

"You?!" Wendy pointed at me, her lips trembling with rage.

"Who are you? Why would you curse my son with something so vile?"

Raymond shrank behind his mother, glaring at me with a mixture of fear and fury.

"I don't even know you! You're insane! Are you jealous of me? Is that why you're pulling this pathetic stunt?"

I ignored their shouting.

Instead, my gloved hand brushed lightly across the cold surface of the urn.

"Don't misunderstand," I said softly. "This gift wasn't for the Carter family's eldest heir."

I paused and lifted my gaze.

Behind the mask, my eyes fixed on them like sharpened blades.

"It was for the Carter family's younger heir. He passed away not long ago, and his funeral services have barely concluded. As his family, I thought it was only proper that you pay your respects."

"The younger heir?"

The words sent a shockwave through the room.

Reynold let out a laugh of pure disbelief.

"What absolute nonsense! Raymond is our only son. Where did this so-called younger heir come from? Stop spreading absurd lies!"

"Exactly!" Wendy snapped. "You're obviously a lunatic who came here to cause trouble! Security, arrest him and call the police!"

The guests immediately joined in.

"The Carter family has another heir?"

"I've never heard that before. Raymond's an only child. Everyone in Kingsford knows that."

"Who even is this guy? Hiding behind a mask and talking in riddles. Is he mentally unstable or something?"

As the whispers spread and the Carters continued their denials, the smile at the corner of my mouth grew colder.

"Really?"

I let out a mocking laugh and calmly pulled a document from the inner pocket of my suit.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it straight at Reynold's face.

"Then open your eyes and take a good look. Isn't this the adoption certificate your family personally filed for Owen Blackwell?"

Reynold instinctively caught the papers.

The moment he saw the words "Adoptive Parents: Reynold Carter and Wendy Lowe" stamped beneath an official seal, the color drained from his face.

Wendy leaned over to look.

The instant she saw it, every trace of blood vanished from her face as well.

They never imagined I would have a copy of that document.

Yet even now, they made one last desperate attempt to deny it.

Reynold forced himself to remain calm and crumpled the papers in his fist and roared, "It's fake! That document is fake! We don't know anyone named Owen Blackwell! Keep spreading these lies, and I'll sue you for defamation!"

"Still denying it?"

I chuckled as though I'd just heard the world's funniest joke and gave a slow, deliberate clap.

My assistant immediately understood.

He glanced toward the control booth.

The next second, the images of luxury gifts vanished from the giant screen.

In their place appeared a crystal-clear DNA test report.

My voice rang through the ballroom once more.

This time, it carried the weight of a verdict.

"Of course you didn't know Owen Blackwell."

I paused.

"The only person you ever knew was a donor whose heart happened to be a perfect match for your precious son.

"You used a forged DNA report claiming Owen was your biological child to take him from the orphanage. You told him you were the parents he'd been searching for all his life. You gave him hope."

The ballroom fell deathly silent.

"And then, just as he was eagerly preparing to attend the homecoming you'd promised him..."

My gaze swept across the Carter family.

"You sent him into an operating room and carved his heart out of his chest."

Every word struck like a thunderclap.

No one even dared to breathe.

"Reynold Carter. Wendy Lowe."

My voice turned ice-cold.

"When you look at the son standing alive and healthy on this stage, don't you ever dream of the boy you murdered with your own hands? Does he ever ask why you killed him?"