Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 8

For a moment, it felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.Before I could even process what I was looking at, a notification on my phone brought me back to reality. It was a text from Dad."Don't worry about me, Chase. I'm fine. A couple of painkiller shots will do the trick."I clamped a hand over my mouth as my heart pounded painfully against my ribs.My eyes fell on the bank records showing the massive deductions over the past few months.I'd thought Dad had finally started spending money on himself instead of pinching every penny for my sake. But it turned out that someone else had been spending his money.The moment I got home, I threw the bank statement onto the coffee table."Why is my dad's retirement fund under James's name?""All my savings are tied up in a company project right now. I can't access them," Shannon Stewart said after freezing for a split second. She added, "Putting Mr. Gardner Senior's name on the fund was just a precaution in

My flight for the overseas assignment was scheduled for two days later. In a rare act of generosity, my boss paid me three months' worth of salary in advance.I used the money to build Dad the finest headstone I could afford. He had lived his whole life frugally and worked himself to the bone. He deserved a beautiful place to rest in death.When I got home, I started packing.There wasn't much in the house that actually belonged to me anymore. Sean and James had gradually taken over almost every corner.Once I'd packed Dad's belongings, it was as if we'd never lived there at all.A moment later, Shannon walked in. A child followed her into the room.I kept folding my clothes and placing them in my suitcase one by one.Leaning against the doorframe, she frowned at me."What are you doing? Are you going back to your hometown like your dad?" she asked. "You've had a sour face ever since Mr. Gardner Senior moved in, and now you're pulling this stunt? Do you have any idea how that m

The takeout container hit the floor, sending stew splashing everywhere. Sean jumped back in fright.The next second, Shannon grabbed him by the shoulders. Her eyes were wide. "What did you just say? What happened to Chase's dad?"Sean froze before catching himself and quickly changing his tune. "Oh, I was just joking. I haven't seen Chase's dad in days, so I guess I went too far…"Shannon sighed, but her frown didn't ease. "That's not something you joke about. Think before you speak next time."With that, she called housekeeping to clean up the room while repeatedly checking the messages she had sent me.However, none of her messages were answered."Shannon," James began. "I'm feeling much better now. When are we going on that trip around the world? I need to start picking out some clothes. You two can share a room when we book the hotels. I won't get in the way.""Dad…" Sean shot James an embarrassed look. The tips of his ears turned bright red.Neither of them noticed the g

By the time I arrived at my new company overseas, everything had already been arranged. The pay was three times what I'd been making before. It reminded me of all the money I'd once saved by denying myself things. I'd wanted to give Dad a better life, but he was gone now.While I was organizing some documents, my phone buzzed. Every cent of the million-dollar retirement fund had been returned. There were another two million on top of that.The transfer note read, "I'll repay everything I owe you twice over. Please come back."I knew Shannon was the one who sent it. She'd never used the word "please" with me before. Maybe she had learned that Dad had died. Maybe she had found out that I was framed. Either way, it didn't matter anymore.I locked my phone and went back to work.That evening, my former boss called me. "Your wife came by the office today asking where you were. I kept it confidential as you requested, but it's only a matter of time before she finds you. She looked lik