“I’ll kill you!”

The little beggar who once cried and begged me to take him in... the poor boy Elma once hated to even look at... has now become a man who dares to shout at me like some great noble.

I looked at Arthur and laughed. Then I looked at Elma, whose eyes softened after hearing Arthur’s smooth words. I laughed out loud.

I even clapped for them and said, “Actually, you two really do make a good match.” I smiled at the two of them.

“What’s that saying again?” I thought for a moment. Then, I remembered.

“A bitch and a dog?” I looked at Elma’s darkened face. “—what a perfect pair! Forever! Hahahahaha!”

“Right, Elma? Hahahaha!”

“You want to die that bad?!” Elma pushed Arthur aside and rushed toward me. That gave me a chance to move.

I grabbed the knife from the ground and charged at her. The knife stabbed straight into Arthur’s body. At that moment, I saw Elma’s calmness break apart.

The always-cold Elma lost control. “Arty! Arty!” she screamed.

Arthur’s face went pale as he fell into Elma’s arms, but his eyes remained gentle. He touched Elma’s cheek and looked at her with deep love.

“Emmy,” he whispered, “I can protect you too. Emmy…”

Arthur soon lost consciousness completely. And that triggered Elma's panic.

She shouted, “Doctor! Where is the doctor?!”

Before running to the hospital with Arthur in her arms, she turned to me. Her eyes were full of killing intent.

“Jayden! There’s something I wanted to tell you five years ago,” she said, eyes red with fury. “Before I made you sign the divorce papers, when I told you your brother was still alive... I lied.”

She turned and added coldly, “Your brother was already dead before you signed. The papers were just an excuse to make you leave Centrapolis.”

Thunder crashed in the sky. Lightning split the clouds. I seemed to hear my brother’s faint voice calling me.

I saw again the big truck rushing toward us. My brother Jake used all his strength to push me away. He fell straight under the truck.

He looked at me with gentle eyes, reaching out his hand.

“Jake, this hurts,” I crawled to him and held him tight, breaking down in tears. He smiled faintly and said, “But protecting my brother… is worth it.”

From that day on, I lost the only family I had in this world.

Jake fell into an endless sleep, separated from me by the thick hospital door.

At that time, Elma dragged me away from the door and pushed me to the ground. She pointed inside at the sleeping Jake and shouted,

“Jayden, do you know why your brother was there? Because he saw the scandal photos.”

“Jayden, before you hurt me, did you ever think you might hurt the only person who truly loved you?”

“Jayden, sign the papers.” Elma pushed me onto the floor.

I felt all my strength leave me. Then, I looked at the agreement on the ground.

Elma said coldly, “If you sign, I’ll make sure your brother lives. If you promise to leave Centrapolis forever, I’ll take care of him.”

But later—Just after I got on the plane, I received a video from Arthur.

In the video, my brother was buried without respect, not even a proper tombstone.

Arthur’s voice appeared from the video. “Jayden, this is what you get for messing with me,” he said with full mockery.

“That car crash was never an accident,” Arthur’s voice pierced my heart. Each words grew like sharp vines in my chest and torn my flesh.

“Emmy just wanted to teach you a lesson that day. She never thought your brother would risk his life for you.”

“And whose fault is that?” I asked.

“Blame yourself for being cheap,” he answered.

I went wild and wanted to jump off the plane and go home. But the cabin was full of Elma’s men—those she ordered to watch my movements.

I could not get out of the plane. I couldn't even return to Centrapolis.

I stayed abroad for five years. Five full years.

I watched that vine grow into a giant tree in my chest. Every breath hurt like I was choking.

I had thought even the signed paper was real. I lost my mind and tried to rush at Elma, but guards held me down. I could only watch Elma carry Arthur away.

“Elma!” I screamed like a madman. “I will make you pay! Elma! I will kill you! I will fucking kill you!”

The crowd around me snickered in mockery.

“Look at him, he’s crazy! Everyone knows Ms. Green is in charge in Centrapolis!”

“I heard that story—Ms. Green made Mr. Hall disappear, ground him to ashes. Mr. Evans even livestreamed.”

My head rang as I continued hearing people’s comments.

“She crushed him to ashes—so cruel.”

“Ms. Green said if someone makes Mr. Evans unhappy, she will make that person suffer a hundredfold—even her own husband.”

“Didn’t Ms. Green also use her ex-husband to become rich?”

The voices faded into rain. A heavy storm poured on me. Their words kept playing in my mind like a loop.

Five years ago, Arthur smiled and praised Elma, “I never wanted Ms. Green to love me so much, but she said if someone makes me unhappy, she will make that person suffer a hundredfold.”

They opened the coffin that held my brother.

I rasped, “No—” but no one heard.

I watched them cruelly open the box. Elma scooped up a handful of ashes and threw them into the air.

For a moment the air felt warm, like my brother’s last warmth. The rain and the ashes together felt like a strange, painful comfort.

“No—” I shouted again, madly begging them, “Please, don’t do this to my brother!”

A ringing pulled me back to the present. I cried and told the person on the phone, “I will get revenge! I will make Elma pay! I want Arthur dead! I want them dead!”

Arthur was not badly hurt. He only pretended to be weak to get Elma’s pity. He watched her care for him and smiled.

“Emmy,” he said, “after this is over, will you marry me?”

Even after five years, Elma loved him but would not give him a proper status. He begged for a rightful place by her side.

“Emmy,” Arthur choked, “I only want the right to stand by you officially.”

His fragile and needy look softened Elma’s heart. However, before she could answer the hospital door burst open.

I was covered in blood and mud, my hands still holding the knife. I met Elma’s shocked face. “You really won’t just drop dead—”

I felt a pang of disbelieve before I could finsih my words.

I rushed straight to Elma and stabbed her in the chest.

I grabbed her hair and laughed coldly. “Elma! Today is the day you die!”