When the report landed on the floor, Mom's fingers jerked.

Before she could bend down to pick it up, Uncle Donald snatched it and tore it into pieces.

"El, where did Walter get someone to make this?" he scoffed.

"The workmanship is terrible. It's not even as convincing as the death certificate I personally made for you back then."

"Bullshit!" I roared.

My eyes reddened as I stared at the shredded paper scattered across the ground.

Uncle Donald moved to Mom's side and sighed.

"Because Walter faked his death, the media is turning on Ferguson Group. The stock price is already dropping, El. You need to fix this."

He turned to me with a stern look.

"You almost had us fooled. Even a prank should have limits. Mike, tell your father to come out right now and prove in front of everyone that he's still alive."

"Walter used to be the most reasonable person when it came to the bigger picture. How did he become like this?"

Mom looked at me with nothing but disappointment in her eyes.

I remembered how she used to stand up for him fiercely in public whenever relatives made cruel remarks about him.

At charity galas, the mere hint of an insult, labeling him a country bumpkin, was enough to make her spend exorbitant amounts of money just to stand by him and put an end to the ridicule.

No matter how busy she was, she always came home on time because she never wanted him to wait an extra minute.

I stared at her, unable to look away.

When did Mom become this stranger?

A malicious gleam flashed through Uncle Donald's eyes.

"The only reason everyone's paying so much attention to this is that Mike is the nation's top scorer. But what if he isn't?"

My breath caught.

"I had someone look into it. Mike hasn't set foot in a high school for three years. How could he possibly be the nation's top scorer?"

Mom's gaze darkened as she looked at me.

"So, you cheated, Mike. It seems the only way for me to salvage some reputation for Ferguson Group is to turn you in myself."

Panic flooded through me.

Being accepted into a good university had been Dad's final wish while he was still alive.

"You can't do that!" I shouted.

"I'm your mother. I can do whatever I want," she said, fixing me with a cold stare.

"If you don't want me to do it, then tell me where your father is."

My throat felt parched and scorched.

"I've already told you. Dad is in this river. That's why I've been searching for it every single day."

Mom seemed unconvinced.

"You never learn until you hit rock bottom, do you?"

The last trace of warmth vanished from her eyes as she dialed the Department of Education's reporting hotline.

"Hello. I'm Eloise Ferguson, President of Ferguson Group and the mother of candidate Mike Ferguson. I am formally reporting my son for cheating on the SAT."

"For the sake of fairness and integrity, I request that all of his examination results be invalidated."

My vision went black.

In that instant, my entire world collapsed.

Uncle Donald chuckled softly.

"Walter's still missing. I guess he doesn't give a damn about Mike's results. Perhaps he thinks that since the Ferguson family has money, whether Mike goes to university or not doesn't matter."

Mom stared at me and said coldly, "You're never going to university. You and your father will rely on me for everything for the rest of your lives."

"From this moment on, every drop in Ferguson Group's stock price goes on your tab. Let's see how much longer your father can hide."

The reporters, however, didn't take the bait as Mom had planned.

They smelled a bigger story.

"Mrs. Ferguson, are you reporting your own son for cheating to cover up the scandal surrounding your husband's death and the abuse of your son?"

"Netizens are already organizing a boycott against the Ferguson Group. Do you intend to resign and assume responsibility for this?"

Mom clenched her teeth. Even her breathing grew noticeably heavier.

I knew that look.

She was truly furious.

My heart sank.

The next second, Mom grabbed my arm. Her grip was so fierce it felt as though she was trying to shatter my bones.

"Move."

She dragged me away and threw me into the back seat of her Maybach.

We arrived at Grandma's gravesite.

Following Dad's final wishes, I came here every month to clean and maintain it.

Mom stood before the grave and said coldly, "Either your father comes out on his own, or I force him to come out. You can choose for him."

The instant I grasped what Mom was about to do, a sudden rush of blood surged to my head.

I was trembling all over.

I threw myself at her and pushed her hard in the chest.

"During those years when you pretended to be poor, Grandma emptied her retirement savings to support your business! She pitied you for being an orphan. She scrimped and saved so she could give you the best of everything. She treated you like her own child. How could you...

Mom simply lowered her eyes and regarded me coldly.

"Your father even told you that. Donald was right. He was simply trying to leverage past favors to control us."

Her expression turned even colder.

"Since you won't choose, I'll choose for you."

The henchmen behind her stepped forward.

With a single swing of a hammer, Grandma's tombstone shattered.

"No!"

I threw myself over the grave, clawing at the coffin's seams with my bare fingers.

One year, Dad had worked himself until he collapsed. Even while unconscious in bed, he had kept calling out for his mother.

If he knew that because of him, Grandma couldn't rest in peace even after death, how heartbroken would he be?

"Move."

Mom's bodyguard pried my fingers loose. It felt as though the skin and flesh were being ripped from my fingertips.

Dad still didn't appear.

Mom emptied every last bit of Grandma's remains onto the ground.

"Walter is truly heartless," Uncle Donald said from the side. "Though you scattered his mother's remains, he still won't appear. No wonder he played dumb all those years you were pretending to be poor. He was just scheming to stay by your side."

Uncle Donald suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled.

"Oh, dear. I really shouldn't have said that."

Mom froze, then turned sharply toward him.

"What do you mean by that? Walter knew all along that I was faking being poor?"

"You're lying!" I blurted out almost instinctively. "Dad never knew anything about it. He genuinely loved Mom!"

Mom's expression darkened completely.

A flash of triumph flickered through Uncle Donald's eyes as he stepped closer to her.

"El, do you remember when Mom adopted me? She used to joke that I'd grow up to be your groom."

His expression softened.

"Divorce Walter. I've been waiting for you all these years."

Mom fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"No. I won't divorce Walter."

I never thought Mom would say no, and neither did Uncle Donald.

He pursed his lips.

"Why?" he asked. "Weren't you the one who said Walter was inferior to me, that he wasn't fit to be the head of the Ferguson family?"

Mom stared into the distance, as if reliving old memories.

"During those years when I was pretending to be poor, my mother killed herself because my father had cheated on her."

"He was the one who stayed with me through it all. He pulled me out of hell."

"I don't know if he meant it. But without him, I wouldn't have had the will to live."

A gust of wind swept across the cemetery, carrying Grandma's remains through the air.

"You're the one who told me Walter abused you and that he might only want the Ferguson family's wealth," Uncle Donald said.

"Well, the ten-year trial is over. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you and Mike."

Uncle Donald's composure was cracking. His eyes rested on my face for a moment.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice, so only I could hear.

"You know something?"

A cruel smile curled across his lips.

"I'm the one who killed your father."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Three years ago, he saw us in the mall where he worked as a janitor," Uncle Donald said casually.

He seemed amused, as if recalling something entertaining.

"He looked completely unhinged. He kept shouting that he was going to find your mother and demand an explanation."

I balled my hands into tight fists.

"It took me years to get rid of him. I wasn't about to let him appear in front of your mother again, so I pushed him into the river."

My heart skipped a beat.

"He tried to swim back up several times, but I smashed him down with rocks every single time, until his skull cracked open and the water turned red. He went still within moments."

"Speaking of which, Ferguson Group is putting on a fireworks show tonight over that river to celebrate all the students passing their exams and a bright future ahead."

"Those are all underwater fireworks, following my suggestion. For the sake of ultimate brilliance, the explosive force is strong enough to kill every living creature in the river."

What came out of his mouth next was cheerful and monstrous all at once.

"If your father's body is really down there, it should be blown to pieces."

"You monster!"

Everything around me turned red. I seized his throat with trembling fingers.

"You took Dad from me. Give him back!" I shouted.

"How dare you!"

A vicious slap landed on my face, throwing me to the ground.

"Just because I said I won't divorce your father, you think you can use your status to hurt Donald? I've spoiled you far too much."

Mom pulled Uncle Donald into her arms protectively and clenched her teeth.

"I've run out of patience. Take me to your father immediately."

"If you keep pushing me, I won't hesitate to disown you."

Uncle Donald raised his brows slightly, barely hiding his satisfaction.

He had provoked me on purpose, knowing exactly how Mom would react.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek until blood filled my mouth.

"Fine. I'll take you to him."

On the rooftop of the high-rise across the river, Mom looked around. Her expression grew darker by the second.

"Where is your father?"

"What game are you two playing? I swear, if you keep this up, I'll divorce him for real. You'll both lose everything."

I stayed silent, staring down at the river far below.

Over the years, I had searched alone with no results. No matter how hard I tried, I could not find him.

"El! Help me!"

Mom turned around.

I already had Uncle Donald locked in a chokehold at the edge of the rooftop.

He was trembling uncontrollably.

So, he was afraid of death too. Then what about Dad?

When Dad was pushed under, again and again, did he feel more despair, more fear than what I'm seeing now?

All the cameras that had been poised to film the celebratory fireworks immediately focused on us.

Mom's face twisted with rage. "Mike, let go of your uncle! Is this how your father raised you? Bring him out here. I want to give him a proper lesson."

"I'm going to see Dad now. Mom, are you brave enough to come with me?"

A hollow, desperate laugh escaped me as I dragged Uncle Donald backward.

The reporters around us cried out in shock.

Suddenly, a fruit knife was thrust straight through my hand.

Mom pulled it free and yanked Uncle Donald back from the rooftop's edge.

My body tipped over the edge, and I fell straight backward.

"Mike!"

Mom's voice tore through the air above me.

Just then, the underwater fireworks erupted on schedule.

The moment I hit the water, the blast shook the riverbed, and a skeleton rose up from the depths.

Around its neck was Dad's pendant—the one he never once took off.