"Hannah, you really don't know what's good for you, do you?" Marvin sneered. "Do you honestly think you can survive out there after walking out that door?"

He let out a cold laugh, pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed his assistant's number.

"Cancel all of Hannah's supplementary cards. And spread the word—anyone who dares give her a job is making an enemy out of me, Marvin Cooper!"

After hanging up, he looked at me like I was nothing more than trash.

"I'd like to see how long you can keep up this tough act. Without me, you're nothing but a loser who'll be digging through trash for scraps of food to survive."

I calmly watched him throw his tantrum.

"Go ahead and cancel whatever cards you want. It's not like I've ever spent much of your money anyway," I shot back.

Just as I turned toward the door and reached for the doorknob, Marvin roared, "Stop right there!

"My money paid for every piece of clothing you're wearing and that bag in your hand! If you're walking out, you're leaving with nothing."

I stopped in my tracks and looked down at my old trench coat. I had bought it from a street stall three years ago, yet he had the nerve to claim he paid for it.

Instead of wasting my breath arguing, I took off the coat and hurled it in his arrogant face.

"Anything that belongs to you disgusts me, Marvin."

Wearing nothing but a thin base layer, I stepped out into the pouring rain without looking back. The freezing downpour instantly soaked through my clothes, but my mind felt clearer than it had in years.

I walked out beyond the villa complex and sought shelter inside a phone booth.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Marvin.

"I'm giving you three days, Hannah. In three days, you'll come crawling back to me like a dog, begging me to let you take the blame."

…

The rain poured in heavy sheets as I trudged through the downpour, step by unsteady step, back to the slums on the outskirts of Ashwood.

I'd rented a rundown apartment there three years ago. It was shabby, but at least it provided a roof over my head.

When I pushed open the rattling wooden door, I was immediately hit by a musty smell.

Without turning on the lights, I felt my way to the bed in the dark and collapsed onto it in exhaustion.

Memories from the last three years kept flashing through my mind—Marvin's face twisted in pain whenever his stomach ulcers flared up, Alyssa's whiny, entitled demands, and the countless times I had rolled up my sleeves to donate blood.

It was utterly laughable.

I, Hannah Huston, was the biological younger sister of the wealthiest man in Ashwood, Nathaniel Huston. Yet I had lowered myself and dragged my dignity through the mud for a man who didn't love me at all.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by violent pounding on the door.

"Open up, Hannah! Bitch! Get your pathetic ass out of here right now!"

Frowning, I got up to open the door and found Alyssa standing outside, dressed from head to toe in a custom Chanel suit and a pair of four-inch heels.

She covered her nose in disgust when she saw me, and two burly bodyguards in black suits stood behind her.

"Wow, you really are hiding in this dump," she remarked, eyeing me up and down with a disdainful and smug gaze. "Marvin was right. A low-class peasant like you belongs in a filthy gutter like this."

I shot her a cold look and demanded, "What are you doing here? You're not welcome. Get out."

She burst into laughter as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Get out? Do you even understand what situation you're in right now, Hannah?"

She reached into her limited-edition designer bag to pull out the crumpled confession forms and flung them in my face.

"Marvin sent me here with a final warning. Sign the papers right now and turn yourself in to the police, otherwise…"

"Otherwise what?" I countered, refusing to back down the slightest.

A vicious look flashed in Alyssa's eyes as she signaled to the bodyguards behind her. "Trash the place! Smash this dump into pieces! Let's see how long she can keep up this tough act then!"

The two bodyguards immediately charged into the room and started wrecking everything like mad. Tables were flipped, chairs were kicked until they splintered, while pots and pans shattered across the floor.

I lunged forward to stop them, but Alyssa grabbed a fistful of my hair.

"Ah!" I screamed in pain.

"Go ahead and scream! Keep screaming!" Alyssa shrieked. Her facial features were hideously twisted as she yanked my hair back and forced my head up to look at her.

"Who the hell do you think you are? What makes you think you can fight me for Marvin?" Alyssa snarled. "I'm telling you—Marvin has only ever loved me. You're nothing but a dog he keeps around, a walking blood bank he can discard whenever he wants!"

She slapped me hard across the face, and a burning pain exploded across my cheeks. I bit on my lip so hard I could even taste blood.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Alyssa," I said. "You caused that car crash, and though Marvin might have destroyed the security footage, no one can escape justice forever. You'll never get away with it."

Alyssa burst into hysterical laughter like I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Justice? In Ashwood, Marvin is justice! He's erased every single piece of evidence, so right now, all the clues point to you."

She leaned close to my ear, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You only have two options right now, Hannah. Either you obediently take the blame, and Marvin might actually let you live, or I'll have that orphanage director, the only family you've ever had, locked away in a psychiatric hospital!"

My pupils shrank. "Don't you dare!"

"Try me!" Alyssa snapped.

She shoved me away with a violent burst of strength, and I crashed heavily onto the floor covered in broken glass. Shards sliced into my palm, and fresh blood immediately poured from the wound.

She stood over me, looking down at me as if I were a pathetic lowlife.

"I'm giving you half a day to think about it, Hannah. If I don't see your face at the police station by midnight tonight, get ready to collect that old hag's body!"

With that, she strutted away in her heels, followed by her bodyguards.

Sitting amid the wreckage, I looked at the mess around me and clenched my fists tightly.

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was from an unknown number, and when I picked up, I realized it was from Marvin.

"So, how do you like Alyssa's little gift? If you've come to your senses, hurry up and turn yourself in!"

After hanging up, I fought through the pain in my hand and dug a first-aid kit out of the wreckage to give my wounds a simple bandage.

Alyssa's threat hung over my head like a knife.

I was greatly indebted to the orphanage director, Charlotte Gallagher. There was no way I would allow her to get hurt. I had to confront Marvin face-to-face to keep him under control and buy Nathaniel enough time to act.

I hailed a cab to Nightshade, the elite private club Marvin frequented.

The second I reached the door of his private room, I could hear a wave of raucous laughter coming from the inside.

"Hey Marvin, hasn't Hannah cracked yet? She's got quite a backbone, doesn't she?"

"Backbone? She likely just wants more money. Now that Marvin cut off her cards, she's probably crying under some bridge right now."

I threw the door open to see a room heavy with a thick cloud and cigar smoke. Marvin sat in the center of the main couch like a king holding court, while Alyssa delicately nestled in his arms.

The room instantly fell silent when everyone saw me.

Marvin raised an eyebrow as a cruel, malicious smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Well, well, if it isn't Tough-Bone Ms. Huston. What happened? Couldn't you even last that long before coming to beg for my help?"

Ignoring the mocking, amused stares from the crowd, I walked up to Marvin and demanded, "Leave Charlotte out of this, Marvin. Let's talk about the crash."

He let out a cold, dismissive scoff before pushing Alyssa aside and getting up. After walking up to me, he grabbed my chin and forced me to lift my head.

"Talk to me? What leverage do you think you have to negotiate with me right now? Get this through your head, Hannah. You're the one begging me, not the other way around."

He swung his hand away and pointed at the rows of liquor bottles lined up across the table. "If you want me to spare that old hag, sure. Get down on your knees, bow to Alyssa three times, and down every single one of these bottles. Then maybe I'll think about it."

The private lounge erupted into uproarious laughter.

"That's a brilliant move, Marvin!"

"Exactly! She's just a free nanny, yet she thought she was somebody important."

Alyssa covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes shining with evil satisfaction.

"Don't be so mean, Marvin," she said. "Ms. Huston can't handle her liquor. What if she drinks herself to death right here?"

"Even if Hannah dies, then so be it," Marvin said indifferently.

I stared at him. This was the face of the man I had once been hopelessly in love with, the same face that now filled me with absolute disgust.

"Do you really have to go this far, Marvin?" I asked.

"This far?"

Like he had just heard a joke, Marvin grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the table and poured it over my head. The icy liquor ran down my hair, stinging the cuts on my face.

"You call this going too far? You've disgusted me for three years, Hannah. This is just the interest!"

He smashed the empty bottle onto the floor and sent glass shards flying in every direction.

"Let me tell you something. I've had the security footage from the scene 'reprocessed.' The current airtight evidence shows that you were driving the car. The police are on their way to arrest you right now!"

I wiped the liquor from my face and looked at him coldly. "Aren't you afraid of karma for fabricating evidence?"

Marvin burst into a wild, arrogant fit of laughter. "Karma? I, Marvin Cooper, am the damn law in Ashwood! If I want you to live, you live, and if I want you dead, you damn well die!"

He grabbed Alyssa by the wrist, his eyes full of malice. "You're going to jail tonight. Not even God can save you."

I took a deep breath and turned to leave, just as he roared behind me, "Stop! Did I say you could leave?"

I ignored him and quickened my pace as I bolted out of the club. The moment I burst through the main doors, I spotted several police cars with flashing lights speeding toward the slums.

Marvin hadn't lied. He had indeed called the police.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Nathaniel's number. "Nate, I can't hold out much longer."

On the other end of the line, Nathaniel's voice sounded deep and cold. "Don't be scared, Hannah. I've arrived."

…

I sprinted all the way back and managed to reach the slums just ahead of the police cars.

Just as I ran up to my dilapidated rental apartment, several police cars screeched to a stop and completely blocked the narrow alley. Blinding high beams flashed on me and nearly made it impossible for me to open my eyes.

The car doors opened, and several police officers quickly stepped out with dead serious expressions. Immediately after, a black Maybach slowly rolled to a stop behind the police cars.

Marvin stepped out with Alyssa in his arms, looking as though he had arrived to watch a show.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, he didn't even flinch as he stepped into the muddy puddles with his leather shoes.

"Officers, that's her," Marvin said, pointing at me. His tone was determined and cold. "She was the one who hit someone on Coastal Street last night and fled the scene. She used to work as my maid, but she stole my car keys and took the car out for a joyride, only to cause such a disaster."

Beside him, Alyssa pretended to wipe her tears away. "How could you be so foolish, Ms. Huston? You have to take responsibility if you hit someone with a car. What good does hiding here do?"

The lead officer walked up to me and drew out a pair of handcuffs. "Hannah Huston, correct? We suspect you're involved in a hit-and-run that occurred last night. Please come with us."

I gave Marvin a cold look and said, "You're really something, Marvin. I can't believe you even came up with an auto theft excuse."

Marvin smugly raised an eyebrow. "The evidence is ironclad, Hannah. You can talk all the trash you want right now, but it won't change a thing. Just confess nicely and save yourself some trouble."

Stepping closer, he lowered his voice so only the two of us could hear. "I told you. You're worth less than a stray dog after leaving me. This is what happens when you defy my words."

An officer stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.

With a sharp click, the cold handcuff was about to lock around my wrist, but I didn't resist. Instead, I looked up at the pitch-black night sky.

The timing was perfect.