Chapter 3

Looking at the endless stream of venomous comments, my face remained blank.

Right at that moment, the old phone in my pocket buzzed violently.

The caller ID read: "Dad."

My heart dropped, a suffocating wave of dread washing over me.

Derek’s sharp eyes caught it immediately, and he swung the camera straight at my screen.

"Look, guys! Her family is calling her!"

"Make her face the music today!"

I drew a sharp breath and answered the call.

The moment the line connected, my younger sister Lily’s hysterical wailing pierced my ear.

"Chloe! What the hell did you do out there?!"

"There’s a mob outside our house! They're splashing red paint all over the door, throwing rocks, shattering our windows!"

"Dad’s blood pressure spiked, he’s passed out on the floor, and the ambulance can't even get down the street!"

Lily’s voice trembled with sheer terror.

Next came my father’s weak, furious rasp.

"Chloe Vance! Have you lost your damn mind?!"

"Some guy just called screaming that you left a boy to die, saying we have to pay with our lives!"

"They even leaked your sister’s college address online!"

I gripped the phone tightly, my gaze snapping toward Megan.

Megan stood there with a smug, cold smirk on her face.

No one outside our organization knew my family’s address. No one else knew where Lily went to school.

It was Megan.

For that five hundred million dollars, she had completely lost her humanity.

Over the phone, my father coughed violently, weeping with rage.

"Chloe, I'm begging you as your father... what is so secret that you can't just speak up?"

"It's five hundred million dollars! If you just tell them, our family will be set for life!"

"Why do you have to be the villain? Are you trying to get me and your sister killed?!"

Hearing my family turn on me made my eyes sting.

Of course I wanted them to live a good life.

I would have loved to take five hundred million dollars and move them far away from that rundown neighborhood.

But I knew better than anyone: this money was cursed. You could take it, but you wouldn't live long enough to spend a cent.

I gritted my teeth and shook my head, fighting back the tears.

"Dad, Lily, I truly cannot say a word."

"Please, trust me. I’m doing this to keep you both alive."

"If I open my mouth today, none of us will survive the night."

On the other end, my father erupted in pure fury.

"You’re insane! You’ve completely lost your mind!"

"From this day on, you are no longer my daughter!"

*Click.* He slammed the phone down.

Derek laughed so hard tears pooled in his eyes.

"Hear that? Even your own flesh and blood disowned you!"

"You're a public enemy now, Chloe. How much longer do you think you can hold out?"

On the video feed, Victor slowly lit a thick cigar.

The fake grief on his face was gone, replaced by naked malice.

"Ms. Vance, my patience has run out."

"Since you don't want the five hundred million, I'll use that exact same amount to put a bounty on your family’s heads."

"With that kind of cash, I assure you plenty of people will gladly do the job."

Megan chimed in from the side.

"Chloe, don’t say I didn't warn you. Mr. Sterling’s power reaches far beyond your imagination."

"Speak now. It’s not too late."

I glanced at the viewer count on the livestream—twenty million people were watching.

Then I looked at Victor, who thought he was playing god, and at the gloating faces of Derek and Megan.

"Fine. I’ll talk," I said calmly. "On one condition. I will only speak directly to the State Police Commissioner."

"The State Police Commissioner?"

Derek looked at me like I had told the funniest joke in the world, laughing right into the camera.

"Chloe Vance, you're a two-bit fortune teller! Who the hell do you think you are?"

Megan scowled, glaring at me coldly.

"Chloe, stop playing with fire. Mr. Sterling can easily summon state officials, but if you don't deliver that kid, you’re going down for felony obstruction!"

On the screen, Victor’s eyes narrowed into slits.

"Fine. I’ll grant your wish."

"Commissioner Brooks happens to be inspecting a precinct nearby. One phone call from me, and he’ll be here."

"Chloe Vance, if you dare pull any tricks after he arrives, your entire family will disappear before the sun sets."