Chapter 1

After my father died, Austin, his illegitimate son living abroad, immediately returned to fight me for our family estate.

I was the only legitimate son, with a valid will in my hands.

Yet, I still lost the manor.

All because my fiancée, Serena Sterling—a ruthless powerhouse who ruled this city—insisted on siding with the bastard against me.

Shielding Austin in his wheelchair, she snapped at me with cold impatience:

"The payout I'm giving you is enough to buy several estates like this.

Don't you have an ounce of sympathy? Why are you picking a fight with a cripple!"

Heartbroken, I confronted her:

"Picking a fight? That house is the only thing my mother left me!"

In the end, Serena still helped Austin win the lawsuit.

Looking at my bloodshot, tear-stained eyes with faint guilt, she said:

"Liam, I'll make it up to you later."

Later? I knew right then, there was no 'later' for us.

"I'll add another five million to your compensation. Hand the estate over to Austin."

"He was in a car crash overseas and has to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Just take pity on a disabled man, will you?"

Serena’s casual words nearly drove me insane.

"In your dreams! That place belongs to my mother!"

"His mother was nothing more than our housekeeper. She seduced my father while my mother was pregnant with me. Then, she had the audacity to flaunt her swollen belly right in my mother's face. My mother went into shock, bled out during early labor, and died giving birth to me!"

"You want me to pity him? Who pitied my mother and me?!"

Faced with my hysterical screams, Serena took off her gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She looked at me, thoroughly annoyed.

"Liam, stop throwing a tantrum. I'll add another twenty million. That's enough for you to buy several mansions like this. You should be satisfied now, right?"

"Now, sign the transfer deed."

I stared at the woman in front of me in utter disbelief.

"Serena, I'm your fiancé! How can you take an outsider's side?"

"Is this the love you swore when you proposed to me?"

Aware that she was in the wrong, Serena went quiet for a moment before softening her tone.

"I just feel sorry for him."

"Liam, as long as you sign obediently, I promise I will only protect you from now on."

She pushed the agreement back in front of me.

Without hesitation, I grabbed the papers, ripped them to shreds, and threw them right in her face.

"Give it up. I will never sign."

"The hearing is tomorrow. If you're still determined to side with Austin, I'll see you in court!"

I turned on my heel to leave.

Serena’s warning voice rang out behind me:

"Liam Vance, don't push me!"

My footsteps paused.

Then, I stepped forward even more resolutely.

Suddenly, a violent scuffle echoed from behind.

A familiar, agonized whimper cut through the air.

My heart dropped. I whipped around, completely falling apart as I glared at Serena.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"You're threatening me with Benny?!"

Benny was the dog Serena and I had raised together for five years. He was like our child.

Right now, Benny's paws were wrapped in thick iron chains. Two burly bodyguards pinned him flat against the floor. Beside them stood a veterinarian holding a sharp syringe.

With just one word from Serena, that lethal injection would pump into Benny's body.

Serena sighed, looking at me with weary indifference.

"Liam, you forced my hand."

"I had my team prepare a duplicate contract. Sign it!"

"You have three minutes. Whether Benny lives or dies depends entirely on you."

Seeing Benny held hostage shattered my last bit of sanity.

I rushed forward, grabbing Serena's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably:

"Serena, that's Benny! The dog we adopted together! How can you be so cruel to him? He's ten years old! He's frail and sick—he can't survive this. He's going to die!"

My tears didn't stir a drop of pity in her.

She glanced down at her watch and said coldly:

"You have two minutes left. The manor, or the dog?"

Benny's body was already so weak.

He thrashed desperately, his tongue hanging out as he panted for air, letting out sharp, agonizing cries. But the bodyguards only pressed down harder, cutting his cries into weak whimpers.

He couldn't speak. He could only cry out with his eyes, begging me to save him.

His tail, which used to wag happily, lay limp on the cold floor. His eyes were half-closed, wet with tears, gazing at me in sheer pain.

Every second I looked at Benny felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

Yet the estate was the only keepsake my mother had left behind.

How could I willingly hand it over to the bastard whose mother killed mine? How could my mother ever rest in peace?!

"Liam, one minute."

Thud!

My knees gave out. Forgetting every shred of pride and dignity, I fell to my knees before Serena, begging:

"Serena, please, I'm begging you! Let Benny go!"

"This is between us! Why drag Benny into it? When he had parvo as a puppy, he almost died, and you cried your eyes out! You loved him so much back then! How can you do this to him?!"

"Give him back to me! Can't you see he's barely breathing? Please!"

Serena didn't blink. She just stared at her watch, counting down with ice in her voice:

"Ten seconds left."

"Five seconds."

"Doctor, inject—"

The syringe went up. Benny was gasping his final breath on the floor.

In that split second, I finally realized just how ruthless Serena's heart truly was.

Collapsing completely onto the ground, I screamed in defeat:

"I'll sign!"