Chapter 5

Today was the day of Xavier and Melody's engagement party.

In the grand ballroom of New York's most luxurious five-star hotel, Mrs. Sinclair, dressed in an expensive designer gown, moved gracefully among the wealthy guests, basking in their compliments.

"Mrs. Sinclair, you are so blessed. Melody is marrying Mr. Knight. She's going to live like a queen for the rest of her life."

"Oh, thank you. Melody has always been a sweet girl, and Xavier is a very loyal man."

Mrs. Sinclair couldn't stop smiling.

Xavier stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, wearing a perfectly tailored black tuxedo and holding a glass of champagne.

He stared out at the gloomy sky, feeling an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

His eyelid had been twitching all morning.

Since dawn, he had been waiting for Eva to call him.

He knew Eva too well.

That woman would do anything for money. She had no dignity left.

On an occasion like this, she would definitely show up to make a scene, or kneel before him to beg for money.

To prevent that, he had specifically hired a dozen extra security guards to patrol the entrance.

If she dared to show up, he would crush her remaining self-respect right in front of New York's high society.

But the ceremony was about to start, and there was still no sign of Eva at the gates.

"Xavier, what are you looking at?"

Melody, dressed in a gorgeous white gown, walked over and sweetly wrapped her arms around his.

Xavier snapped out of his thoughts, hiding his impatience.

"Nothing."

"Are you waiting for Eva?"

Melody pouted, her voice dripping with fake sadness.

"Eva is so petty. I even sent her an invitation myself."

"Even if she's mad at me, she shouldn't play missing on such an important day."

Mrs. Sinclair walked over and let out a cold snort.

"It's better if she doesn't show up!"

"We don't need her filthy, pathetic presence ruining our day!"

"Why even mention that jinx on such a happy occasion?"

Xavier tightened his grip on his champagne glass.

Yes, it was better if she didn't show up.

But why did his chest feel so empty, as if a vital piece of his heart had been ripped out?

The romantic music began to play, and the host took the stage to announce the start of the ceremony.

Xavier set down his glass and took Melody's hand.

Right then, the heavy double doors of the ballroom were slammed open.

Two police officers in uniform walked in, followed by a couple of forensic medical examiners in white coats.

The noisy ballroom instantly fell silent.

Everyone turned their eyes to the door.

Xavier frowned, the uneasy feeling in his chest suddenly magnifying a hundred times.

The officers walked straight to the stage, their eyes sweeping over the crowd before landing on Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair.

"Are you the family of Eva Sinclair?"

Mrs. Sinclair's smile froze, and she immediately spat out in irritation:

"What trouble did that useless girl cause this time?"

"Officer, we kicked her out of our house a long time ago. Whatever she did has absolutely nothing to do with the Sinclair family!"

Xavier let go of Melody's hand and took a step forward, his voice suddenly tightening.

"What happened to her?"

The leading officer pulled out a transparent evidence bag.

Inside was a rusted, blood-stained metal box and a broken, cheap hearing aid.

"We found the body of Ms. Eva Sinclair in a cheap motel on the outskirts of the city."

"According to the preliminary forensic report, she passed away yesterday at approximately 2:00 AM. The cause of death was multiple organ failure caused by a severe, untreated blood clot in her brain."

"We couldn't reach her emergency contact, so we had to trace her family registry to find you."