Chapter 5

"I... a woman gave me a stack of cash! She told me to get rid of those two heavy bags!"

"I didn't know! I swear to God, I didn't know there were people inside!"

The boy was crying so hard he practically wet his pants.

With trembling hands, I pulled out a photo of Windsor from my phone. "Was it her?"

"Yes! Yes, that’s her!"

"I want to file charges!" I sobbed, barely able to breathe. "They killed my parents, and they destroyed their remains!"

This was a heinous criminal offense. The police immediately took action.

They took the boy to the station for questioning, while I led a group of officers back to Mason's villa.

When we arrived, Mason was holding a beautiful velvet box.

He was carefully lifting a stunning necklace out of the box and fastening it around Windsor’s neck.

The moment I saw that necklace, I lost all control. I lunged onto the stage like a madwoman. "Give that back to me!"

My parents weren't wealthy, but my mother’s best friend was Blair, the world-renowned fashion designer.

This necklace was a one-of-a-kind piece Blair had custom-made and gifted to my mother.

It symbolized peace and protection.

Before my mother passed, when she knew she couldn't protect me anymore, she gave it to me.

She said, "I hope you have a peaceful life, my sweet girl."

No one else knew its value, but Mason knew exactly how much it meant to me.

My wild appearance startled Mason.

But before he could say anything, Windsor shrieked and collapsed to the floor.

"Oh, Angel... why do you hate seeing me happy so much?"

Seeing Windsor crying on the floor, Mason's protective instincts kicked in. He grabbed my throat and slammed me down. "Angel, do you want to die?"

Then, he threw me ruthlessly down the stairs of the stage.

The police officers quickly ran over to help me up. "Are you okay, ma'am?"

They glared at Mason with deep disapproval.

Windsor pointed at the officers, acting shocked and disappointed.

"Angel, what is this?"

"Just to ruin my celebration dinner, you actually hired actors to pretend to be cops?"

Windsor’s words made Mason finally notice the uniforms.

Even though the officers immediately showed their badges, Mason chose to believe Windsor without hesitation.

"Angel, you’ve gone too far this time."

Mason gave me a disgust-filled look before turning to the officers.

"How much did she pay you to pull this sick stunt? Do you know that impersonating police officers is a federal crime?"

Mason turned to his assistant. "Call the actual police."

The assistant pulled out his phone to make the call.

Seeing how absurd this was getting, the lead officer spoke up in a booming voice, "We *are* the actual police."

Then, under Mason’s stunned gaze, the officer looked directly at Windsor. "Are you Windsor Bryant?"

"I... Yes. What do you want?"

"You are under arrest for the illegal disposal of human remains. Please come with us to the precinct."

"What?!" Mason gasped.

It was the first time I had ever seen such a look of pure shock and confusion on his face.

Windsor began shaking her head, tears streaming down her face.

"No, that’s not true! I didn’t do anything!"

"Mason, it’s Angel! She’s framing me! She set this up!"

"Angel..."

"Mason," I interrupted, my voice dead and cold. "My parents died because of you. Wasn’t that enough?"

"Did you have to order her to feed them to the dogs too?"

"What did you say?" Mason stumbled back, nearly losing his footing.

His assistant had to catch him.

Mason turned his head slowly to his assistant, his voice trembling. "What did she just say?"

The assistant swallowed hard. "Sir... Her parents are dead."

The room went dead silent. Mason’s face drained of all color.

He began to mumble incoherently.

"That’s impossible... how? I only cut off their VIP treatment..."

"It’s only been a few hours. How could they be dead?"

"Angel, are you still trying to play mind games with me?" Windsor shrieked, panic taking over. "You say your parents are dead, and you have these fake cops accuse me of destroying their bodies? Where is your proof?!"

I didn't bother answering her. The police officer simply pulled out an arrest warrant and a tablet showing the evidence.

"Miss Windsor, we wouldn't be here executing an arrest warrant if we didn't have solid proof."

Hearing the officer’s firm words, Mason turned to Windsor, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Is this true, Windsor?"

"No! No, Mason, you have to believe me!"

Windsor sobbed hysterically. Then, as if a lightbulb went off, she pointed at me.

"I know..."