Chapter 2

I was one step too late. The police traced the emergency call and arrived at our doorstep anyway.

They stood at the front entrance of the Sterling mansion, their faces grim.

"Who called 911? Is someone missing from this residence?"

I stepped forward to shoo them away, but Claire dashed past me, throwing herself at an officer and grabbing his arm, sobbing hysterically.

"My dad is missing! He’s been gone for three days! Please, I beg you, save my dad!"

The officers immediately escorted the three of us down to the precinct for thorough questioning.

Mom recounted every single detail of the past few days. By the time she finished, the officers were looking at me with deep confusion and suspicion.

One detective looked me straight in the eye and asked sternly, "Chloe Sterling, why did you repeatedly prevent your family from contacting the police?"

"Do you have any idea that the golden window for finding a missing person is within the first twelve hours?”

“For every hour that ticks by, their chances of survival drop drastically! If you had reported this earlier, things wouldn't have spiraled this far!"

I merely yawned in the interrogation room, wearing a bored expression.

"Why should I care if things spiral? I was in the middle of binge-watching a new show."

"If we called the cops, we’d have to come all the way down here to file boring reports. It’s such a hassle, and it ruined my TV time."

I shot Mom a vicious glare and snapped,

"This is all on you! I told you not to call them! Now look at us—stuck in a police station being grilled with stupid questions. I only had two episodes left until the season finale! What an annoying waste of time!"

Everyone in the room went dead silent, frozen in sheer shock. Mom and Claire looked at me as if I were a complete stranger.

The officer typing up the report couldn't hold back his disgust.

"We are talking about your own father's life! Are you telling me his survival is worth less than some dumb TV show?"

"Arthur Sterling is famous for adoring his daughters. I never imagined he would raise such an ungrateful, cold-blooded monster! Even as an outsider, I feel sick to my stomach watching you!"

I let out a dry smirk and slouched in the metal chair, kicking my feet back and forth as if none of this had anything to do with me.

Once the statements were taken, the police formed an emergency task force to track Dad down.

Seeing them prepare to leave, I stretched out my arms and blocked the precinct's main exit.

"I know exactly where Dad is and what shape he’s in. You’re going on a wild goose chase!"

"If you ask me, you guys should just clock out early, go home, and get some sleep. Save your breath."

Detective Frank Reynolds of the Major Crimes Division marched up to me, his stern, weathered face hardening with authority.

"Miss Sterling, you are obstructing an active police investigation. This is your first and only warning. Step aside, or you will be placed under arrest right now!"

I burst out laughing right in front of the station doors, as if he’d just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Detective Reynolds, I literally just said I know what happened to my dad. I'm just trying to save your department from wasting resources. You call that obstruction?"

Reynolds’ brow furrowed, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes.

He weighed every syllable carefully. "You claim you know Arthur Sterling's condition. Then start talking. Where is he, and how is he doing?"

I stretched my arms, looked Reynolds straight in the eye, and spoke in a chillingly calm voice.

"Dad is already dead."

"And I killed him."