Chapter 3

I checked into a five-star presidential suite. Without taking a moment to rest, I called my attorney and instructed him to draft a formal lawsuit.

The jewelry from the auction house, my penthouse, all of it belonged to me. I was going to take back every single dime.

After dispatching my team to gather evidence, I went back to the suite and showered.

Just as I sat on the edge of the bed, my phone buzzed with an alert from a VIP contact.

It was an Instagram post from Vivienne.

She posted a photo showing her hand wearing the diamond ring I had bought.

Her caption read:

"A man who truly loves you will always be willing to get on his knees and apologize."

I stared at the post and let out a cold scoff. I screenshotted the post for evidence, then blocked and deleted her from every platform.

I used to love her, so I swallowed my pride. But what did that get me?

Nothing but betrayal and humiliation.

I had given her everything, and she used my love as a weapon to satisfy her twisted vanity, trampling it into the dirt.

From this moment on, she wouldn't get another drop of my affection.

The next morning, before I even got out of bed, Vivienne called from a burner number.

"Chase! Where's the master key and passcode to your family's estate? I need to go inside and grab something!"

The family estate?

The words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

That country house was where my grandmother raised me. When I was a boy, my parents were always away on business, so my grandmother was my entire world.

She was the closest person to me in my life.

After she passed away, I drove out there every weekend to clean the place myself, but I never moved a single piece of furniture.

Every picture frame, every speck of dust held memories of my childhood. I kept all of my grandmother's love preserved inside those walls.

That house was my sacred sanctuary. Even my parents weren't allowed to touch anything in it.

"What do you want from that house? Everything in there belongs to my family! What right do you have to step foot inside?"

Vivienne laughed coldly through the receiver.

"Don't play dumb. Remember that vintage necklace your grandmother promised to give me? You refused to hand it over. So I'm taking it myself!"

I had brought Vivienne to meet my grandmother once, and the kind old woman had adored her.

She held Vivienne's hand and gently said:

"Vivienne, my Chase can be stubborn sometimes. Please be patient with him."

"I have an antique heirloom necklace passed down through generations. I can't recall where I tucked it away, but when I find it, I'll have Chase give it to you."

My grandmother treasured that necklace dearly and had hidden it deep inside a cedar chest.

The very next day, while searching through old storage chests for the necklace, she suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away.

Drowning in grief, I never looked for the necklace again. Back then, Vivienne even told me to keep it safe as a precious memento of my grandmother.

Suddenly, a violent metallic crunch echoed over the phone, followed by Brody's smug voice:

"It's open, Vivienne. The crowbar worked."

"You said this necklace is worth a fortune. Won't there be trouble if we just take it?"

Vivienne chuckled, her voice dripping with malice:

"It belongs to me anyway. I'm just reclaiming what's rightfully mine."

The sound of the broken lock and Vivienne's mocking laughter completely shattered my sanity.

"Vivienne! If you dare step inside that house, I swear to God I will destroy you!"