Chapter 4

I floored the gas pedal and raced toward the estate like a madman, running red lights and scraping past traffic.

I was still too late.

The wrought-iron front gates had been smashed open, hanging crookedly off their hinges. The manicured courtyard was completely wrecked, personal belongings strewn across the lawn.

Seeing the wreckage outside, my heart sank into my stomach.

Two voices echoed from inside the house—Vivienne and Brody.

"Vivienne, is this the necklace? Wow, it's gorgeous. It looks stunning on you!"

"Right? That stubborn old bag refused to give it to me while she was alive. I had to come dig it up myself. Hmph!"

Hearing them insult my dead grandmother pushed me over the edge. I charged through the front door.

The house I had kept spotless for years looked like a war zone.

Every chest had been ripped open. Glassware and porcelain were shattered on the floor. Even an antique vase passed down through generations was reduced to shards.

I picked up a broken piece of porcelain, my entire body shaking with pure rage.

Even my childhood toys hadn't been spared. My favorite toy cars and model airplanes were smashed to pieces. The plush teddy bear my grandmother bought me had its cotton stuffing torn out.

The place looked like it had been hit by a category-five hurricane.

Blood roared in my ears, blinding my vision with fury.

"Vivienne!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

Startled by my roar, both of them whipped around.

Brody reacted instantly. He lunged at me, tackling me to the hardwood floor.

His hands clamped tightly around my throat. My airways closed, oxygen drained from my lungs, and blood pounded behind my eyes.

Vivienne stood right beside us, hands on her hips, looking down at me with a cold, triumphant smirk.

"How does it feel, Chase?"

"Since you refused to apologize to Brody, consider this your punishment!"

I clawed desperately at Brody's hands, trying to pry his fingers off my windpipe.

My face turned purple, my eyes bulging as I stared daggers at Brody.

"Put... my grandmother's... necklace... down."

Vivienne twirled the vintage emerald necklace around her fingers, an evil grin spreading across her face.

"You want this necklace, Chase? Apologize to me and Brody right now, and maybe I'll show some mercy and leave it."

I didn't answer. I stretched an arm out, desperately reaching for the heirloom. Vivienne deliberately held it just inches from my fingertips, then yanked it away the second I got close.

Watching me struggle like a suffocating fish, she let out an arrogant laugh. She unclasped the necklace and held it suspended in mid-air right above the hard tile floor.

A wave of icy dread washed over me.

Seeing her fingers begin to loosen, pure terror seized my chest.

"No! Don't! Don't do it!"

The next second, Vivienne opened her hand. The necklace plummeted.

"Crack!"

The antique emerald shattered into a dozen fragments.

My vision burned crimson.

"Why?! Why did you destroy it?! Why?!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs, pinned under Brody's weight, thrashing violently.

Vivienne burst into hysterical laughter at my helpless agony.

"Chase Vance, you used your dirty money to humiliate me for three whole years! Now it's my turn!"

"You and that dead old woman always acted so superior, treating me like a charity case with your money! Do you finally understand my pain?!"

Humiliated her?

When had I ever humiliated her? Giving her my heart, buying her everything she ever asked for, pouring my entire life into her—that was humiliation?!

Tears of rage leaked from the corners of my eyes.

Vivienne had taken every ounce of love I gave her and stomped it into the mud.

If I survived this, I was going to take back everything.

Brody's grip tightened. My vision went dark at the edges, my body growing cold as the life seeped out of me.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps banged at the doorway.

"Police! Get your hands off him! Right now!"

Officers rushed in, ripping Brody off me. As an officer helped me sit up, a grim smile spread across my bruised face.

"Officers... I want to press full charges. Attempted murder and aggravated burglary."

Watching the color drain from Vivienne's and Brody's faces, I let out a breathless chuckle.

"And officers? I will never accept a settlement."