Chapter 4

Half a year had passed, and for the first time I knocked on Miles Henson's door.

"Mr. Henson, my dad's been in a car accident."

My whole body was shaking as I said it.

However deeply I hated my father, he was the only family I had in this world.

Miles moved fast. He grabbed his keys and took me straight to the hospital.

It was only after I made a call that I learned my dad had come into the city just to drive me to my admissions exams.

At the hospital, I saw my father lying in the morgue, and the tears broke loose.

In that moment, I understood I had lost the only family I had left.

"Celine, I'll handle everything with your dad."

"My condolences."

I was only eighteen then. Other than trusting Miles, I had no other choice.

But it wasn't until he brought the settlement waiver to me that I learned exactly what he had handled.

"Celine, sign the waiver first."

I looked at the name sprawled across the waiver, Maggie Fox, and that was how I learned it was Maggie who had run my father down and killed him.

I pointed at her name, trembling as I raised my head to ask him, "So you knew it was Maggie who killed my dad, and that's why you said you'd handle it?"

"I didn't know at first."

"Celine, it's already happened. Taking the compensation and signing the waiver is the best choice for you."

In the pitch-dark hospital corridor, the last trace of light left on Miles dimmed out.

"Do you think everything in this world can be solved with money?"

"That's my father. He isn't a string of numbers you can measure."

His cold, arrogant eyes carried a flicker of impatience. He knit his brows. "Celine, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"You've hated your dad since you were a child. Trading his life for money is a deal that costs you nothing."

"You're not seeking justice for your father. You just want to use this chance to get back at Maggie."

"Because you like me. Isn't that right?"

That was when I learned that past a certain point, pain leaves you unable to cry.

Even your voice goes hoarse.

"Celine, the Hensons raised you all these years. It's not as if the family can't afford one sheet of paper."

That cold, thin sentence tore my wound wide open.

"I'll sign."

I didn't handle anything else concerning my father.

I only knew a sum of money appeared in my account, from the Fox family.

The day the acceptance letter arrived at the Henson house, Miles flew into a rage.

By the time the call reached me, I was already on a train heading south.

"This guy really isn't anything good."

"So you just slunk off like that? Didn't ask for a cent?"

Hearing this, my roommate was indignant on my behalf.

I shook my head and said nothing more.

The next second, a group notice from Roderick Simmons came through.

【Someone wants to invest in our project. A big shot.】

【Everyone get ready. Private Room 888 at Skyline No. 3.】

My roommate and I looked at each other, a trace of confusion in our eyes.

After college, a few close friends and I built a lifestyle app, mainly for round-the-clock on-demand service.

It covered errands, housekeeping, odd tasks, dog walking, picking up and dropping off kids, and more, with our old class president Roderick as the nominal boss, running around chasing investment.

But no investor had ever liked the project, which left us doing everything ourselves to build up the order volume first.

Miles's order that day had come to us by pure accident.

We reached the door of the private room, and the moment I pushed it open I saw Miles seated in the head chair.

My feet froze on the spot.

So it was me he had come for.

"This is our development team manager, Celine Vance, she—"

"I know."

Miles cut Roderick off, his gaze fixed straight on me.

Everyone had questions in their eyes but didn't dare ask; after all, the whole point of this evening was to land the Hensons' investment.

After a few rounds of drinks, several of them were already drunk.

Miles made a slow circle around the room, pulled out the chair beside me, and set his phone down on the marble tabletop with a click.

In that moment, my heart lurched up.

On the lit screen was a photo of Marvin Vance and Roderick together.

"Celine, tell me."

"This child, is he mine?"

There was a chill in that low voice. I shivered without meaning to, my heart pounding as if it had jumped into my throat.