Chapter 2

Zoe Stephens was shoved to the ground by Quinn.

The fruit knife drove straight into my arm, and blood instantly soaked my sleeve.

A sharp pain spread from the wound out through my limbs, cold sweat kept sliding down, and it hurt so much that I bent over without meaning to.

"Jessica."

Aunt Adela pressed her handkerchief against my wound, her face full of concern.

"There. This one's mine now."

Quinn looked at the blood-reddened knife in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.

He didn't care in the slightest about what he'd just done.

Zoe lifted her head, grinding her teeth.

"Quinn! You think I won't go tell Dad about this right now?!"

Quinn gave a mocking smile.

"If Dad cared about you, he wouldn't have shipped you overseas. In his eyes, I'm the only heir."

"Zoe, every scheme you cook up to compete with me is a waste of effort!"

The door was suddenly flung open.

Lucius's secretary, Paul Winfield, rushed in. The glasses on his nose were crooked, and his loose strands of hair were beaded with fine sweat.

He braced his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

When he saw the wound on my arm, his whole face went white.

"Which one of you did this?"

Quinn arched an eyebrow.

"Secretary Winfield, who tipped you off?"

Zoe grabbed Aunt Adela's arm and fished the phone out of her pocket.

"Who else would it be?"

Aunt Adela kept her head down, not daring to resist even as her phone was snatched away.

Paul ignored them and walked straight toward me.

"Jessica's injury is serious. I'm taking her to the hospital for treatment first."

Before his hand could even reach me, Zoe's bodyguard stepped up and blocked him.

Paul flung off the hand in front of him.

"Out of my way!"

Zoe looked at him.

"Secretary Winfield, there's no way you're taking Jessica out of here today. It's not just that I won't allow it—not a single member of the Stephens family here will allow it."

Paul clenched his teeth.

He knew exactly what these people were plotting.

But he couldn't fail the charge Lucius had given him before leaving, couldn't just stand by and watch the Stephens family be destroyed by these people.

The moment something happened to me, the whole Stephens family would be buried right along with me.

He drew a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.

"I'm calling the old man right now, and he can tell you himself."

He'd just taken his phone out of his pocket.

Quinn instantly lunged forward and snatched it away.

"You think I'd give you the chance to tip anyone off?"

He looked over at Uncle Lionel and his wife.

"Which side are you two on?"

Lionel spoke for them.

"Of course we're all in the same boat—but only if the payoff is worth it."

Quinn glanced at the wound on my arm.

"Once things pan out on my end, it'll naturally be your turn."

Paul's expression was grim.

"Are you all going to destroy the Stephens family with your own hands? Have you forgotten what the old man said the day he brought Jessica home?"

"If you stop now, there's still time to fix all of this."

Paul was Lucius's most trusted secretary; out in the world, he spoke for Lucius himself.

Marilyn hesitated a little.

"Can we really trust what Zoe says? What if it's just a coincidence?"

The room fell into dead silence.

The next second.

Quinn's phone rang.

Listening to the news on the other end, his mouth stretched into a grin that nearly reached his ears.

After hanging up, he looked at me.

"Jessica, you really are a precious little treasure."

He opened the file his assistant had sent over.

"On this project, the Sherwood family swore they'd never work with the Stephens family—but now it's done."

"Zoe wasn't lying."

Uncle Lionel smiled.

"Both of you siblings from the first branch have gotten your payoff. Now it should be our turn, the second branch, shouldn't it?"

The four of them turned to look at Paul.

Paul tried to run, but the bodyguards pinned him hard to the ground.

"Lock him up. Don't let him contact the old man."

Lionel gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Secretary Winfield, don't try to use the old man to pressure us. The Stephens family needs someone to carry it on, right?"

Pinned to the ground, Paul lifted his head, veins bulging on his forehead.

"You will all regret this!"

Zoe's lips moved; she was about to say something.

A sudden sharp pain shot through her head, and she toppled flat onto her back.

"My head hurts so much..."

Quinn frowned.

"Zoe, what are you playing at now?"

Excitement had me trembling all over, unable to stop.

This was the trap I had meticulously planned for three whole years.

The real show was finally about to begin.