Chapter 1

"Mommy, it hurts so bad!"

Watching her daughter Lily Brown's tiny face scrunched up in pain even while unconscious, Adeline Brown felt her heart being sliced open.

The corridor outside the hospital ward.

Adeline took the five thousand dollars her best friend Olivia Jones handed her, forcing a bitter smile. "I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

At this point, only Olivia was willing to help her. Everyone else avoided her like the plague.

Edward Thomas hated her, and everyone feared him, so no one dared to help her.

The thought made a rueful smile appear on Adeline's face.

Her current situation was entirely self-inflicted. She had no regrets, but Lily shouldn't have to suffer alongside her.

"No rush. Getting Lily better is what matters right now."

Lily had acute gastroenteritis, and since being admitted to the hospital, money was spent like water.

Olivia was at her wits' end too. "My dad froze all my bank cards. Wait until tomorrow—I'll go home, grab some designer bags to sell, and bring you the money."

"Don't bother. You've helped me enough already," Adeline refused.

The Brown family had collapsed, buried under mountains of debt.

Her grandmother was elderly, and her father had suffered a mental breakdown from the stress, falling chronically ill. His monthly medical bills alone were staggering.

Her brother and Lily both needed money for school.

Then there were the daily expenses for the whole family, rent money...

She was already in this desperate situation; she couldn't drag her best friend down with her.

Edward was no longer the Edward she once knew.

From the moment six years ago when she identified Edward as the murderer in court, there was no going back...

That night—

Her father, Jeremy Brown, had accidentally pushed his business partner Leon Davis off the rooftop terrace of their family home.

Afterward, Jeremy learned that the police autopsy revealed bruises on Leon's body, indicating homicide. From the marks on his body, the person who had struggled with him was likely a man around six feet tall.

To escape legal punishment and avoid the vengeful wrath of the Davis family after losing their son, he attempted to frame Edward, the son of the family's housekeeper, and rallied the entire Brown family to accuse him.

After being imprisoned, Edward refused to confess, "I was with Adeline at a resort outside the city that day. We didn't return until the next day. Adeline's car has a dashcam—you can check!"

Adeline was the only person who could prove Edward's innocence.

But... if Edward was innocent, then Jeremy was guilty!

Moreover, the Davis family wielded enormous power in the capital, with connections everywhere. If they discovered her father had killed the Davis family's only heir.

Her grandmother, parents, and brother...

What would happen to them.

Adeline couldn't bear to imagine.

For the sake of the entire Brown family, she had no choice but to tearfully send the person she loved most to prison.

During their final visit, Edward's eyes held no trace of love, only cold indifference as he ripped open his shirt.

The tattoo of her face that should have been on his chest had been mutilated by his hand, leaving a bloody, mangled mess.

Adeline desperately stood up, wanting to explain, wanting to tell him she was carrying their child.

But no matter how much she banged on the glass, Edward turned away resolutely, leaving her with nothing but his cold, distant back.

After his release, in less than three years, Edward transformed from an unknown entrepreneur into the current power behind Thomas Group, a conglomerate spanning finance, hospitality, and real estate—one of the nation's leading business empires.

Adeline knew that when hundreds of her job applications disappeared without response, when she couldn't even land an entry-level service position, Edward's vendetta was behind it!

Edward not only forbade anyone from helping her, but also prevented anyone from giving her work!

He was cutting off her lifeline!

Now... even the Jones family had received Edward's orders.

Seeing the apology in Olivia's eyes, Adeline said softly, "If Edward finds out you've been supporting me behind his back, he'll go after the Jones family. Don't put your father in a difficult position because of me."

"But... what if we just go to Edward? Surely for Lily's sake, he would cut you some slack."

That was the best solution Olivia could think of now.

Adeline had considered this too.

At those moments when she was nearly crushed by the weight of survival, during countless sleepless nights worrying about money and having nowhere to turn...

Would Edward spare her for Lily's sake?

Adeline had pondered this question during many restless nights.

The answer was no.

Edward no longer had any affection for her. He hated her and the Brown family!

For revenge, he was willing to destroy the Brown family even at great cost to himself. If he learned of Lily's existence...

Would he acknowledge Lily as his daughter?

Even if he did, he wouldn't allow his daughter to be raised in the Brown household. He would find ways to take Lily from her...

Not wanting Olivia to worry about her, Adeline tried her best to smile casually and said, "Don't worry. I've already found a job. I'll have income soon."

"Really?" Olivia looked pleasantly surprised.

Adeline nodded.

The woman in the neighboring hospital bed had been admitted several days ago with a bleeding stomach from excessive drinking.

She had no family, and Adeline, feeling sorry for her, had been caring for her while also looking after Lily.

The woman had noticed Adeline's predicament and offered her a job—alcohol promoter at Midnight Ember.

The eldest sister said, "In our place, the wages are paid daily. Although there is no base salary, but you never know when you'll run into some flashy rich guy who casually orders an expensive bottle of imported liquor, and you'll earn thousands in commission!"

Bars were messy places filled with all sorts of characters. The old Adeline would have scorned such establishments.

But things were different now.

The current Adeline couldn't afford to be picky about work.

Money—she just needed money.

"I told them I'd start today. I'll have to trouble you to look after Lily for me."

"Today? Now?"

Olivia checked the time and was even more alarmed. "What kind of job starts at nine in the evening? Adeline..."

"I'm going to be late. I'll explain later."