Chapter 3

Samuel took my hand and purposefully tightened his grip. I couldn't help but feel irritated.

The Warren family and the Watson family had always been tight, with loads of business between them. A falling-out would hurt us both. Besides, Samuel owed much of his rise to the head of the family to our support.

Samuel leaned in, his lips brushing my ear as he whispered, "You don't want to see Charles get swallowed by sharks, do you?"

I froze, then forced an awkward smile at my grandma. "No. We're fine."

Samuel slipped his arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss on my forehead.

He said to my grandma, "Rest assured. Lily saved my life—she's the one I cherish above all else."

My grandma finally smiled with relief.

After the party ended, I had no choice but to get in Samuel's car and return to the Watson residence—for Charles's sake, I couldn't refuse.

As soon as we walked in, a little Bichon started barking at me. My face went pale—I had been attacked by a dog as a kid, and I had been terrified of them ever since.\

Janet could tell I was anxious, but she just scooped up the Bichon and pushed it into my arms.

"Lily, this is the puppy Samuel picked out for me. Look, it's a good boy—it doesn't bite at all," she said.

The Bichon shot me a vicious glare, and I let out a scream.

The dog escaped from my arms, and Janet tumbled right to the floor.

Samuel came over when he heard the commotion, scooping up Janet—her face streaked with tears—and hugged her gently, never once looking my way as I shivered in terror.

Janet whimpered, "I just wanted Lily to pet the puppy, but she pushed me aside. Maybe it's because my family's not as prestigious as hers, so she doesn't even bother to talk to me."

Samuel looked up at me, pure disgust clouding his eyes.

He said, "Lily, you're so mean. I only consider Janet like a sister—she's staying here temporarily until I find her a proper place to move in.

"Can you quit acting like the pampered princess for once, and stop being so rude?"

Suddenly, I laughed, and the laugh turned into tears.

I said, "Samuel, our five years together mean less to you than Janet's little performance, right?"

I watched them hugging each other, and I stumbled backwards, barely able to stand.

"Oh, silly me—I almost forgot that in your eyes, I'm nothing but Janet's replacement." I sneered.

When Samuel heard the word "replacement", his expression darkened, anger flaring in his gaze.

He said, "Lily, who are you to criticize me? You saw me as Charles' replacement, didn't you? You'll never learn where he is. And I'll make sure to ruin that face of his—the one that looks just like mine."

I had no intention of arguing with Samuel because that would only make things even more dangerous for Charles.

I sneaked into the master bedroom at night, silent as a shadow, hoping to dig up some clues on his phone.

When I saw Samuel and Janet snuggled up in my bed, wrapped up in each other like it was their own private world, a sour pang of jealousy stabbed straight through me.

Samuel mumbled in his sleep, "Lily."

I tensed instantly, frozen for a few seconds before realizing that he was just talking in his sleep.

I picked up his phone, shot a look at Janet tucked in his arms, and, just taking a wild guess, entered her birthday. The phone unlocked right away.

I let out a bitter smile; for a moment, I couldn't make sense of him at all.

I clicked into his photo album and got hit in the face with horror—there was Charles, soaked in blood from multiple stab wounds, trussed up and stuffed into a filthy bag.

Watching him being hurled off an overpass straight into the dark sea, I slapped a hand over my mouth, terror threatening to spill out as a scream.

My fingers shook as I wirelessly sent the video to my own phone, but then some texts grabbed my attention.

Samuel: [I've got a miracle girl here—a real prize. Just one kiss from her and your life will get longer.]

The guy: [Mr. Watson, that's insane. Where did you find this miracle girl? I knew a few wealthy old men; they'd be clawing to get her.]

My breath came in sharp gasps, my whole body shaking. Right then and there, everything finally made sense.

It dawned on me that Samuel wanted me back because it was just about revenge. He wanted to give me to those old men.

However, what he had no clue about was that the kiss from me meant nothing to someone I didn't love.

Just as I quietly put the phone back where I had found it, out of nowhere, a strong hand clamped down on my wrist.

"Lily, have you finished playing detective?" Samuel's voice rang out coldly behind me.