Chapter 11

Alex said, "You don't catch the person who set the trap unless someone steps into it. At ten this morning, you'll be out in the open. I'll stay in the shadows. I'm going to make him hand over the evidence himself, and then..."

His hands tightened on the wheel. "I'll personally send him to prison."

The car sped up and merged onto the main road. The rising sun climbed between the buildings, pouring gold through the car windows. Olivia looked at Alex's profile.

Five years ago, she had loved the bright, warm-hearted boy he used to be. Five years later, this decisive, ruthless man was shielding her behind him with everything he had.

For a second, she felt like every bit of pain had been worth it, as long as it was him in the end.

9:45 a.m. Olivia stood in front of the courthouse and looked up at the seal above the entrance. Her grip on her purse was painfully tight. Her phone buzzed.

A text from Alex came in: [I'm in a car about 330 yards behind you. I'm listening the whole time. Keep the earpiece in. If anything feels off, leave immediately.]

She replied: [Okay.]

After taking a deep breath, Olivia stepped into the courthouse.

William's office was on the sixteenth floor. She was alone in the elevator. Her face reflected back at her from the mirrored wall, makeup flawless, expression calm. Only Olivia knew how hard her heart was pounding.

The elevator reached the sixteenth floor. The doors slid open onto a quiet hallway. At the far end, a plaque hung on the office door: Deputy Chief Judge William Walker.

Olivia knocked three times.

"Come in," William said.

She pushed the door open. William sat behind his desk brewing tea. In his early fifties and impeccably groomed, with gold-rimmed glasses and a mild, scholarly air, he looked more like a college professor than a judge who held people's lives in his hands.

William slid a cup of tea toward her with an easy smile. "Ms. Hill, please, sit. Top-shelf oolong. Give it a try." Olivia sat across from him.

Olivia didn't touch the cup. "Mr. Walker, your email said you had evidence about my brother's case."

William lifted his own cup and took an unhurried sip. "Ms. Hill seems very anxious."

"My brother was beaten in prison badly enough that three of his ribs were broken. Do you think I shouldn't be anxious?"

William set the cup down and leaned back in his chair, his eyes landing on her through those gold-rimmed lenses. It was the look of a man judging and measuring her. "I'm sorry about what happened to your brother.

"But conflicts inside prison are outside my jurisdiction."

Olivia clenched her fist. "Where's the evidence you mentioned?"

William took a thick manila envelope out of the drawer and placed it on the desk, but didn't slide it over. His hand rested on top of it. "Ms. Hill, before I open this, I want to ask you something.

"Five years ago, when you broke up with Alex, was it really only because Mrs. Walker forced you to?"

Olivia's heart clenched.

Alex's lowered voice came through the earpiece. "Answer carefully."

She looked straight at William. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

William smiled, all gentleness and harmlessness on the surface. "What I'm saying is, deep down, you know Mrs. Walker was only the knife they pushed forward. The person who truly wanted you two apart..." He pointed at himself. "Was me."

The air in the office froze. The hairs on Olivia's back stood up. "Why?"

William lifted his tea and took another slow sip. "Because Alex was too outstanding. As long as he was around, my son would never have a chance to shine."

He said it as casually as if he were talking about the weather. "In the third generation of the Walker family, the old man had already picked Alex as the heir.

"My son Justin Walker is two years older than him and no less capable, yet he can only work in Alex's shadow. I couldn't accept that."

Olivia's breathing grew uneven. "So you framed me as a corporate spy? Used Mrs. Walker to force me away from Alex? Then personally sent my brother to prison?"

William didn't deny it. He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly wiped them with a cloth. "Ms. Hill, you're smart. But you've missed one thing. Why would I target your brother?"

Olivia froze.