Chapter 4

I'd already given the witness plenty of incentives, and I had enough leverage on him to make sure he wouldn't double-cross me.

But I still couldn't shake the feeling that something could go wrong.

I made several backups of the evidence and warned my legal team to keep a close watch on the crucial documents and the witness.

For the next few weeks, I was going back and forth between Charles's estate and the Rivers Group offices.

Every single time, I'd catch a glimpse of Emily somewhere close by.

She'd be cruising around in her Maserati, sunglasses on, acting like she was passing through.

But I knew it wasn't a coincidence.

Watching her show up in a different expensive outfit every day, I couldn't help but wonder where she was getting all that cash.

There was no way she could've made that kind of money on her own in such a short time.

So that left only one possibility.

Could it be a man?

Could it be Charles?

I clenched the documents in my hand.

It was possible.

With Charles's status and money, having a few women around was nothing for him.

But he'd been sticking close to me these days.

Still, if it were him, could Emily be pulling his strings, secretly messing with the trial?

No, I could not let that happen.

I tightened my grip on the documents.

This time, Evelyn had to win.

So I poured all my energy into preparing for the trial, working harder to stay on Charles's good side even though it meant visiting Evelyn less often.

Now and then, Emily would catch me and throw a jab.

"Don't get too caught up in the trial. You should spend some quality time with Evelyn as well," she said.

I'd seen her pull the old "distract and sneak in" move way too many times.

The evidence I'd gathered was top secret. I wouldn't let her get her hands on it.

I wished I could watch the case like a hawk, every single second.

Finally, after all my frantic preparations, the day of the trial was here.

The last thing I wanted to see was that Emily turned up, too.

When she spotted me, she flashed me a mysterious, knowing smile.

At that moment, one of the lawyers cried out, "Hold on, where's the evidence?"

I whipped my head around.

Emily was still smiling, that same mysterious look on her face.

I strode over to her.

"Where's the evidence?" I demanded.

She lounged there, unfazed. "That's your stuff. How would I know?" she answered.

"Where is it?" I pressed.

"I don't know. She's my mother, too. Why would I mess things up at her trial?" she said.

I could feel my blood boiling with rage.

Back in my previous life, she'd ripped up the crucial evidence right there in court, crushing Evelyn's last chance at justice.

Someone tugged at my arm.

"The trial is about to start. Don't give the press anything to talk about right now," the person whispered.

I glanced around at the people milling about, forced myself to swallow my anger, and gave Emily a death stare.

"Whatever. The evidence is already in, and the backups will be here any minute. If you think you can get your hands on them, be my guest," I said.

Emily gave a cold, mocking laugh.

"As I said, I didn't touch anything. I don't even have to," she said.

I stopped and stared at her for a second, letting her words sink in.

I didn't bother trying to figure out what she meant.

Right before the trial kicked off, I sat down with my legal team and combed through every piece of evidence and every detail, making sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

If things played out as they did in my previous life, this was the point where everything should've been foolproof.

But as we were about to step into the courtroom, an announcement came through.

The trial was canceled.

The defendant, Mrs. Evelyn Shaw, had taken her own life.

My knees buckled beneath me.

If my lawyer hadn't grabbed me in time, I would've ended up sprawled on the floor.

"No way. She would never kill herself. Someone must've set her up," I screamed at the bailiff, my voice cracking.

The bailiff, unfazed by my outburst, handed me the autopsy report.

"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Shaw indeed died by suicide. She used a piece of broken glass," he said.

I stared at the photos of Evelyn's body and the verdict of suicide in the report. My vision blurred, and darkness closed in.

I stammered, "No way. She would never do this. I promised her everything would be okay, and she said she trusted me. She was waiting for me.

"No, you're all lying to me."

I dragged myself over to the surveillance desk, barely able to stand.

It wasn't until I saw Evelyn with her wrist cut, lying lifeless in the bathtub on the screen, that I crumpled to the floor in agony.

"It caught us off guard as well. Her daughter had been visiting and keeping her company these days," the bailiff said with a sigh.

I looked up, startled. "What do you mean by daughter?" I asked.

The bailiff brought up the records.

I stared in disbelief.

It turned out that while I was buried in trial prep, Emily was dropping by to see Evelyn nearly every day.

"Mrs. Shaw left a suicide note. It's for you," the bailiff added.

I snatched it up and tore it open.

Evelyn's handwriting was shaky, and there were dried tear stains on the paper.

[I'm sorry, Lily. I've only ever been a burden to you.]

I bolted out of the room.

When I caught up with Emily, she was sitting there, looking chill, sipping her coffee as if she didn't have a care in the world.

I lunged at Emily and grabbed her by the collar.

"What did you say to Evelyn? What did you tell her?" I demanded.

My sudden move knocked her coffee over, scalding her hand. She glared at me, her face twisted in irritation.

"What's your problem? All I did was tell her you were selling yourself to some man to save her. How was I supposed to know she'd go and kill herself?" Emily snapped.

"You!" I yelled, my voice trembling with fury.

My breath caught in my throat.

Evelyn was always terrified of being a burden to anyone. Back when Emily was sick, she drank so much that she ended up with a bleeding stomach. She'd rather hurt herself than let anyone worry about her.

Emily shot back, wiping her hand, sarcasm all over her face.

She scoffed, "Before you come at me, maybe you should think about all the crap you did that broke Evelyn's heart.

"Do you realize how shattered she looked when I told her you were sleeping with some man, humiliating yourself to get her a shot at a retrial? She looked like her whole world had fallen apart."

My fists shook with rage, veins bulging. "She's also your mother. Why would you do something so cruel to her?" I snapped.

"Why?" she repeated.

Emily propped her chin up with her hand, looking at me like I was some idiot.

She replied, "Because I'm a strong, independent woman. What kind of strong woman would I be if I hadn't faced hardships?

"The weak are bound to die sooner or later. She's here to make my suffering look more glorious."

I smashed my fist into her face and grabbed her by the collar.

I yelled angrily, "How could you do this? That's our mother. She saved your life. She even drank herself into a bleeding ulcer to scrape up the money for your surgery.

"Who gives a damn about your so-called glorious suffering? She never needed you to die to prove how much she endured.

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you take her away from me? Give her back."