Chapter 1

I curled up, my body trembling uncontrollably, my voice choked with tears as I pleaded, "Mr. Carter, is it over yet? I can't take it anymore!"

Julian Carter didn't answer, which only made me even more scared.

What I didn't realize was that this fear was just the beginning.

A week ago, my mom, Susan, was suddenly hit by a car, and the driver just sped off.

At the time, she seemed fine and was able to get up by herself.

When the police arrived, they asked if she wanted to go to the hospital for a check-up.

Susan was the only one supporting me through school, and after covering all our expenses, she barely had any money left. Since she thought she was okay, she didn't want to go to the hospital.

But the police were worried, so they drove her to the hospital anyway.

After I talked her into it, Susan finally agreed to get a full check-up.

The next day, the results came back. The CT scan showed there was bleeding in her brain, and the doctor said she needed surgery as soon as possible.

But no matter what, Susan flat-out refused, whether it was because she was scared or worried about the cost of the surgery.

No matter how much I begged her, she still wouldn't agree.

On the third night, Susan suddenly collapsed in her hospital bed.

Thankfully, I was still awake and caught it in time. If I hadn't been, things could've turned out way worse.

After another check-up, they found the bleeding in her brain was getting even worse, and the doctor was adamant she needed surgery immediately.

We'd already spent a ton of money just from being in the hospital these past few days. The deposit we paid was used up yesterday, and now we probably owe the hospital a bunch more.

The surgery was going to cost between twenty and thirty thousand dollars, and the hospital wanted me to put down another seven thousand dollars as a deposit.

Susan was out cold, and all I had was a measly two hundred dollars.

My parents got divorced when I was six. My grandma only had Susan as her daughter, and my grandpa didn't have any siblings either.

I had no idea who I could turn to for help. I paced anxiously around the house like a cat on a hot tin roof, so worried that I couldn't even think about going to school.

My best friend Jessica noticed I wasn't at school, so she called me at noon. When she heard how upset I was, she rushed over right away.

I told her everything about the mess I was in, holding nothing back.

Honestly, I didn't really expect her to help. After all, tens of thousands of dollars isn't exactly pocket change.

I heard her dad took out a two hundred thousand dollar loan from the bank to build their house, and they still haven't paid it off.

But for some reason, Jessica ended up calling her dad over.

At the time, I was really grateful to her, never realizing that this was just the start of my nightmare.

Jessica's dad, Julian, wasn't just a teacher at our school, he was also my landlord. He'd always been there for my family, helping us out whenever we needed it.

Back then, Susan and I lived out in the suburbs. Not only was it a long way to school, but the area was pretty unsafe too. After Jessica came over once, she kept telling me I should move to her neighborhood.

Even though we were classmates and best friends, I felt like it was too much to ask of her, so I didn't agree at first.

Later, Jessica told me her family had a rental house. She said it was just going to be rented out anyway, so if I moved in, we could look out for each other.

Before she left, Jessica leaned in and whispered, "Once you move in, we can hang out all the time! I'll even introduce you to some rich, handsome guy. You'll love it, I promise!"

So, in the end, Susan and I moved in.

But honestly, I didn't move there because of that rich, handsome guy Jessica mentioned.

I was the school's beauty queen, and there were always plenty of great guys around me, but dating never really crossed my mind.

Right now, I just wanted to focus on my studies. I wasn't going to start dating anyone until I could afford to buy my own place.

After all, growing up in a single-parent family, I never really felt secure about love. Without my own financial stability, I just didn't want to get into anything romantic.

The place Jessica's family rented out was really nice, and the rent was barely any higher than what we used to pay.

I knew for sure Julian was cutting us a break because of Jessica. That favor meant a lot to me, and I never forgot it.

Once we moved in, Julian was always dropping by to lend a hand. Whether it was a busted light bulb, a clogged toilet, or the Wi-Fi acting up, he'd fix it all for us.

Susan never liked asking for help, but Julian always insisted it was just what a landlord should do.

But Julian didn't just help out at home. He really went out of his way for me at school, too.

He even helped me get my application for the student hardship grant approved.

Back then, I was honestly a little jealous of Jessica for having such a great dad.

But I never imagined they weren't even father and daughter. Turns out, they were nothing but wolves in sheep's clothing, conspiring together.

Of course, I only learned the truth much later.