Chapter 2

If Heather refused to tell me the truth, then I'd just dig it up myself.

I went to see my sister, Alyssa, now working as Joseph's assistant at Prestige Realty.

We met quietly in a private room in a small café, away from prying eyes.

To throw off Joseph's people, I took a long, winding route before finally arriving to meet her.

When Alyssa saw me, her eyes filled with tears. Her hands trembled as she handed me a flash drive, saying she'd spent years enduring everything to earn Joseph's trust and get the evidence we needed.

She didn't try to talk me down, just telling me to go for revenge.

Alyssa understood me. She knew I wouldn't stop until justice was served, no matter what it cost.

Gripping the flash drive tightly, I told her to take Hailey and leave this place. Once I made a move, it was going to send shockwaves.

She nodded, hesitated, and then quietly added, "Daniel... Heather's had it rough, too. She's suffered a lot all these years trying to protect Hailey."

That was when I learned the full truth. Joseph had forced Heather into marriage. He told her if she refused, he'd make sure I'd rot in prison.

After marrying her, he'd beat her and scream at her for nothing. If not for Hailey, Heather probably would've taken him down with her a long time ago.

When I heard all that, a deep ache settled in my chest. I'd always been wondering why the woman who once loved me so deeply had betrayed me like that, and now I finally learned the truth.

After leaving Alyssa, I returned to the bathhouse. I hadn't even checked the flash drive yet when the clash of blades echoed from downstairs.

All my senses went on high alert. I grabbed the bat by my side. That was when the door burst open, and one guy charged in with a knife.

I smashed the bat into the back of his skull before he could react. He dropped. I grabbed his knife just as two more guys stormed in.

I didn't give them a chance. I stabbed one, and then got the other in a chokehold and dragged him downstairs. Chaos filled the place, and there were bodies everywhere.

Samson stood in the middle like a blood-soaked reaper. Outside, dozens of men with machetes crowded around, but not one dared to come inside.

When Samson saw I wasn't hurt, he spat blood and grinned at me.

I grinned back and tilted my head at the man. "Who sent you?"

No one answered. I slashed open the hostage's wrist, blood spurting everywhere, and asked again, "Who sent you?"

Terror filled his eyes. Before he could answer, I drove the knife into his stomach. "Too slow."

He broke. Shaking, he cried out, "H-He's the outsourcing manager at Prestige Realty. He sent us to teach you a lesson."

The guy pointed at someone in the crowd, who instinctively stepped back. Samson, knife between his teeth, walked straight toward him.

The rest held their breath. One man fumbled for his phone, probably trying to call the police. Samson grabbed the manager and pinned him to the floor in front of me.

I let the bleeding guy drop, crouched down, and grinned at the manager. "Joseph's man, huh?"

The bald manager, Tristan Reed, nodded nervously. I gave Samson a look, and he cleared the room. The door slammed shut, his bloody footprints trailing behind him.

I looked at the bodies sprawled across the floor. "What do we do with these guys?"

Samson gave a twisted grin. "I'll deal with them."

Tristan's entire body trembled. I tapped his cheek with the blade. "How did Joseph know I was here?"

"H-His daughter, Hailey," Tristan stammered. "She told him. Said she saw her dad today."

I nodded slowly. Joseph wanted to send a warning, but his men clearly didn't expect to find psychopaths waiting.

Then, sirens screamed from outside. I wiped the knife clean and handed it to Samson. He took the cue, grabbed it, and opened the door.

I dialed the number Victor had told me and told the man everything. He grunted an acknowledgment and hung up.

Police arrived and hauled both Samson and me away.

Three days later, I was released without charges.

Those guys had broken in with knives, and we were acting in self-defense.

Samson stayed behind a little longer. They said he went a bit overboard with his "self-defense."

Once out, I headed straight to Prestige Realty's headquarters. At the front desk, the receptionist asked who I was there for. "Joseph," I said.

She claimed I needed an appointment to see Joseph, but I issued a threat, telling her that if she didn't want to die, she'd better bring him out.

Not long after, she had security escort me straight to his office.

Joseph sat behind his desk, face dark, eyes locked on mine. I cracked my neck and smiled. "Mr. Wayne, long time no see."

His eyes narrowed. "I underestimated you. Seems the prison time made you tougher."

I shrugged. "Tough times make tough people. Don't you think so?"

His expression shifted. "So, what is it you want?"

I grinned, looking just a little insane. "Just dropping by. Eight years... I missed you so badly."

Joseph smirked. "I missed you, too. Couldn't wait for this moment."

I knew he was trying to provoke me. I clenched my teeth and grinned.

"Don't bother with your little trick," I said slowly. "Before you can kill me, your whole family will be gone. The real game starts now. Let's see if you've got the guts to play."

He stared at me for a moment, and then nodded. "Fine by me. I'll be there. But you? You're just an ant. I could crush you anytime."

I let out a low, chilling laugh.

Then I left his office and went home. The first thing I did was call Alyssa.

She told me Hailey was on winter break. They were in a small city down south for a "vacation." They'd be gone for a couple of months, and she told me not to worry.

I plugged in the flash drive. It was loaded with evidence of Prestige Realty's crimes.

But the real jackpot was a folder full of videos, containing footage of Joseph hunting down and blackmailing all kinds of people.

He had a secret lair, filled with dirty dealings and unspeakable acts.

One video caught my eye. The man in it was my father-in-law.

My heart froze. The timestamp said eight years ago. The implication was unmistakable.

It clicked. Joseph had blackmailed my father-in-law. Heather was the pawn. That was how it started.

I felt like my chest was being crushed. Because of that man's cowardice, my family was destroyed. I was ruined, while my wife and daughter were stolen from me. Some father-in-law he turned out to be.

Next, I used the cash, hundreds of millions of dollars, to secretly buy Prestige Realty's shares on the market.

A few days later, Samson got out. I helped him open a construction company. Then we had his team bid for Prestige Realty's project.

We greased a few palms—millions of dollars in bribes. In the end, we secured the major bridge project that Prestige Realty was managing.

Digging deeper, we discovered Joseph had twin sons from a past marriage. They'd just graduated and joined the company.

His mother, now in her 80s, lived in a private luxury nursing home.

Turned out, she also held a large portion of company shares.

I smirked. Everything was falling into place.

A few days later, Heather called. Her voice was hoarse, soaked with tears. She asked to see me. I thought of the video of her father, so after a moment, I agreed.

She looked drained when we met. The moment she saw me, she wiped her tears and lit a cigarette for me.

"I heard everything," she said, forcing a smile. "You used to be a quiet bookworm. Now look at you."

I leaned on the railing, smoke drifting from my lips. "People change. You did, and so did I."

The wind caught her hair. I noticed bruises on her neck. Still, she managed another smile. "Sending Alyssa and Hailey away... That was the first step, right? You've already started your revenge."

Heather was always sharp. She saw the whole picture with only a few pieces. I stayed silent. After what happened, I couldn't trust anyone, not even Samson or my former cellmates.

She dropped her gaze. "Am I also one of the people you're after?"

I flicked the cigarette ash into the river and stretched. "What do you think?"

Tears rolled down her face. She said she deserved death for what she did, but she couldn't leave Hailey behind.

I told her I saw the video of her father.

Her face twisted in pain and shock. After a long pause, she nodded. "I didn't know what to do, but my father said Joseph would destroy him unless I agreed to stay with him for a month. He promised he'd destroy the video after that."

She sighed. "I couldn't let anything happen to my father, so I agreed. But that day, I sealed my own fate."

I let out a bitter laugh. I didn't know what was worse, her father's betrayal or her blind trust.

"I was lost," Heather said, tears in her eyes. "I always loved you. You were the only one. But I wanted to save my dad, too. Everything just spiraled from there. Come to think of it, I was such a fool."

Suddenly, she looked me dead in the eyes. "Daniel, what can I do to help?"

I shook my head. I didn't trust her, not anymore. There was no room for her in this plan.

When she saw the look in my eyes, her face went hollow. All the light faded from her expression.

Eight years had destroyed everything. All we had left was pain, guilt, and suspicion.

Then she said, "Alyssa gave you the video, right? If you've got other evidence, be careful. Joseph's smart. He might've planted fake files to trap her."

I nodded. I already considered that. Documents could be faked, but the video was definitely real.

Heather continued, "Joseph's secret place. There's worse stuff hidden in there. I can sneak in and record something for you."

I thought for a bit, and then nodded.

Heather let out a sigh of relief, and then started crying again, telling me to be careful. I barely listened to her.

Sometimes, there was no way to fix a mistake.

After we parted, I had Samson switch the legal representative on the construction company to Joseph's twin sons.

They were young and clueless. They thought Samson was just sucking up to them, so they gladly accepted.

Meanwhile, Joseph's mother met a charming old man at her nursing home, purely "by accident." They hit it off fast, and it was like she had a second chance at life.