Chapter 3

"You... why did you call the cops?!"

Pierce’s voice wavered, but he quickly tried to bluff his way through.

"Fine! Let the cops come! Let them see what a treacherous snake you are!"

"My mom's broken leg is a fact! And your signature is a fact!"

I ignored him. Instead, I turned my gaze to Grace on the stretcher.

Her eyelids fluttered violently, but she kept them squeezed shut, terrified to look at me.

"Mrs. Grace," I said, my voice ice-cold.

"Are you really going to keep pretending to be asleep?"

"Pierce carried you here like some cheap prop just to extort money. Do you feel proud of this?"

Grace’s fingers tightened instantly around the edge of the blanket on the stretcher.

Pierce quickly stepped in front of her, blocking my view.

"Amanda! Stop harassing my mother!"

"She is in no condition to deal with your abuse!"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Can’t handle stress? Yet you carried her into a chaotic, noisy lobby?"

"Are you trying to get her medical help, or are you parading her around like a circus freak?"

The murmuring in the crowd died down. A few people started to realize something was off.

Ten minutes later, the police arrived.

The responding officer took one look at the scene, his brow furrowing deeply.

"What's going on here? Who called the police?"

I stepped forward. "I did."

I pointed at Pierce.

"This man brought a forged document to my office to extort fifty thousand dollars from me."

Pierce immediately started yelling.

"She’s lying through her teeth!"

"She signed this herself! Now she’s just trying to dodge her responsibility!"

The officer took the agreement, examined it, and then looked at me.

"Are you sure this isn't your signature?"

"I am positive."

I stared straight into Pierce's eyes, pronouncing every word clearly:

"I am requesting a forensic handwriting analysis."

"If the test proves I signed it, I will pay every single penny of that fifty thousand dollars."

"But if it’s a forgery, Pierce, extorting fifty grand is grand larceny. That’s enough to put you behind bars for a long, long time."

Pierce’s face drained of color instantly.

He took an involuntary step backward.

"You... stop trying to threaten me!"

"My mom's leg is broken! That’s a fact!"

The officer cut him off.

"Alright, that’s enough."

"Since this involves potential forgery and extortion, both of you need to come down to the station."

"As for the lady, call an ambulance and get her to a hospital! This is ridiculous!"

Pierce panicked.

"Officer, my mom needs me! I have to stay with her at the hospital. I can't go to the station!"

I glared at him.

"Didn't you just say I was her 24/7 weekend caregiver?"

"Why does she suddenly need you now?"

Pierce choked on his words, unable to reply.

The ambulance arrived quickly and took Grace away.

Pierce, looking like a defeated dog, was put into the back of a police cruiser.

I requested a few hours off from my manager and got into another cruiser.

I knew this war had only just begun.