Chapter 2

The man who owed Tyler money was his childhood best friend, Caleb Brooks.

Four years ago, Caleb's parents tragically died in a car crash. After collecting a hefty insurance settlement, Caleb decided to head into the city to strike it rich.

Under the guise of personal loans and business ventures, he squeezed $600,000 out of Tyler.

When the repayment deadlines rolled around, Caleb refused to return a single dollar, even though he had plenty to spare.

To make matters worse, Tyler's mother fell critically ill, wiping out their entire life savings in medical bills.

Desperate, Tyler came to my office, begging me to sue Caleb.

He cried in front of me, pleading poverty. He claimed he couldn't afford our standard retainer and asked if he could pay the fee after we won the money back.

Looking at his tear-streaked face and thinking of his frail, sick mother, I let my guard down.

Not only did I agree, but I even lowered the legal fee from $30,000 to $20,000 to ease his financial burden.

Back then, I was naive enough to believe that someone who suffered so deeply from an unpaid debt would never do the exact same thing to another human being.

Reality slapped me hard across the face.

Sarah shook her head in disgust. "What an ungrateful, venomous snake..."

Who could disagree?

Over the past eighteen months, I had referred freelance gigs to him, bought him lunch countless times, and even visited his mother in the hospital with groceries.

The day the judgment was finalized, Tyler had wept tears of joy, gripping my hand tightly and calling me an angel sent from heaven.

Three days ago, when the money hit his account, he promised me he'd send over the legal fee the very next morning.

Who would have guessed he would pull a stunt like this?

Anger aside, I wasn't letting that money go.

If he wouldn't pay online, I'd collect it in person.

As his attorney, I had every bit of his personal information on file.

On Saturday morning, I got into my car and drove straight to Tyler's hometown.

A monk can run, but the temple stays put. He couldn't just vanish into thin air while dragging an elderly, sick mother along with him.

I stood outside his front door, knocking relentlessly for ten straight minutes while blowing up his phone.

Nobody answered.

Losing my patience, I banged on the wood. "Tyler Miller! Open the damn door! I know you're in there!"

Suddenly, the door across the hall creaked open.

An elderly woman peeked out. "Sweetheart, are you looking for Tyler?"

"Yes, ma'am. Does he live here?"

The old lady was neighborly. "He does. I heard you knocking for so long, I thought you had the wrong apartment."

She paused, lowering her voice. "Though... Tyler and his mother packed up and left yesterday!"