Chapter 4

The Hayes family mansion was located halfway up the mountain.

I didn't take a taxi, because I didn't even have money for a cab.

I dragged my injured body, walking for two hours in the heavy rain.

By the time I reached the mansion gates, I could barely stand.

The iron gates were closed tight.

The mansion inside was brightly lit.

I took a deep breath, bent my knees, and knelt on the cold asphalt.

Rainwater mixed with mud flowed into my eyes, stinging terribly.

From the gate to the main villa, it was over a hundred yards.

My knees were bleeding profusely.

Finally, I crawled to the living room's floor-to-ceiling window.

Through the glass, I saw Ethan Hayes sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine.

Serena leaned in his arms, pointing at me outside the window, laughing hysterically.

Ethan Hayes's gaze pierced through the rain, landing on me.

His eyes held an incredibly complex mix of satisfaction, anger, and a hint of panic he himself hadn't noticed.

I stopped, looking up, staring at him through the glass.

Blood from my forehead blurred my vision.

I opened my mouth, silently saying,

"Give me the money."

Ethan Hayes abruptly stood up, his red wine glass smashing to the floor, shattered into countless pieces.

He strode to the floor-to-ceiling window and flung open the glass door.

Wild wind and heavy rain swept into the living room.

"Audrey, you're truly debased to your core!" Ethan Hayes looked down at me, his voice colder than the icy rain.

I lay in the mud, looking up at him.

"Mr. Hayes is right to scold me. The money?"

Ethan Hayes looked at my lifeless eyes, his chest heaving violently.

He suddenly grabbed my collar, pulling me up from the ground.

"You care that much about that bastard?!"

"He's not a bastard, he's my brother," I calmly corrected him.

"Good, very good." Ethan Hayes laughed in rage.

He pulled out a document and flung it at my face.

"Sign this, and the hundred thousand will be instantly deposited into the hospital account."

I used the living room light to make out the words on the document.

A "Confession of Guilt."

It stated that my father, Richard Davis, had used his position to maliciously tamper with the organ donation list, leading to Serena's father's delayed treatment and death.

My father admitted to all his crimes and stated he deserved to die.

My breathing instantly hitched.

"Ethan Hayes, are you insane?!" I looked at him, trembling.

"My dad never did such a thing! Back then, the Vance family..."

"Shut up!" Ethan Hayes sharply cut me off. "The evidence is conclusive, and you still want to argue?"

"Sign it, admit your dad was a murderer, and I'll save your brother."

I looked at that document as if it were a venomous snake.

If I signed it, my father would forever bear the stigma of a murderer, never resting in peace.

If I didn't, Leo would die tonight.

"Ethan, don't force her," Serena walked over, feigning concern as she held Ethan Hayes's arm.

"Miss Davis is so proud, how could she possibly admit her father is a murderer for money?"

"It seems her brother's life isn't that important to her after all."

Serena's words were like a sharp knife, plunging into my heart.

I closed my eyes, tears finally mixing with the rain.

"I'll sign."

I reached out a trembling hand.

A flicker of disbelief crossed Ethan Hayes's eyes.

He handed me a pen.

My right hand, cut by glass when I picked up the check earlier, couldn't hold the pen properly.

So I bit my left index finger, and at the bottom of the document, I pressed my bloody fingerprint heavily.

"Audrey..." Ethan Hayes looked at the bloody fingerprint, his voice trembling slightly.

"The money, transfer it," I stared fixedly at him.

Ethan Hayes took out his phone and dialed his assistant.

"Transfer the money to the city hospital, Leo Davis's account."

After hanging up, he looked at me.

"Get out."

I didn't linger for a second, turning and rushing back into the rainy night.