Chapter 3

03

When the ambulance screeched into the private hospital, my consciousness was already fading.

The emergency lights spun above me like a halo of blood. Lucian's voice sounded distant: "Save her! You must save the mother!"

The moment the anesthetic needle entered my spine, I suddenly laughed out loud.

Eight years ago in the college lab, he had also said with bloodshot eyes, "Don't be afraid, Sutton. If the experiment fails, I'll take the blame."

Back then, he was a poor student who relied on scholarships for tuition. He wore a discounted suit I bought him and dominated debate competitions.

When I opened my eyes again, the room smelled of lilies.

Vivienne was peeling an apple. Seeing me wake up, she immediately rushed to the bedside, her eyes swollen like walnuts. "Sutton, you're finally awake! The baby… the baby didn't make it…"

I looked at the red scratches under her fingernails.

I had given those to her in the freezer.

"Lucian already sent that CEO to prison to get revenge for you," she said, her eyes flickering as she handed me the apple. "He said it was because that man forced you to drink years ago, which ruined your health…"

I suddenly ripped out my IV. Beads of blood splattered onto her new Chanel suit like blooming red plums.

"Did you know?" I leaned closer to her ear, my voice like a soft sigh.

"Yesterday in the cold storage, Lucian asked the doctor if the fetus could be preserved as a specimen. He said it was the only Lockwood heir, and even in death, he wanted to watch it…"

The apple in Vivienne's hand hit the floor with a dull thud.

I watched her face turn pale and slowly smirked. I was lying to her. Lucian never said that, but I knew what she feared most.

A woman trying to climb the social ladder with a child of questionable origin would be terrified of the concept of a "legitimate heir."

But I already knew the truth―she wasn't pregnant at all.

The door opened, and Lucian walked in carrying a thermos.

"How do you feel?" He placed the thermos on the nightstand, his tone unusually tender. "The maid made some restorative soup."

I stared at the bowl and laughed.

In the photos the detective sent yesterday, Vivienne was pouring a white powder into the soup container. The lab results showed it was a drug used to terminate pregnancies.

"Lucian," I pointed at Vivienne. "Make her drink this soup."

Vivienne turned white and backed away. "Sutton, I…"

"Drink it," Lucian's voice was like ice.

He must have sensed something. The suspicion in his eyes was almost overflowing.

Vivienne cried as she picked up the bowl. Her hand shook, and most of the soup spilled onto the floor.

I watched her panicked state and leisurely pulled out my phone to play a recording.

In the recorder found by the cleaning lady in his office trash, Vivienne's voice was clear.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lockwood. I've already put the medication in the soup. No one will ever know… By the way, about those company funds you transferred, remember to move them to the Swiss account…"

Vivienne screamed and tried to grab the phone, but she was pinned down by the police who suddenly burst in.

The red stamp on the search warrant was blinding. Lucian watched as the police pulled a forged stock transfer agreement from Vivienne's bag.

It had my forged signature on it. His fingers twitched neurotically.

"Three years ago, you used a fake project to trick my dad into signing papers."

I whispered into his ear, my fingertips brushing the cufflink on his chest.

"Now, it's time to pay it back."

%%%

In an email my father sent from overseas last week, he attached an audit report of Lucian's forged signatures and a record of the transfers he made while embezzling company assets.