Chapter 2

2

Gwen's face stiffened for a fraction of a second before melting back into her pitiful, wounded act.

“I know you hate me, Ethan. Back then, my hands were tied...”

Clatter!

A sharp crash cut her performance short. My scratched plastic helmet had slipped from the handlebar, rolling right to the tip of her designer heels.

She took an instinctive step back, her brow furrowing with disgust. But a second later, she knelt down on the dirty pavement to pick it up.

“Look at you. Still as careless as ever.”

She cradled that battered helmet as if it were a rare treasure.

The paparazzi cameras flashed frantically, capturing every staged second.

I watched in cold silence, feeling nothing but revulsion.

Just then, the obnoxious roar of an engine echoed down the street as a cherry-red Ferrari pulled up to the curb.

The scissor door opened, and a man in a white designer suit stepped out.

His hair was slicked back with pomade, and his face wore that smug, patronizing smile that made your fists itch. It was Logan Pierce.

Six years ago, he was the pretty-boy lover who took my painstakingly crafted M&A proposal, sold it to our competitors, and teamed up with Gwen to short the stock.

Now, he was masquerading as an elite Wall Street prodigy.

Logan walked over with swagger, naturally wrapping an arm around Gwen's waist and planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Gwen, baby, why did you come to a trash heap like this? You'll ruin your Christian Louboutins.”

Only then did he pretend to notice me, raising his eyebrows in mock astonishment.

“Well, well. If it isn't our golden boy, Ethan Mercer.”

“How did you end up looking like a stray dog?”

“Delivering takeout? Actually, that suits you. Even back at the firm, you were only good for running errands.”

He laughed openly, and several reporters chuckled along with him.

I ignored him, swinging my leg over the scooter seat to leave.

Logan had no intention of letting me go so easily. He stepped directly in front of my front wheel.

“Don't run off so fast, Ethan.”

“Today is a special occasion. Gwen and I brought you a gift.”

He clapped his hands twice.

The rear door of the Ferrari opened, and two hulking bodyguards dragged out a disheveled, frail old woman.

She wore an oversized hospital gown, her hair completely gray and her eyes vacant and milky.

Her cracked lips mumbled incoherently.

It was my mother, who had been missing for six agonizing years.

I let the scooter drop to the ground and sprinted toward her.

“Mom!”

My voice broke, and tears nearly spilled from my eyes.

Before I could even touch her sleeve, she let out a bloodcurdling shriek and lunged at me like a feral animal.

“Murderer! You killed him!”

“You murdered your own father! You destroyed this family!”

“Why didn't you die? How dare you still be alive!”

Her bony, trembling fingers clawed violently at my face, her sharp nails tearing through my skin and leaving burning red gashes.

I stood completely still, letting her strike and scratch me.

Inside, it felt as though someone had driven a rusted blade into my chest and twisted it.

Logan stood with his arm around Gwen, watching the spectacle with sheer delight.

“Ethan, it took us months to track your mother down in state facilities.”

“The doctors say the trauma broke her mind. All she remembers is that you caused your father's death.”

“Look at that. Even your own mother wishes you were dead. What kind of pathetic failure are you?”

The flashes from the cameras intensified into a blinding storm.

Through the blood dripping into my eyes, I stared at the pair of snakes standing before me.

The murderous rage inside me was becoming impossible to contain.

Gwen pulled a black Centurion card from her designer handbag and held it out toward me.

“Ethan, your mother is unstable and needs elite psychiatric care.”

“There's five million dollars on this card. The PIN is your birthday.”

“Take it. Don't let your pathetic pride make your mother suffer any longer.”

Her voice was sweet and gentle, the exact tone one would use when tossing a scrap of meat to a mangy stray.

My mother continued thrashing against my chest, screaming venomous curses.

“Monster! Leech! I'll beat you to death to avenge your father!”

Every word felt like a lash across my soul.

I slowly pulled my arms back and let the bodyguards pull her away.

As they dragged her back toward the car, she spat on the ground near my shoes.

I wiped the blood from my cheek and ignored the black card.

“Take your dirty money and get the hell out of my sight.”

Gwen's outstretched hand froze in midair, her mask slipping into annoyance.

Logan sneered, snatched the card from her hand, threw it onto the pavement, and ground it beneath the sole of his leather loafer.

“Ungrateful piece of garbage.”

“Come on, Gwen. Since he wants to act tough, let him rot.”

“We have his mother. He'll come crawling on his knees soon enough.”

He leaned close to my ear, his voice dropping to a low, sinister whisper meant only for me.

“I know what you're capable of, Ethan.”

“Pierce Group has a massive corporate buyout coming up, and you know the framework better than anyone.”

“Come be my ghostwriter and make me look brilliant. Take good care of my papers, and maybe I'll feed you some scraps.”

“Otherwise, prepare to pick up your mother's corpse from the morgue.”