Chapter 1

As New Year's Eve approached, my new boyfriend, Gavin, suggested we spend the holidays in a remote town in Mexico.

"I've heard that area is pretty dangerous lately. Maybe we should pick somewhere else？" I tried to reason with him.

He didn't seem to care at all. "Don't worry, that's just talk. If anything happens, I'll protect you！"

Watching him excitedly plan the itinerary, I kept my mouth shut.

I never imagined that the moment we arrived, he would shove me into the back of a van.

"Boss, I brought her to you just like I promised！"

"I don't want anything else. Just save one of her kidneys for me！"

As I realized what was happening, he gave me a twisted, mocking grin.

"Don't blame me. You're the only one whose kidney matches Lyndsey's. This is the only way she'll get better！"

Looking at his remorseless face, I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

Since you want to play it this way, don't blame me when you meet my father.

1.

"Gavin, are you out of your mind？ Do you even realize what you're doing？！"

I suppressed my rage, my voice low and sharp.

His face was twisted with a strange, manic joy as he slammed me back into the seat. His eyes were cold and full of triumph.

"Am I crazy？ I'd do anything for Lyndsey！"

I froze, a chill crawling up my spine as if I were seeing this man for the first time.

So that was it. Every time we were on a date, he'd drop everything the moment Lyndsey called.

His excuses were always the same.

"She's sick, Mandy. She needs me to look after her."

I always thought it was just a deep childhood friendship.

Now I realized that for Lyndsey, Gavin wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my life.

Right then, his phone began to vibrate.

He glanced at the screen, and the viciousness on his face vanished instantly.

"Lyndsey, don't worry. Everything is going according to plan."

His tone was sickeningly sweet, dripping with a desperate need to please her.

"You'll have your surgery tonight. Everything has been arranged."

The voice on the other end was faint but cold.

"Did Mandy agree to it？"

"Agree？" He let out a scoff. "Since when does she need to agree？"

A low, soft laugh came through the speaker. "Good. I'll be waiting."

He hung up and turned his gaze back to me.

"If it weren't for Lyndsey, I wouldn't have looked at you twice. At least you're useful for once. Saving her is an honor."

The massive guy in the passenger seat finally spoke up.

"You're sure she won't cause any trouble later？"

Gavin nodded repeatedly, his voice full of flattery.

"Don't worry, Boss. I checked. She has no family left."

"We've been together for so long, and she barely has any friends. No one will go looking for her."

The big man narrowed his eyes and let out a grunt.

Gavin pulled my phone and passport out of his pocket and handed them over.

"I've taken care of everything. She has nowhere to run."

"Fine. Just make sure you don't bring any heat to Boss Sterling's territory！"

Hearing him mention my father's name, I lowered my head to fake terror. My mind, however, was racing.

My father would never be involved in this kind of illegal organ trade.

So, who was it？

Who dared to run this kind of operation on my father's turf behind his back？

I purposely put on a panicked expression to test the waters.

"Boss, please… I can pay you. Just talk to your leader. Name a price, and I'll pay it if you let me go."

The big man turned around, his eyes lingering on my designer clothes and expensive bag for a second.

Just as he seemed to waver, Gavin cut him off.

"No way！ She'll go straight to the cops and drag Lyndsey and me down with her！"

I tried to speak, but he suddenly backhanded me across the face.

"Shut up！ Stay quiet！ Once you're here, there's no escaping！"

My head snapped to the side, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I forced my anger down and stared at him with cold, dead eyes.

The big man frowned, sounding annoyed.

"Don't damage the goods！ If something goes wrong with her health, we'll have a hard time explaining it."