Chapter 1

The cold rain lashed against my face, but it couldn't compare to the chill in my heart. I lay in this secluded alley, feeling life slipping away from the wound in my chest. The stench of blood filled the air, mingling with the dampness unique to the streets of New York.

"I'm sorry, Marcus," Emily's voice rang in my ears, but there was no remorse in her tone. "You knew too much."

I struggled to open my eyes and saw her exquisite face appear exceptionally cold under the streetlight. That face I once loved so deeply now looked like a demon, twisted and grotesque. Standing beside her was Richard Conway—that blond, blue-eyed bastard, her white moonlight.

"Is this how you repay my father?" Emily sneered. "He brought you from the orphanage, gave you the best education, and raised you as his future son-in-law. And what do you do? You want to expose Richard's actions."

I tried to speak, but only a weak sound escaped my throat. Richard crouched down, a smug glint in his eyes: "Dude, the business world is a battlefield. You think exposing my embezzlement will save Howard Corporation? You're too naive. Emily's father is dead; I'm the one who calls the shots now."

Dead? William Howard is dead? The man who took me out of the orphanage and gave me everything is dead?

"Yes," Emily seemed to see the shock in my eyes, "Father's heart attack last month wasn't an accident. We just... accelerated the process. After all, he's too stubborn to hand over the company entirely to Richard."

My heart nearly stopped. Not because of the wound in my chest, but because of this cruel truth. William was not only my benefactor, but also the father figure in my heart. And his daughter, the woman I loved deeply, had killed him with her own hands.

"You...you beasts..." I said with my last bit of strength.

Richard stood up, dusting his hands off. "Beasts? Maybe. But at least we're living beasts. And you, Marcus Chen, will soon be a corpse."

Their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving me alone to die in this cold night. I closed my eyes and recalled the past twenty-five years.

I was abandoned at the gates of St. Mary's Orphanage when I was three years old, and no one knew who my parents were. Then, when I was ten, William Howard came into my life. That tall, gentle-eyed man chose me, not to adopt me, but to raise me.

"This child has potential," I remember him saying to the nun, "I can see the wisdom and determination in his eyes."

From then on, I lived on the Howard family estate and received the best private education. William personally taught me business and had me accompany him to various company meetings. Emily was two years younger than me and had been a spoiled princess since childhood, but we gradually developed feelings for each other.

At least I thought it was feelings.

When I was eighteen, William officially announced my engagement to Emily. At that time, I thought I was the happiest person in the world—I had a father-like benefactor, a woman I deeply loved, and a business empire that I was about to inherit.

But everything changed after Richard appeared.

Two years ago, Emily met Richard at a charity ball. This playboy from San Francisco had a charming appearance and sweet talk, and quickly won her heart. At first, I thought it was just a passing infatuation, but as time went on, I noticed that Emily was becoming increasingly indifferent.

Even more alarming, Richard began to meddle in the affairs of the Howard Corporation. He used Emily's connections to gradually gain William's trust, even being appointed vice president. But I soon discovered that this guy was a complete fraud and thief.

He embezzled company funds for high-risk investments, falsified financial statements, and even secretly traded with competitors, selling company trade secrets. Just as I had gathered all the evidence and was preparing to report him to William, William suddenly died.

Now I understand, they couldn't let William know the truth, so they chose the most extreme method.

The rain poured down harder, and I felt my consciousness fading. In my final moments, all I felt was endless rage and resentment. If there is an afterlife, I will make those two scoundrels pay. I will take back everything that belongs to William, I will make them kneel and beg for mercy, I will make them experience true despair.

Darkness engulfed me.