Cheryl had nned this carefully–forging documents and having the butler slip them to Olivia. Everything had led to this moment.

Gina bit her lip. “But… what if someone finds out?”

“Do you want a wedding for your son or not?” Cheryl snapped. “She’s uneducated and easy to fool. If things go wrong, you can just leave the town

afterward.”

“Then take us with you,” Gina said, her voiceced with greed. “We want to live in the city too.i” /i

Cheryl gritted her teeth. “Deal. After this job, I’ll have someone bring you over.”

Gina’s voice bubbled with excitement through the receiver. “Wonderful. All those years raising you finally pay off. We’ll be there within the week. That girt won’t see iting.”

“I’m sending the photo now,” Cheryl said, forwarding the image with a quick tap.

“Pretty thing. She’llmand a high price,” Ginamented.

“I’ll wait for your word then.”

“Just remember to arrange our transportation into the city,” Gina replied brightly.

Cheryl let out a long, slow breath after hanging up. ‘Olivia will suffer exactly what I did in that hellish town. Once she sets foot there, she’ll never get out. She’ll disappear, just another broken thing left to wither away in the dirt,’ she thought.

Afterst night’s surgical shift, Olivia’s body throbbed with exhaustion. She was heading for a much–needed massage when, at a street corner, she overheard the muffled sounds of an argument.

“Check it out. H doesn’t talk. What’s wrong with him?”

“Hey, weirdo, you’re ten and not in school? You must be special needs or something.”

“I heard he has ino /iparents, no friends. Guess he was too messed up for anyone to want him.”

A group of second–graders had Sean backed against the wallb, /bhurling insults. The leader, a heavyset boy in a yellow shirt, pointed at Sean with the half- eaten hot dog in his hand.

Olivia spotted Sean and immediately tensed up. She’d clearly told him to stay home.

Sean stood motionless against the wall, taking their abuse without reaction. His cold stare never wavered, but his eyes began shining with something dangerous.

Olivia recognized the warning signs. If she didn’t stop this now, Sean would demolish these kids.

Before Olivia could intervene, a little girl in a pink princess dress pushed through the crowd and shielded Sean behind her. “Knock it off!” shemanded, band /bjust like that, the bullying stopped.

The leading boy nted his hands on his hips defiantly. “Who are you supposed to be? My dad’s Nathan Evans. If you mess with me, you’re done for in this city.” He stood there grinning, clearly pleased with himself.

“Is that bso/bb?/bb” /bJenny stepped protectively in front of Sean, her small arms spread wide as she fixed the leading bboy /bbwith /ban icy stare. “When ites to family prestige, the Sheas have never lost to anyone.”

The leading boy’s face paled bat /bthe mention iof /ithe Shea name. Though he didn’t understand business matters, he’d heard bhis /bfather and bgrandfather /b

speak of the Shea family often enough to know they were important.

“Fine. I won’t forget this!” The boys who had been bullying Sean suddenly scattered, running off as if the devil were at their heets

From her spot on the sidewalk, Olivia casually stuck out her long leg, tripping Nathan’s son. The boy went down hard, bfacs /bnting on the pavement.

Olivia’s lips curved in a humorless smile, her eyes full of warning. “Do watch your step, Mr. Evans.”

The boy was ready to explode with anger, but the moment he saw Olivia, he suddenly lost his courage and quickly ran iaway /i

After they left, Sean remained sitting on the ground, staring nkly without moving.

The air in Hirica was thick with humidity, leaving the ground still wet. Sean’s padded jacket, once clean and bright, was nowpletely covered in

mud.

“Get up,” Jenny said as she reached down to pull him.

Sean was still distracted, haunted by their cruel words–the way they’d said his parents didn’t want him. The idea of parents abandoning their child made no sense to him, but it didn’t matter. Olivia and Grace were all the family he’d ever need.

“Hey, I said get up.” Jenny kept pulling at him, her voice filled with frustration. “What’s wrong with you? When people bully you, you’re supposed to bfight /b

back.”

Sean finally looked up at her with confusion. “Fight back?” he asked. But Olivia’s warnings echoed in his mind–violence was wrong, and it would only

Jenny nted her hands on her hips, putting on her best tough–girl act. “Yes. My brother promised he’d take care of any problems.

“So go ahead. If there’s trouble, I’ll handle… I meanb, /bI’ll make sure my brother handles it.” She sped her hands behind her back and gave him a sweet, yful smile.

Olivia chuckled as she walked over. She picked Sean up and checked him over carefully. “Tell me you’re not hurt. What brought you here? I thought you were staying home with Grandma Grace.”

Olivia felt puzzled. While Sean could be absentminded, he never let people walk all over him. His behavior today seemed unusual.

Sean suddenly remembered why he’de. He began waving his arms urgently. “Grandma Grace… Someone… causing trouble… Our house…”

Olivia immediately understood. Someone was causing trouble at her house. Without hesitation, she tightened her hold on Sean and broke into a sprint

toward home.

After taking a few quick steps, she turned back to call out to Jenny. “Stay close and go find your brother right now.”

Jenny blinked in confusioni, /isuddenly realizing she’dpletely forgotten why she’d sneaked out in the first ce. ‘Oh, no! I missed my chance to talk to her again,‘ she thought, stamping her foot in frustration.

Ethan’s anxious voice came from behind her, “Ms. Shea, where have you run off to this time?”

Olivia moved with quick purpose, istopping /ijust long enough to grab a wooden stick from the corner store before continuing forward, her eyes zing with anger.

A crowd had gathered outside her home, mostly unfamiliar faces, though she could spot a few curious neighbors watching from the sidelines.

bAt /bbthe /bfront of the crowd, an older man was shouting and pointing angrily at Grace. “You poisoned those children. My son died right after we finalized bthe /badoption. What kind of monster would do such a thing?”

Someone in the crowd muttered, “She really killed someone? But wasn’t she supposed to be some bkind /bbof /bbherbal /bdoctorb?/b”

“Who could forget? bThat /borphanage scandal bwas /bthe biggest bstory /bin Hirica for weeksb,/bb” /banother chimed bin/bb. /b

saw it myself when they carried these p?r bur

b“/bEveryone knows,b” /ba third one replied. “That evil director poisoned the orphans. I saw it myself when they carried these per als ont of recher Worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

b“/bAnd now she’s living right here with us? That’s just wrongb,/b” someone else remarked.

b“/bThis is Olivia’s house, right? I can’t believe the one she’s been living with was the murderer!” a person gasped.

Grace stood at the center of the crowd, gripping the wall for support as she turned deathly pale.

The old man pressed on, “The only reason you’re not in jail is because folks took pity on you for all ithose /iyears at the orphanage.