Chapter 1

It was raining and thundering late at night. Maeve Lawson hurriedly rushed to the Stevens family’s mansion without changing out of her wedding gown. “Grandpa’s death really has nothing to do with me. I was knocked out. When I woke up, Grandpa was already dead!” She pounded on the door of the black Rolls-Royce. After a long standoff, a man finally impatiently stepped out of the car. Maeve tightly grasped his sleeve and desperately pleaded. “Ron, you have to believe me. I didn’t—” “Maeve,” Ron Stevens, who was holding an umbrella, interrupted her with a cold and indifferent voice. “Save it for the police when you arrive at the police station!” After saying that, he turned around and prepared to get in the car and leave. Maeve immediately ran after him. She reached out to pull the car door open, but she was a step too late. She screamed in pain as her hand got caught in the door. However, she gritted her teeth and refused to let go. She said, “I didn’t kill Grandpa. Today is our wedding day. You are a smart guy. Think about it. What good does it do me to kill Grandpa?” “Maeve, here’s a piece of advice: let go.” A gentle female voice suddenly came from inside the car. Maeve was stunned for a second. She looked in the direction of the voice. Only then did she notice that there was another woman in the car with Ron. It was her cousin, who was also one of her bridesmaids, Yvonne Lynch. Yvonne said to Ron in a gentle voice, “You have been busy with the wedding preparations these days. No one expected Grandpa’s accident, which turned the joyous occasion into a sorrowful one. Now, we have to deal with the funeral arrangements. Continuing this stalemate is not a solution. Why don’t you come inside first and let me have a word with Maeve?” Ron replied coldly, “Send her away. There’s no need to waste your time listening to her just because she’s your cousin. If she keeps pestering you, have the security guards kick her out.” “Don’t worry, I know what to do.” Yvonne stepped out of the car with an umbrella in hand. She gazed at Maeve. Rainwater streamed down her hair and cheeks. Her pristine white wedding gown was stained with mud. The girl who looked spectacular at the wedding a while ago now looked utterly disheveled. Yvonne said softly, “Instead of pestering him here, why don’t you think about what you can do to get a lighter sentence and spend fewer years in prison?” “Are you saying that you don’t believe me either?” Maeve clung to a glimmer of hope from Yvonne. Yvonne chuckled softly. “Oh, my dear cousin, of course, I believe you. I already knocked you out by then. How could you have killed that old man?” Maeve’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You killed Grandpa!” “Yes, it was me.” Yvonne admitted it. Since Ron was not present, she had no need to pretend. “Why did you do it? Grandpa has always been so nice to you.” Maeve’s eyes were red. “He has been nice to me?” Yvonne sneered sarcastically. “My silly cousin, do you have a misconception about what ‘nice’ means? Ron loves me. If that old man was really ‘nice’ to me, he would have let us be together instead of forcing Ron to marry you! I’m not like you. They say marriage is a woman’s second chance at life, and Ron is my only chance to marry into a wealthy family and change my fate! Since that stubborn old man refused to listen, I had to find a way to fight for it myself.” With an air of self-righteousness, Yvonne continued, “The bride killed a member of her husband’s family on their wedding night. Now that’s some sensational news, isn’t it? My dear cousin, don’t blame me. I had no other choice. The police will be here soon. You’d better confess, and maybe you can get a more lenient sentence with fewer years behind bars.” “Yvonne Lynch, you wicked witch, I’m going to kill you!” Maeve lunged toward her. Just as she was about to grab Yvonne by the throat, the police arrived. “It wasn’t me. I’ve been telling you I didn’t kill him. Yvonne knocked me unconscious. Yvonne Lynch did it. She admitted that she killed Grandpa. You can check the surveillance footage and find evidence. Why are you forcing me to confess to something I didn’t do?” In the dim interrogation room of the Riverside City Police Station, she had been interrogated non-stop from day to night for 24 hours. Maeve had lost count of how many times she had pleaded innocent. She was on the verge of a mental breakdown. The female officer said sternly, “Ms. Lawson, by refusing to cooperate, you’re only making things worse for yourself. The surveillance footage was damaged at that time, and now both witness testimonies and physical evidence point to you. Denying it won’t help. Surrendering and pleading guilty might give you a chance to reduce your sentence. You’re still young. A few years in prison won’t take away your bright future.” “I didn’t do it. Why should I confess? My dad is Syrus Lawson. He will hire the best lawyer to prove my innocence!” Maeve’s eyes were bloodshot as she shouted in anger. The police officer, who was interrogating her, sneered disdainfully. “Looks like you don’t know yet. After the news of you committing murder on your wedding night broke out, the Lawson Group suffered a heavy blow. Syrus Lawson had a sudden heart attack and is currently in the ICU. Lawson Group is on the verge of collapse. Rumor says that they will soon change the company’s name to Norton Group.” “What did you say?” Maeve’s face instantly turned pale. She thought, “Is Sabrina taking advantage of the situation?” Her biological mother came from a decent family. When she married her father, it was considered a marriage that was beneath her. After giving birth to her, her mother immediately handed over a divorce agreement and remarried a powerful big shot in Sea City, Howard Freeman. In a marriage of poverty and hardship, when a man lacked money and ability, it was only a matter of time before he was berated by his wife for being a useless piece of trash. Her father decided to take a chance and quit his job to venture into business. Starting as a nobody, he gradually worked his way up to become the CEO of a corporation. It was during that time that he remarried Sabrina Norton, who was his secretary. In the beginning, Sabrina was very kind and friendly toward her. She bought Maeve beautiful dresses, took her to amusement parks, and treated her to delicious food. Her father said that having a mother meant there would be one more person to dote on her. She thought that she would be like any other child. She thought getting a mother would mean she would receive more love and affection. However, reality turned out to be different. After she successfully married her father and gained her approval, Sabrina seemed to transform into a completely different person. This was especially so after Sabrina got pregnant. She started treating her like an eyesore. She would often physically abuse her and insult her. She would accuse her of being lazy and a burden. She forced her to do chores with the servants and would frequently starve her. Her father devoted all his time to his career. When he did come home, he would spend those rare moments with Sabrina. In the eyes of outsiders, and even in her father’s eyes, Sabrina was a gentle and virtuous woman. Their family seemed harmonious. Her mother remarried, her father took a new wife, and the only one that remained unchanged was Maeve herself. She was abandoned by both her parents. She was unable to go to her mother, and she felt like an outsider in her father’s home. So, when Ron proposed to her, she said yes without any hesitation. She wanted to have her own family. She wanted to be loved and cared for. However, she never expected that Ron would betray her. Yvonne was Sabrina’s niece. She had been working in Lawson Group since graduating from university, and she had been living with the Lawson family all these years. Now, looking back, it was all a conspiracy! In just one night, her whole world crumbled. On the day of the trial, the appointed defense lawyer, who was either bought off or simply uninterested in the case because he was not being paid, showed no dedication to the case. No matter how hard Maeve tried to defend herself, it was in vain. After the verdict was announced, as Maeve was being taken away, she caught sight of Ron and Yvonne sitting below. Ron had a cold and indifferent expression on his face. Yvonne, on the other hand, gave her the V sign. That one glance starred in Maeve’s nightmares during her three years in prison, but it also became the driving force for her to get through the years.