Tiana had poured most of Sabell Group's capital into a newly developed real estate project; without my capital, the company would face immediate insolvency. Gina had begged me for an investment in this exact same way eight years ago, hoping I would rescue three generations of the Sabell family's legacy.

I was forced to kneel in front of the Zeller residence for three days straight and severed ties with my family to marry Tiana. I ignored Natalie Zeller's, my sister's, objections and invested every bit of my money into Sabell Group, alienating the only person in the family who cared for me.

What did I receive for my sacrifice?

I got to my feet, cradling Sabrina's body in my arms, and stated flatly, "I've officially settled my debt to Tiana, who saved me from drowning ten years ago. I have no reason to remain with the Sabell family now that Sabrina is dead."

Gina hunched over, looking as though she had aged ten years all at once. "I'll call Tiana this instant and let you do with her as you wish. I'm begging you—please just give her one more chance to make up for this."

It took dozens of calls before Tiana finally picked up. She sounded cold and sharp while saying, "I've already married Nicholas to satisfy you. What more could you possibly want from me, Grandma?"

Gina yelled, "You're the one who said you loved Nicholas! How could you harm him and Sabrina?"

Tiana snapped, "Nicholas was the one who hired someone to run me over so that he could 'rescue' me! He tricked me into loving him, and he deserves to pay for it. I've only sent Sabrina over to the chapel to offer some prayers—a few days of kneeling and fasting.

"Is that really something to get upset over? Hayden hasn't had much of an appetite, so I need to look after him. You should just tell Nicholas to stop stirring up trouble, Grandma."

Tiana merely said it was "just a few days of kneeling and fasting," but even the strong would break after seven days of starvation. Sabrina was merely a child with a heart condition—her knees were literally worn down to the bone.

Gina suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. "It's over for the Sabell family!"

Gina was rushed to the hospital, while I brought Sabrina home; after all, I needed to change her into new clothes before saying my final goodbye.

Those household staff in the courtyard watched with terror as I carried Sabrina in.

"She's soaked in blood, with bones showing through!"

"It seems like we'll have to serve Mr. Brown better from now on—he's the one in charge of the household now. I heard that the child is supposedly Mr. Brown and Ms. Sabell's, born via a surrogate."

I walked into the living room, and Hayden was taken aback when he saw me coming toward him.

He shot a glance at Sabrina, cocked his brow slightly, then turned to Tiana. "It seems like Nicholas just can't stand me or our newborn, Tiana. Henry is suffering in the hospital because of the malevolent energy surrounding Sabrina. How can Nicholas not feel guilty about that?"

Tiana furrowed her brow and proactively pulled him into her arms. She then let out a derisive sneer before kicking me hard. "Hayden hasn't been eating well, so I'm taking him out for some Forancian cuisine. You've truly raised a daughter as corrupted as you—she's actually trying to fool me by playing dead!"

I fell to the floor, causing Sabrina to slip from my arms. I scrambled to hold her again, murmuring, "You have nothing to be afraid of, Sabrina."

Tiana kicked Sabrina a few times. "You'd better stop pretending and get up this instant. Hayden is still feeling unwell. Did you not pray sincerely when you were kneeling at the chapel, or did you eat something when you weren't supposed to?"

Upon seeing Sabrina remain motionless, Tiana grew impatient and roughly grabbed my chin. "Sabrina has turned out just like you—disgusting and full of lies! You both should perform on stage since you're both such good actors!

"You've failed as a parent, so Hayden will take over your position as her father instead! I expect to see Sabrina serving Hayden with respect once we return!"

Hayden acted the part of the peacemaker, saying, "You shouldn't get upset over something like this, Tiana. Nicholas is only acting out because he's jealous of how much you care for me. I'll take over Sabrina's upbringing and raise her properly once I take over as Sabrina's father."

Tiana scoffed. "If he hadn't deceived me into marrying him, you wouldn't have been so devastated and easily fooled into performing such hard labor over the years. It's something he owes you—the suffering he's facing now is nothing compared to what you suffered back then."

Tiana linked arms with Hayden and left. Hayden glanced back at me, looking contemptuous and smug.

I carried Sabrina upstairs to change her clothes, only to be stopped by the household staff.

"Ms. Sabell has designated this room for Mr. Henry because of the natural sunlight it receives. It would be considered bad luck to bring a dead body inside; Ms. Sabell and Mr. Brown wouldn't be happy about it."

It was obvious to anyone that Sabrina had already died, but Tiana, her mother, still believed she was faking it to deceive others.

Sabrina had starved to death in a dilapidated chapel, all because of Tiana's hollow lies. It was truly a cruel joke, as her mother had never once believed her.

I hadn't brought the new clothes I bought for Sabrina to her room yet, so I changed her into them where we were. I finally held the urn containing Sabrina's ashes, which the employees handed to me following a night of cremation at the crematorium.

I had planned to take Sabrina's ashes away to lay her to rest alongside my parents, but the thought of seeing Natalie stopped me; after all, I had chosen love over everything else and had disappointed her deeply.

I had just left the crematorium when Tiana called. I ignored the call, but she immediately called again. I finally picked it up, only to hear her snapping on the other end of the line. "If you aren't here within the hour, I'm flushing that emerald ring down the toilet."

I cried out in despair, yelling, "That is a keepsake from my mother!"

I had just returned home when I spotted Tiana and Hayden messing around on the couch. Hayden's hand was inside her top as he rested his head on her shoulder, flushing and panting. "You should stop right now, Tiana. Nicholas might get jealous. He hasn't returned all night; who knows where he went."

Tiana's gaze darkened as she kissed his earlobe. "Why bother with him? It looks like I'm not charming enough since you even think about him."

Hayden struck her shoulder lightly in a flirtatious manner. "You're so annoying."

I gazed at them calmly, my eyes devoid of any emotion. "Where is my mother's keepsake?"

Tiana stopped what she was doing and sneered. "I've made it into a pendant for Hayden; after all, your things are only fit to be stepped on.

"Go bring Sabrina over right now. Her prayers were deemed insincere, so she must go back to the chapel to kneel for another seven days. I'll have someone keep an eye on her to ensure she doesn't eat anything."

I could no longer hold back my emotions. I slapped Tiana across the face and yelled, "You monster! You've already killed Sabrina! I'm literally holding her ashes right now!"

Tiana was momentarily stunned. She then grabbed the urn and smashed it onto the floor. "How could someone die from a mere seven-day fast? Do you really take me for a fool? She's not even my biological daughter! She is a bastard girl being swapped since birth!

"I witnessed you and that woman getting into a car together three months ago, acting all intimate. You're just trying to use this prayer thing as an excuse to fake her death and also hide your affair! You'd better not even think about it, Nicholas!"

Sabrina's ashes were scattered everywhere, only to be mercilessly trampled under Tiana's feet.

That woman was actually Natalie, my sister. I had cast aside my pride to ask her—despite her disappointment in me—to help Tiana secure the piece of land in the eastern part of the city. I only did it because I didn't want Tiana to stay up at night worrying about the whole thing.

I reached down with trembling hands to scoop the remains back into the urn. I then let out a hollow, mocking laugh. "I've never deceived you, Tiana! That woman was my sister!"

Tiana narrowed her eyes for a moment before she broke into laughter. "You're still lying to me, huh? You're an orphan, Nicholas!

"Hayden and I are getting married next month. He'll share the same status as you, and you'll need to look after him. Henry is my child with Hayden, so you are to treat him as your own son from here on out."

Hayden looked down and exclaimed, "Oh, no—my shoes got dirty from the dust earlier!"

Tiana coaxed him gently, saying, "I'll buy you another pair this afternoon."

Hayden's eyes turned bloodshot as he choked back tears. "You were the one who gave these shoes to me. Why is Nicholas always picking on me?"

Tiana furrowed her brow as Hayden glanced warily at me. She then barked, "Go clean the dirt off Hayden's shoes!"

It was then that one of the household staff nearby said contemptuously, "I can show you how to wait on someone properly."

He then glanced up at Tiana, clearly looking for a pat on the back. Tiana remained silent, her compliance serving as a clear endorsement of his behavior.

I was forced to press my face against Hayden's shoes.

Hayden laughed in satisfaction and took a few photos. He then let out another cry a moment later. "Ouch, my foot! You don't have to hurt me just because you don't want to clean my shoes, Nicholas. I'm already physically weak, so I can't handle being scared like this."

Tiana grabbed my collar and slapped me hard across the face. "How heartless of you! Drag him to the courtyard and force him to kneel. He can only get up when Hayden is no longer angry. Go find that hidden bastard of a child and make her kneel at the chapel to pray again!"

I kneeled in the pouring rain with hands pressing heavily on my shoulders. I held Sabrina's ashes tight against my chest, watching numbly as Tiana bustled around the living room, spoon-feeding Hayden.

It was then that the shaman, whom Hayden hired, made another visit, swinging her whisk as she chanted under her breath. She then explained, "Henry remains unconscious because the malevolent energy is still present. You must find the girl immediately so that she can perform the prayers."

Tiana held Hayden close under the umbrella. "Go hold his head underwater to clear his mind. Get rid of that urn he's holding as well—it makes me sick just looking at it."

I cried out in utter disbelief, yelling, "Those are Sabrina's ashes! How can you be so heartless?"

I couldn't let them deny Sabrina peace in the afterlife. I kneeled and groveled before Tiana, saying, "You can't do this, Tiana."

Tiana kicked me aside with a grim expression, and before long, the urn was taken from me and thrown to the ground, causing the ashes to spill out and promptly washed away by the falling rain.

I was forced under the water, swallowing mouthfuls as I struggled for air. I was right on the edge of drowning when Tiana finally told them to drag me out.

It was then that the shaman sighed helplessly and said, "If the child can't be located, there is only one remaining method. Mr. Zeller shares an unbreakable bond with that child, as they are related by blood.

"Thus, we must take one of Mr. Zeller's organs, soak it in the holy water, and burn it in a fire to perform the rite."

Tiana furrowed her brow and asked, "Is it going to work?"

Hayden suddenly clutched his chest and said, "I feel so suffocated."

Upon seeing that, the shaman's eyes widened in alarm. "There is malevolent energy converging in this area! There is no time to lose!"

Tiana accepted the knife from one of the household staff and said, "I'll only remove one of your kidneys, Nicholas. I'll raise Sabrina as my own child in return—this will be my way of making it up to you."

I burst into hysterical laughter as the knife cut into my flesh. "You're truly an ingrate! I should have never invested tens of billions of dollars into Sabell Group!"

Tiana's hand stiffened as she asked in shock, "W-What did you just say?"

Hayden sneered. "That investment came from the Zeller family of Brookvale—the ones with hands in both the underworld and the legitimate world. You're nothing but an orphan, Nicholas."

Gina, barely able to stand and supported by a cane, rushed over and slapped Tiana repeatedly across the face. "Nicholas is the heir of the Zeller family of Brookvale! He severed all ties with his family just to marry into yours, Tiana!"