Chapter 1
Crim
“Charlotte, believe it or not, I wasn’t the one who hit Nina Woods.”
Suppressing the numbness in her legs, Martin Pamella took slow, labored steps toward Charlotte. Her hair was disheveled, soaked with relentless rain, water streaming down her forehead and clouding her vision. She lifted her head, forcing herself to ignore the bitterness rising in her throat—her whole posture brimming with stubbornness and pride.
From behind the curtain of rain, a tall, handsome man emerged from the hospital entrance. His expression was grim, his eyes distant and cold. He cast a detached glance at the trembling woman standing in the rain before walking past her without a word.
“Why won’t you believe me?” Martin Pamella cried out, stumbling into his line of sight. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was pale and haggard. “We’ve known each other for so many years. At least give me a chance to explain.”
A sharp slap rang out. Pain exploded across her cheek as she staggered backward—only to be roughly yanked forward by a set of cold, powerful fingers gripping her jaw.
Above them, the sky raged with churning dark clouds.
“Nina Woods is lying unconscious in that hospital bed, Martin Pamella. She lost her child. The doctors say she may never wake up.”
His voice was icy and merciless, laced with the chilling detachment he always carried.
Still holding her chin, Charlotte grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up from the ground. The pain in her scalp made Martin Pamella cry out, but one sharp glare from him silenced her instantly.
Cold dread surged from the soles of her feet to her heart.
“As long as Nina Woods remains unconscious, your life, Miss Katie, won’t be easy either.”
“No… I swear, I didn’t hit her. I didn’t even know she was pregnant! Charlotte, how can you accuse me of this?” Martin Pamella pleaded, her voice trembling. She couldn’t believe he truly thought she would harm Nina Woods—her best friend since childhood. How could he think her so cruel, so heartless?
“Hmph.”
His eyes were frigid as he stared her down. “Then tell me, why was the car that hit Nina Woods a Lamborghini Veneno?”
She had no time to defend herself.
“There are only three Lamborghini Venenos in existence. And you, Miss Katie, are the only one in Manchester City privileged enough to own one. Everyone knows how much you treasure that car—you treat it like your own child. You never let anyone else drive it. So, what? You’re saying Nina wasn’t hit by you?”
“I didn’t do it! I swear on everything—I never hurt Nina Woods!”
“Do you remember Reporter Willy? That night, he caught a photo of you getting into the Lamborghini Veneno at exactly eleven o’clock. Want to explain what you were doing out at that hour?”
Reporter Willy?
Martin Pamella shivered. For years, that reporter had hounded her, blackmailing her and threatening to expose private details of her life. But she had never wronged him—so why this?
Charlotte’s eyes flared with fury. His grip on her hair tightened, as if he wanted to tear her scalp from her skull.
“You love me, don’t you? You loved me so much you threw away your pride, became a monster, and even dared to murder your best friend. Two lives, Martin Pamella. Even if you were shredded and fed to wild dogs, it wouldn’t be enough to pay back what you’ve done.”
He flung her aside like garbage, his face full of loathing. Martin Pamella stumbled and collapsed to her knees. Desperate, she clutched at his trouser leg.
“I don’t know how everything went so wrong. Charlotte, I didn’t hurt her. Just listen to me—please. I’ll hire a private investigator, I’ll uncover the truth—”
“Martin Pamella,” he interrupted coldly, “prepare to go to prison.”
“No! You can’t do this to me! I’m carrying…”
Your child.
The final words were swallowed by the wind. Charlotte didn’t even hear her. The car door slammed shut with finality. As Martin Pamella lunged forward, her fingers got caught in the door’s edge. A sharp, searing pain ripped through her hand—but she barely noticed.
“Charlotte, listen to me! The woman at the Willy Family banquet hotel that night wasn’t Nina Woods—it was me. I was the one with you…”
Her voice cracked. Her heart split open.
No one understood.
No one in the world knew how deeply she loved this man—how she had never wanted to hurt him. When she found out the only person he truly cared about was Nina, she had silently chosen to step aside.
Her fingers, bloodied from the door, throbbed with unbearable pain. But it couldn’t compare to the agony tearing her heart apart.
If only he would believe her.
If only he would listen.
Charlotte turned lazily to glance at her, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips.
“Miss Katie, you’re not seriously trying to tell me that you’re carrying my child, are you?”
“If I said yes… would you believe me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“I wouldn’t. Not even a little.” His gaze turned cruel. “And if I find out you’re harboring some bastard in your womb, I’ll have it torn out—my atonement, and justice for Nina Woods.”
Martin Pamella trembled. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“How… how could you?”
Her strength abandoned her, dizziness washing over her like a wave. Her legs felt as if they’d turned to stone, and her mind went blank.
The car door slammed shut again.
Her bloodied hand dropped limply to her side.
The rain fell harder.
Outside the villa, Charlotte stood under the eaves of the Bailey estate, his expression sharp and unforgiving. His glare pierced the storm, as if he intended to kill her with just his eyes.
“Sir, Miss Katie has been kneeling outside all night,” Kyle reported, head bowed respectfully.
Charlotte didn’t move. His coat billowed despite the still air. His lips curled slightly in a murderous smirk.
“Inform Chief Nelson. Have her taken away. She should understand how many years attempted murder gets you.”
Avery’s eyes flickered. “And the Bailey family?”
“The Bailey family?” He laughed coldly, hatred flashing in his eyes. “Terminate all collaborations. And let them know—if they want to live peacefully in America, they’ll have to disown their disgraceful daughter and sever all ties with her publicly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And cancel all her previous academic and professional credentials. Not a single record of her should remain. Notify France—report her for moral corruption, mental instability, premeditated murder. Demand her expulsion from school.”
The night Nina Woods was struck, the vehicle involved was Martin Pamella’s prized Lamborghini. There was photographic evidence. And she’d once openly declared she would never forgive anyone who tried to steal her man.
The media and police had already pointed their fingers at her.
Who told her she could be the city’s shining pearl?
Who allowed her to possess the world’s rarest supercar?
Who gave her permission to love Paige so obsessively?
Paige lit a cigar, placing it between his lips. The smoke coiled around his face, masking the venom in his eyes. Through the haze, he thought he saw her—kneeling outside in the downpour, spine rigid, her pale face still etched with defiance and pride.
He took a long drag, fingertips tightening around the cigar.
Martin Pamella, the pain you caused Nina Woods…
I will return it to you tenfold. A hundredfold.
A millionfold.
