Chapter 1: Rainy Night

On a rainy night, the downpour was relentless.

Amaya Moreno had been kneeling at the gate of the Moreno family estate for an entire hour, drenched by the rain.

"Miss Moreno, you should leave. Mr. Moreno won't change his mind," Dakota said with a sympathetic expression as he saw Amaya's shivering body.

"It's okay, Dakota. You don't need to worry about me. I must get the money to save my mother," she replied stubbornly, rain streaming down her determined face.

If it weren't for her mother's critical illness and the need for medical expenses, Amaya would never have set foot here, let alone kneel and beg that man.

Dakota sighed with resignation and went back inside, feeling sorry for the suffering child.

Just then, a blinding car headlight pierced through the rain and shone on Amaya. The car sped past, splashing muddy rainwater all over her.

"Ah!" she cried out in surprise. Already in a miserable state from the cold winter rain, she now looked even more wretched, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Oh dear sister, I'm so sorry. It was too dark to see clearly. I didn't do it on purpose," a pretentious female voice came from the car.

Amaya looked up to see her half-sister stepping out of the car, wearing silver high-heeled shoes encrusted with diamonds. She looked down at Amaya with disdain, without a trace of apology in her eyes.

"Who are you calling sister!" The term struck a nerve in Amaya, and she stood up abruptly, glaring fiercely at the woman before her.

Her mother was Kyson Moreno's lawful wife, yet the child born to another woman outside was older than her by a month. How laughable!

"If it weren't for Dad's request, do you think I'd want to call someone like you my sister? It's embarrassing," Madilyn Moreno whispered in her ear.

"Madilyn Moreno, don't act so high and mighty. Everything you and your mother have now is just what my mother and I didn't want."

"Your mother was just a mistress who climbed up the ranks. What are you so proud of?" Amaya retorted sharply, hitting Madilyn's sore spot.

"I was just trying to help you. How could you push me?" Madilyn saw Kyson Moreno coming out and deliberately sat down in the muddy water, making it look convincing.

Although young, she was quite adept at such tricks.

"You wretch!" Kyson slapped Amaya hard without hesitation.

Amaya felt a strong wind approaching and before she could react, her face burned with pain. She fell to the ground like a rag doll.

She looked at this so-called father in front of her, feeling the last bit of hope extinguish.

"Someone help Madilyn up," Kyson ordered angrily.

Amaya couldn't believe that such poor acting could fool anyone. It seemed her despicable dad was totally blinded.

"Daddy, don't hit my sister. She didn't mean it," Madilyn pleaded softly.

"Madilyn, stop with your fake concern. It makes me sick," Amaya sneered from the ground.

"Insolent! Amaya, you wretch. How can you speak so harshly? Where is your grace?" Kyson had always raised her as a socialite and was furious seeing this side of her.

"Grace? Ha!" she laughed coldly.

"A socialite who struggles for daily meals? Who kneels here begging for medical expenses for her mother? Who gets framed by your precious daughter and beaten to the ground?"

"My childhood was spent performing for various uncles and aunts or practicing dance and piano under your scolding."

She knew she wouldn't get the medical expenses and finally voiced all her pent-up grievances with intense hatred.

Her childhood was filled with dance practice, playing the cello, and piano. She feared displeasing her father and implicating her mother in his scolding. She practiced desperately to achieve high scores but never found joy.

"So... this is how you repay me after all I've spent on you? Amaya... you've grown tougher now, haven't you? Don't come begging me then. Get out! Get out!" Kyson shouted furiously, pointing at her.

"I'm no longer the little girl who didn't dare to talk back when scolded for not playing well."

She struggled to stand up, gave him a cold look, and staggered away.

At the villa's gate, her legs gave out and she knelt in the rain. The walls around her heart crumbled as tears poured down uncontrollably.

What about her mother's medical expenses? The optimal surgery period was within a week. Eight hundred thousand dollars was nothing to the Moreno family but meant life or death for her and her mother.

What should she do? What should she do?

After considering everyone who might help, only her boyfriend Adam Shaw remained.

Adam was a wealthy kid but had his own ideas and ambition. He started his own company after college. He had pursued her since university. She had long lost faith in love due to her parents' marriage but found being with him comfortable and ambitious enough for marriage.

Amaya always sought equality in relationships and rarely spent Adam's money.

She would only borrow the eight hundred thousand dollars and would definitely repay him.

Half an hour later, Amaya appeared at a high-end apartment.

Before entering, she took several deep breaths. For her mother's medical expenses, she had to ask no matter what.

Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door with her fingerprint and stepped inside.

As soon as she reached the entrance, she saw scattered high heels and men's shoes on the floor along with a man's suit jacket, shirt, and a woman's bra... It was clear they couldn't wait to get to the bedroom.

Her breath hitched, her mind went blank, water dripping from her body as time seemed to freeze.

Until she heard moans from a woman and grunts from a man inside the room. Even without having sex herself, she knew what those sounds meant.

She lifted her heavy feet and slowly walked towards the bedroom.

The living room sofa was draped with black stockings and lace panties.

"Oh, you're amazing," came a woman's seductive moan from the bedroom.

"You minx," followed by a man's low growl.

Amaya recognized those familiar voices instantly; it felt like being struck by lightning. Her body swayed as if about to collapse.