Chapter 2

After freshening up, Lucie descended the stairs, heading to the hospital to visit her younger sister, Phoebe Barton.

A familiar figure exited a car and hurried to intercept Lucie outside her apartment building.

It was Clayton Levine, Lucie’s former boyfriend. He reached out and implored, “Lucie, I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Lucie shrugged off his hand, glared at Clayton, and replied icily, “Excuse me, you make me sick.”

Lucie had blacklisted him after their breakup just yesterday, and she was puzzled how Clayton had discovered her address.

“Lucie, this is unfair. We spent a whole year together, but you never let me get close. How can you blame me?” Clayton grew agitated.

Lucie sneered, “I’m sorry. We’re no longer together, so there’s no need for us to talk.”

With that, Lucie turned away, and this time Clayton didn’t attempt to stop her.

Lucie boarded the bus bound for the hospital.

One year ago, due to Lucie’s lapse in attention, her autistic sister had been in a car accident and had remained in a coma since.

At the time, the car involved was old and uninsured, and the owner was so destitute that he couldn’t afford to cover Phoebe’s medical expenses.

The medical bills had piled up, and Lucie had just brought the 1,300 dollars she earned the previous night at Regal Club to settle the debt.

Phoebe’s condition was primarily the result of a brain injury, and the chances of her waking up were slim. The doctor had advised Lucie to consider letting go or risk being burdened by debt.

But Lucie couldn’t bring herself to abandon Phoebe.

Every time Lucie visited her father in prison, he would inquire about Phoebe’s well-being.

Lucie was determined not to give up on Phoebe, even though she couldn’t afford a better room or a professional caregiver.

Lucie had to hurry because she had a tutoring session scheduled. So, after cleaning Phoebe and massaging her hands and feet, Lucie left quickly.

Lucie recalled that there was a pharmacy near the hospital where she could purchase her medication.

She went there and discovered that a single tablet cost her 4 dollars. “That’s quite expensive,” she muttered.

Lucie then waited at the bus stop.

She placed the tablet in her mouth and, as she reached for the water she had brought from home, her gaze fell upon a black Land Rover stopped at a red light a few meters away.

Through the clear car window, Lucie witnessed the girl in the passenger seat throw herself at the driver and kiss him.

Lucie found the man’s profile familiar, reminiscent of the events of the previous night.

Suddenly, the tablet in Lucie’s mouth tasted unbearably bitter.

She shifted her attention away and swallowed the tablet with a gulp of water.

***

Later in the afternoon, Lucie received an interview invitation from Sleight Technology.

The company was a leader in the tech industry in their city, and securing a position at Sleight Technology was the aspiration of every recent graduate in Jedon City.

However, Lucie’s motivation was different.

Her father had been the Chief Financial Officer of Sleight Technology before a financial scandal erupted seven years ago. He had been made a scapegoat to protect others, resulting in a 15-year prison sentence and a 200-thousand-dollar fine.

He told Lucie that he was innocent.

Lucie believed in him.

This was why Lucie wanted to join Sleight Technology, hoping to uncover evidence that could help her father’s case.

Following the interview invitation, Lucie requested a day off from her job at the club so she could prepare for the interview scheduled for the next day.

It was past ten at night when Lucie was about to take a shower, and she received a notification – a friend request.

Lucie checked it and saw the name: Scott Barton.

“Could it be him?” she wondered.

Lucie wasn’t certain, but she accepted the request.

Instantly, her phone chimed with a message from Scott.

“Wanna come over?”

***

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