Blurb：
A mother’s world shatters when her daughter Mia “Mimi” Carson is brutally assaulted by wealthy investor Cedric Sutton. After Cedric’s acquittal due to lack of evidence, he manipulates the media to paint Mia as a gold-digger while portraying himself as a victim. Her fiancé, Kieran Yancey, callously abandons her, revealing his true colors. As Mia lies broken in the hospital, missing a kidney and fighting for her life, her mother vows to uncover the dark truth behind Cedric Sutton’s powerful facade and Kieran Yancey’s betrayal. Set in the opulent yet corrupt world of Sunnyvale’s elite, this gripping story explores justice, revenge, and a mother’s relentless fight to protect her daughter. Will the truth prevail, or will Cedric’s influence destroy everything?
Content：
Chapter 1
On the day my daughter was discharged from hospital, the man who assadulted her was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
In the media footage, Cedric Suttonthe man who ruined my daughter’s futuresmiled hypocritically. He looked exactly like the sanctimonious fraud he was.
Justice rests in the hearts of people. I believe that everyone is no stranger to gold-diggers like Mia Carson. Though, if she truly were in need of money, I wouldn’t be unwilling to help, haha…
The truth was, our family had never taken a single penny from him.
The day after, Mimi’s engagement was called off. Her fianc didn’t hesitate to break things off.
His exact words were, “Now that you’re no longer pure, do you think… I’d still want you?”
“You could’ve been a great scholar, yet you chose to do such unspeakable things. Pah, how shameless! If my son were to marry you, it would surely bring us misfortune.”
“I’ve known from the very beginning that you weren’t a decent girl. You stink of the vixen you are.”
Such was the way of lifegossip from the mouths of others was often the sharpest blades resulting in the deepest gashes.
Mimi only longed to settle things peacefully. That night, she had come to me and wept in my arms, questioning what she had done wrong.
She was wondering why this happened to her.
I gazed into her empty, lifeless eyes, and it drove a dagger into my heart.
I couldn’t agree more. Why? Why should something like this happen to us?
It took me a whole night comforting her before she finally fell asleep.
But then, I saw a trending post that fueled an urge to slaughter that beast.
Cedric had no intention of letting Mimi off the hook.
He hired someone to write an article on his behalf, painting an image of a victim for himself.
It was nearly ten thousand words of sheer fabrication. With every line I read, my nails dug deeper into the flesh of my palms.
Throughout the entire article, Mimi was depicted as a dissolute young lady who would do just about anything for money. On the other hand, Cedric was portrayed as a gentleman who resisted temptation with chivalrous composure.
2
Three days after his endeavor to manipulate the public’s opinion, he vanished without a trace.
He was last seen on camera somewhere near where I lived.
It was that very same alleyway where Mimi had struggled, fighting to escape.
A few weeks earlier, I received a call late at night. It was from the hospital.
I was informed that my daughter was found unconscious by the alleyway, completely naked. She suffered severe tears in her crotch that resulted in massive blood loss. On top of that, she was missing one of her kidneys…
She was but 20 years old.
She was in the prime of her life, with a bright future ahead of her.
When I arrived at the hospital, she was lying there in silence, various tubes sticking out of her body.
Her complexion was pallid, like a broken toy that was about to break apart at any moment.
I crouched in a corner and cried bitterly.
I had failed as a mother. I had failed to protect my own daughter.
It was four long days later when Mimi finally opened her eyes for the first time.
She looked at me, but there was no life in her gaze.
By the seventh day, she spoke her first words.
“Cedric Sutton,” she muttered.
“It was Cedric Sutton who did this to me.”
To clarify, Cedric was her boyfriend’s boss.
He was a well-known investor in the city of Sunnyvale. He was born into a wealthy family, 20 years before my daughter entered the world.
Ever since Mimi’s fianc, Kieran Yancey, introduced them to each other, Cedric seemed to have fixed his eyes on her.
Wherever Mimi went, Cedric would magically appear out of the blue. And every time it happened, he would act like he’d bumped into her by chance.
Meanwhile, Kieran almost seemed to encourage this at times. Outrageous, if I must sayhe was supposed to be Mimi’s boyfriend!
In the 20 years of my daughter’s life, that was the first time I slapped her.
I warned her to break up with Kieran and stay away from those two men.
Nevertheless, she claimed that they were truly in love with each other. That their affection was worth more than gold.
She had hoped to get our blessing.
She even told me not to jump to conclusions.
My eyes traveled down to my daughter in the hospital bed, and my lips pulled into a wry smile.
How could this be true love? It was clearly a hunter’s trap, set to capture its prey.
3
It wasn’t until Mimi’s second week in hospital that she regained feeling in her fingers.
The first thing she did was call the police.
Before the police arrived, she took my hand, albeit feebly.
In a trembling voice, she said, “Mom, there’s a surveillance camera… in that alley.”
My breath caught in my throat. I knew how much courage it took for her to tell me that sliver of information.
I couldn’t afford the slightest delay. After a few words of comfort, I jumped into a cab and headed straight to the scene.
To my dismay, the security team denied me access. My numerous attempts either ended in inconvenience as an excuse or forthright refusal to see me.
It was only when I handed over the last 300 bucks I had on me that they let me into the surveillance room.
Inside, the guard watched my every move, as though he was afraid that something might go wrong.
Chapter 2
Nearly a month’s worth of surveillance footage was intactyet there was nothing for the night of Mimi’s incident!
The alley was spotless, as if it had been deep cleaned. There was not a single sign of struggle, no trace of blood.
I collapsed onto the ground. “Why isn’t it here? What happened to the footage from that night?”
“Ma’am, the camera happened to have malfunctioned that day. Right, I’ve shown you everything; there’s nothing else to see. Would you let me get back to work now?”
Was it really just a coincidence…
Thinking of Mimi’s fragile face, I screwed my eyes shut with agony.
Why was this happening to us? Every step felt like we were being forced further into a dead end.
At 11:00 pm, I returned to the ward with a smile plastered on my face.
As soon as I entered, I saw Mimi cowering at the head of the bed like a frightened bird. Her eyes were fixed on the door, unblinking.
When I walked further in, a faint rustling came from behind the door.
It sounded like clothes brushing against the wallan almost imperceptible noise.
At first, I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me from all the tension.
But then, the distinct sound of a man’s sigh reached my ears.
In the dead silence of the hospital room, it was eerily clear.
My scalp tingled, and I noticed Mimi’s trembling growing more intense.
She was terrified. She was deeply terrified of this unknown man.
Slowly, I cranked my stiff neck toward the door. In the dim light, I saw a silhouette cast through the gap in the door.
The figure looked tall and buff.
Behind the door hid a mana man who could take our lives at any moment.
4
A hand slowly reached out from the crack in the door and wrapped itself around my throat.
His grip on my neck started to tighten, and I felt my lungs screaming for air.
I fought to suppress my trembling and tried to strike him with both hands and feet. However, the height difference and the distance made it impossible to do so.
In the end, I reached into my pocket for my phone.
With all the strength I had left, I smashed it against the wrist around my neck.
Following a grunt of pain, the restraint on my neck lifted.
The mysterious man emerged behind the door with the widest grin on his face.
His demeanor was beyond smug as he yanked my hair and leaned close to my ear.
“Surprise, Ms. Lawson.”
The blood in my veins turned to ice.
This voiceI knew it all too well. It was etched into my very bones.
“Cedric Sutton, you beast! How dare you show yourself here?”
I bared my teeth at him and tossed him a deadly glare. Enduring the pain from my scalp, I raised a hand and slapped him across the face.
Cedric’s face darkened instantly into a grim look. He threw me onto the ground with a loud crash.
With another handful of hair, he dragged me across the floor like a piece of garbage. He then tossed me in the direction of Mimi’s bed.
From where I lay on the ground, I could only watch helplessly as he stalked over to Mimi. I was powerless.
I clambered desperately over with both hands and feet, opening my mouth to dig my teeth into his leg. I bit him hard enough to draw blood.
But it was all futile.
He effortlessly landed his foot on my stomach, pinning me in place.
“Say, do you think we make a good couple?” he asked.
He lifted a few strands of Mimi’s hair and brought them to his nose. He took a deep whiff.
Cedric wasn’t in a hurry. He just stood there, patiently waiting for Mimi to answer him.
But with each passing minute, the pressure on my stomach grew.
Until I couldn’t take it anymore and was about to pass out…
“We are!” Mimi shouted.
“No! You must tell him no! Cedric Sutton, you filthy lowlife, you will never get away with this!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Cedric stood back up and straightened his slightly wrinkled suit. He then pulled out a wad of cash from his bag and threw it in my face. “Oh, Ms. Lawson, surely you understand by nowmoney makes the world go round. After all these years, how come you still don’t get it?
“If that isn’t enough, feel free to ask for more. After all, Mimi was kind enough to donate one of her kidneys, hahaha…” Cedric cackled.
He sighed, “So, when do you think would be a convenient time for me to pick up the next one?”
Hopelessness permeated my heart.
As the door clicked shut after Cedric’s departure, Mimi muttered, “Mom, let’s just drop the case…”
Those few words completely knocked me out.
5
I didn’t heed Mimi’s plea.
I reported everything. Filed the charges with the court.
Down at the police station, an officer asked me whether I’d managed to salvage any evidence.
I shook my head.
“Were there no eyewitnesses? How about physical evidence like clothes from that night or any bodily fluids left behind?”
My last hope of physical evidence was the surveillance video, but that was now gone.
As for clothes… There were none left on her when she was found that day.
As for bodily fluids… The thought of Cedric’s arrogant face made me clench my fists. I could only continue shaking my head.
The officer frowned at me. “Wasn’t your daughter found by someone? Testimony from that witness could still help.”
Before I came to the police station, I had already identified that witness. It was a migrant worker.
Chapter 3
The migrant worker looked humble and honest.
Upon learning the purpose of my visit, however, his expression took a drastic turn. He repeatedly denied ever stepping out that night, and his wife chimed in to back him up. She was adamant that her husband had been with her the entire night.
But he was my last sliver of hope.
I dropped to my knees and begged him for his help.
In response, he, too, got onto his knees. Bowing down to the floor, he pleaded, “Ma’am, please don’t make things harder for me than it is. I have over a dozen mouths at home to feed. There’s really nothing I can do to help you. I’m broke to the core!”
Back at the police station, I shook my head again.
“There’s nothing,” I helplessly replied, my voice shaky. “There’s nothing left.”
The officer taking notes heaved out a sigh and handed me a glass of water.
“I understand where you’re coming from, but this sounds like it could be either a big case or a small one. You’re accusing someone of serious violation and illegal organ transplantation, but there is no direct evidence of such events. We won’t be able to open a case like thiswe need proof. Why don’t you head home for the time being and have a good think about it?”
Think? What was there to think about?
In the heat of the moment, all my pent-up emotions erupted. I cried, “If it were your own daughter, would you be ‘thinking about it’? What the hell are you trying to say? That’s my daughter! My own flesh and blood!”
6
The moment I left the police station, I knew.
The chances of winning the lawsuit were slimmer than slim.
Today was Mimi’s supposed discharge date, but I couldn’t even bring myself to take a step toward the hospital.
Until I got a call from them.
“Your daughter attempted suicide. She slit a major artery, but we managed to rescue her.”
I ran back to the hospital at lightning speed.
In the hospital bed, Mimi lay still, looking like an old rag doll.
“I’ve been tainted. I am no longer whole.
“Have I done something wrong, Mom?
“I should have listened to you.”
She kept repeating those few sentences over and over, like she was in a trance.
My brain strung together words of comfort, yet nothing fell from my lips.
The young nurse beside me handed me a mobile phone. The screen showed a picture of Mimi in that alleyway that night.
All sorts of forums and websites had disseminated the invasive picture. Under each article were nasty comments; some perverts were even asking for our address!
I clutched the phone tightly, frozen in place.
Then, I received a text message. “How’d you like my surprise, Ms. Lawson? I told you to tame yourself, didn’t I? Or do you really want Mia dead?”
Another followed that read, “I will give you one last chance to get your act together. Or else, you won’t like what will happen to Mia next.”
My eyes trailed over to my daughter helplessly.
Was this tragedy going to repeat itself?
7
72 hours after Cedric’s disappearance, the police had come knocking on my door.
I knew they suspected me.
A woman with a motive for revenge.
It was a very simple and compelling cause for action.
At that moment, I was simmering a pot of meat stew. The fragrant aroma was spreading far and wide, drawing in dogs from the surrounding neighborhoods. They scrambled over, fighting for the bones scattered on the ground.
As soon as the police entered, the lead officer strode straight toward me. “Good day. I am Toby Grant, captain of Criminal Investigations Division One. Are you Sheila Lawson?”
I glanced at him and rasped, “What can I do for you, Mr. Grant?”
Before he could reply, I ladled out a few bowls of my stew and distributed them to the officers and the nosy neighbors who had gathered. “Have a taste. I’ve been simmering it all night.”
One of the neighbors hesitated, her eyes darting between the policemen before her and the bowl in her hands. Ultimately, unable to resist the tempting aroma, she began taking big gulps of the stew.
“Cedric Sutton has gone missing. Our investigation shows that he was last seen near your residence.”
He added, “Cedric Sutton, the suspect in the assault and illegal organ transplantation case.”
When the word “suspect” left his lips, tears welled up in my eyes.
After all this while, this man was the first and only person to refer to him that way.
But his bowl of stew remained upright in front of him. I stared at him and urged, “Aren’t you going to give it a try? It’s really good.”
“Ah… What is in this stew? It smells… strange.”
Before he could finish, someone in the crowd let out a shriek and spat out a piece of meat.
I chuckled quietly, my eyes drifting toward the pot on the stove. The stew was still bubbling on low heat.
My lips pulled into a wide grin.
“It’s my first time cooking with these ingredients, which I’m not quite familiar with. I suppose I’ll let it simmer a little longer next time.”
After hearing that, those who had tasted the stew started retching.
As if on cue, the police chased away the dogs gnawing on the bones.
“What a waste; it was good soup,” I muttered.
I lifted my gaze and stared into Mr. Grant’s eyes.
“Ever heard of ‘like cures like’?”
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