Scapegoat And Heir

Half an hour later, seeing a call from Terry's lawyer friend, I smiled.

Michael Sorensen was renowned in the legal world. I'd heard of him during my studies. He had never lost a case. Even when the evidence was insurmountable, he would be able to get his client released.

He called to inform me, "Jade, the car and the card have been taken care of. Remember, even if you and Terry are legally married now, you should know your place, or I can't guarantee the length of your sentence."

That was fast. He must be really eager for me to take the blame.

Unfortunately, his 100% win rate might change…

"Thank Terry for me."

I hung up and called a cab to go home.

When I entered the house, I found the new car keys and black credit card quietly resting on the coffee table. I placed the two pieces of evidence into the drawer.

Before long, Terry came home holding onto Sarah.

She was almost hanging on him, but her eyes were on me. "I'm sorry, Jade. You and Terry are married now, yet I'm still bothering him. Why don't I give you a gift as an apology?"

Terry frowned looking at her pale face and spoke tenderly, "She can't wear jewelry while serving her sentence…"

Before he finished, I interrupted. "You do need to apologize to me. After all, I'm taking the blame for you. But if it's a gift from you, it should be bought with your own money. Don't use Terry's money or it'll be like transferring money from my left hand to my right."

Sarah immediately teared up, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Meanwhile, Terry's face hardened. "Jade, you've gone too far."

Sarah stubbornly lifted her head. "I'll do as Jade says."

I gave her no chance to go back on her word. I immediately drove them to the mall with my new car.

I browsed for a while and decided on an eight-digit diamond ring and necklace. I casually placed them on the counter. Sarah swiped her own card, but there were insufficient funds. She tried another one, but the result was the same.

Her face flushed red with embarrassment.

I looked at her lazily. "Not enough money? Then get on your knees and cry. Aren't you an expert at doing that? Who knows, I might feel sorry for you like Terry did."

Sarah's face reddened, then paled. Finally, tears fell from her eyes.

Terry was utterly furious. He pulled Sarah behind him and stared daggers at me.

"Who are you to humiliate her? You're just a woman who got to where you are thanks to me. If you keep doing this, I'll have to teach you a lesson."

Someone once called me a gold-digger, and he made the guy apologize to me on his knees. Now, he's calling me the same thing.

I met his eyes and pressed him. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?"

Terry's eyes widened as he swallowed hard and took half a step back. Then, he gritted his teeth and growled, "Do you have to make things so difficult?"

I said nothing. He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed in anger. After repeating "okay" three times, he made a call.

A few minutes later, my phone started vibrating wildly. I opened it to find a news alert, which read:

[Murderer Splurges on Jewelry Worth Millions, Refuses to Pay Injured Girl's Medical Fees]

The accompanying image was a photo of me trying on a diamond ring earlier.

The news reported that the eighteen-year-old victim was paralyzed from the accident, and her family couldn't afford her medical bills, while I, the perpetrator, remained at large, shopping for jewelry worth millions.

The public was outraged. The comments were filled with curses, calling for my death penalty.

I was stunned and stared at Terry in disbelief.

"Did you do this?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if he was having a hard time. "If you apologize to Sarah for humiliating her, I'll remove it from the trending news."

I stared at him and suddenly laughed.

How ironic.

When Sarah caused me trouble, he wanted me to apologize to her.

When he turned the public against me, he still wanted me to apologize to her.

I scoffed and opened my mouth to say something, but suddenly, a middle-aged woman rushed up to me wielding a metal rod.

"How dare you enjoy life after what you did to my daughter? I want you to pay with your life!"

Terry instinctively tried to pull me away but Sarah grabbed his arm tightly.

"Terry, I'm scared…"

That one second of hesitation was enough time for the metal rod to strike the back of my head heavily.

As my consciousness faded, I saw Terry's eyes widen in horror.

When I woke up, my best friend Janet Acorn was sitting by my bed.

When she saw me open my eyes, she instantly leaned over, tears dripping onto my hand.

"Jade! You're finally awake! Are you crazy? Why did you agree to take the blame for Sarah Horst? Now, all the evidence is against you! The public is calling for your death…"

I gently grasped her hand and smiled.

"No, we've already won."