Leo Carter was tied up and thrown onto the street.
Passersby stopped to gawk at the spectacle.
Their pointing fingers and mocking stares made him burn with shame.
Ian Watson looked down at him with cold disdain.
"A lowlife like you dares to covet Ms. Sullivan?"
"If you try this again, I'll break every bone in your body."
Leo nodded frantically, groveling.
"My mistake, sir. Please show mercy."
Rage simmered in his chest.
Only when the crowd dispersed did he slink away into a nearby alley.
Clutching the phone number Chloe Evans had sent him, Leo gritted his teeth.
"Sophia Sullivan, you brought this on yourself."
He had once held onto sentimental feelings.
Now, he would play dirty.
Sophia was blending fragrances at her company.
She hadn't given Leo a second thought.
A coward like him should have learned his lesson.
She quickly dismissed the incident from her mind.
As her workday neared its end, an unknown number flashed on her phone.
"Sophia Sullivan, with all the money you've made, don't you want to find your birth parents?"
Leo's voice slithered through the receiver.
"What are you talking about?"
"I have a photo of your mother—the old one you treasured."
"Bring a million dollars to Serenity Cafe if you want it back."
His tone dripped with threat.
"...Fine."
Sophia hung up, her expression darkening.
So Leo had stolen the photo.
No wonder she could never find it at the orphanage.
This was clearly a trap.
A million dollars meant nothing to her.
But she knew Leo's greed had no limits.
She would retrieve the photo first—then deal with the scoundrel.
Sophia arrived at the secluded cafe.
Leo was already waiting in a private booth.
"Have some coffee while we discuss the photo."
He slid a cup toward her with a slimy smile.
Sophia stirred the drink absently.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his smug gleam.
The coffee was definitely spiked.
"Where's the photo?"
"Right here." Leo waved the aged picture. "Did you bring the money?"
"In the briefcase. Check it yourself."
She tapped the case beside her.
Leo's attention snapped to it greedily.
Seizing his distraction, Sophia swiftly switched their cups.
"Give me the photo, and the money is yours."
"No rush. Let's enjoy our drinks first."
Leo feigned calm, but his leer betrayed him.
Sophia stirred her coffee leisurely.
"You didn't put anything... special in this, did you?"
"Of course not!" Leo denied too quickly. "I wouldn't dare in broad daylight."
To prove his innocence, he gulped down his own cup.
"See? Perfectly safe."
Sophia took a symbolic sip.
"I never wanted things to turn out like this. If you'd just given me face earlier..."
Thinking his plan had succeeded, Leo launched into manipulative whining.
"Once we find your mother, we can take care of her together."
Sophia smirked coldly.
"You may have no mother—but I do."