Chapter 1

CRYSTAL

Stepping into my father's company for the first time, fear was fluttering in my stomach as I plastered a smile on my face.

"Welcome to Wayne Law Firm, Miss Crystal," the employees greeted me in unison. They were lined up along the corridor, and they wouldn't stop clapping as I walked past them.

"T-thanks, everyone," I mumbled as I nodded at each one of them.

'Do I deserve this special treatment?' I could be easily compared to those homeless gangsters who roamed around the streets because I only wear a plain shirt and denim jeans. While employees here were well-dressed in business suits and their makeup was flawless. The way they all stood made them look like mannequins.

"Miss Crystal, your father is waiting for you in the office," said the woman in a dark silk suit and a pencil-cut shirt. She was standing near the glass door where I was about to walk through.

The walls were transparent, but there was a blurry section—the design was probably to add privacy to the room's interior.

"A-are you sure? Did my father really choose me for this position?" I asked the woman as I fixed the sleeves of my shirt. "Wait, what if I change my clothes first? It's a shame if I'm meeting him in an unpresentable state."

She cracked a smile. Actually, she looked like the CEO's daughter more than I did because of her gracefulness. "That's all right, Miss Crystal. We accept you for who you are and where you've come from. You are the CEO's daughter, and you will soon be the company's next CEO. That's why we should respect you as well." She turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. "All right, go ahead. I'm sure your father is overjoyed to see you."

As I entered the office, my grip on the strap of my sling bag tightened. My heart raced even faster when the woman shut the door behind me. This company was a Law firm, but it felt like I just entered a judicial courtroom.

'Wait, do I need to bring my old bag with me? Or should I take off my shoes?'

It would be embarrassing if my footwear would cause stains on the floor. Anyway, I took care not to step on any dog poop or any litter from the streets outside a while ago. However, my uneasiness about meeting my father was heightened when I noticed the large leather chair facing the glass wall.

I took a deep breath when the crisp air from the air conditioner filled my nose. Perhaps it was nice to just reside in this room for good?

I stood for a few seconds more, waiting for him to speak and signal me to come over. But he was not still talking to me, even though he knew I was already here. Was my father's hearing impaired?

"Um, hi?"

I tried to mask a cough to get his attention, but he didn't move. So I stepped closer and approached him. "G-good morning, Sir—I mean, D-Dad," I choked out, addressing him as my father. Maybe I should practice calling him Dad because I'll be living in the mansion with him from now on. I tried to make my voice more stable as I smiled at the thought of getting a complete family.

"How have you been, Dad? Please accept my apologies for the delay in going here. I just had some difficulty resigning from my previous job because they will withhold my pay if I do not submit a clearance certificate. But I know they won't give me my salary, so I just left." I was laughing as I described my epic experience at my previous job. But I didn't feel bad about dropping it because they were toxic.

My father had still not responded so I walked around the leather chair. "Do you know what my ex-boss said about—Dad!"

I felt like I'd been splashed with ice-cold water when I saw my father on the leather chair. Even the tears that streamed down my cheeks seemed to turn iced pearls when I noticed how pale he was as if he wasn't breathing. His mouth and eyes were both open.

"Daddy!"

My hands were shaking when I tapped his cheeks. But it was pointless because he wasn't stirring!

"Help! Please help us! Someone, please call an ambulance!" I shrieked from the top of my lungs. However, I couldn't hear myself speak —it seemed that my heart was pounding in my ears.

I felt so helpless because no matter how loud I screamed for help. No one seemed to notice us from the outside of this office. I wanted to do something else, but my mind was blank. I also didn't want to leave my father, so I just hugged him and cried silently. That was the moment I noticed blood streaming underneath his suit. "N-no. Y-you can't die. Please don't die!"

'What the hell is happening? Who did this to him?'

I couldn't lose him again, not now that we were just beginning to make a family. I wasn't interested in his company, or his wealth. I only came back because I wanted to be loved by a father.

My eyes were blurry with tears when I shifted to the door. "I need help, you useless people!"

The door suddenly swung open, and the employees entered one by one. I wiped away my tears with a frown and what I noticed shocked me to the core. My eyes must be deceiving me. 'Why do they look like one another?

"You killed him, Miss Crystal."

My face crumpled. "What are you talking about?" If only my hands were free, I'd slap them one by one. How dare they accuse me of such a serious charge? But I ignored it. Right now, the most important thing was Dad's welfare. "Why are you all still standing there? Help me to get Dad to the hospital. He's hurt!"

They shook their heads like a single body and stared at me like an idiot. "There's nothing we can do about it, Miss Crystal. He's already dead and you are the one who murdered him!"

"I said I didn't kill my father!" I growled. When I moved my arm on my father's chest, I noticed what was inside my hand.

It was a bloody knife.