Chapter 2

After calling off the engagement, I returned to the Davis family home. The moment I walked through the door, I saw a scene of joyful family harmony in the living room.

"Is the engagement called off? You know everything you have now belongs to Chloe. If she weren't so kind, you'd be out on the streets already!" My father gently served the girl beside him, speaking without even looking up.

"It's off. I know."

Just as I was about to head upstairs, he called out to me again.

I thought he'd ask me to join them for dinner. After all, I hadn't eaten anything all morning; they'd rushed me to go tell the Thornes that I was the fake heiress.

"Chloe needs your room. You'll just have to crash with Buster for a couple of days until the nanny's room is cleaned out, then you can move there."

I took a deep breath, forced a bitter smile, and nodded.

Sure enough, twenty-something years of supposed love, and it still couldn't compete with the bond of blood.

I turned and walked in the opposite direction, toward Buster's little mansion.

Buster is my German Shepherd. Because I loved him so much, I specifically built him a dog mansion. I never thought that spur-of-the-moment decision would lead to *me* living in a dog mansion.

Buster and I lay on the same bed, looking at the piles of luggage nearby, a bitter feeling spreading through my chest.

The tenderness and attentiveness my father showed that girl were something I'd never seen from him. With me, he was always so stern.

He always told me, 'You're a Davis, you should contribute to the Davis family.'

Recalling the scene I'd just witnessed, a sharp ache in my chest made it hard to breathe.

So, they *could* care about their daughter, *could* be gentle and protective!

Maybe it was because we weren't bound by blood that they had no qualms about seeing me as a commodity, to be sold to whoever offered the highest price.

Lost in thought, a call from my colleague pulled me back to reality.

"Captain Hayes, suspect spotted at 99 Green River Road."

"Copy that."

I hung up, sprang to my feet, and ran out.

Usually, I'd climb over the wall to avoid questions at this hour. But now that I wasn't their daughter, they wouldn't care when I left anymore.

My colleague had spotted the suspect inside an upscale bar on Green River Road.

The music inside the bar was deafening. To hear anything, we had to lean in close to talk.

As my colleague was briefing me, Landon Thorne stormed over.

He inexplicably shoved my colleague away and swung his fist toward his face.

Just then, my phone vibrated twice. Another colleague had sent the signal.

I waved my hand, signaling my team to move.

Landon, seeing this, burst into a furious rage. Fearing he'd alert our target, I delivered a swift chop to his neck, knocking him out cold.

Before he passed out, I heard his heartbroken murmur, "Harper Hayes, you're breaking off our engagement for *him*, aren't you?!"

With Landon unconscious, I dragged him into a private room next to the suspect's. After the suspect was apprehended and taken away, I returned to the room and hoisted Landon over my shoulder.

"Typical Captain Hayes, always so tough! Is that your fiancé? He looks a bit weak!" a nearby colleague teased.

I shot them a glance, my lips pressed thin. "Don't talk nonsense. He's not my fiancé anymore. And hand me a cigarette, I'm out."

My colleague seemed to remember something and slipped a pack into my pocket.

"Captain Hayes, some things are better left behind. And try to smoke less."

After saying goodbye to my colleague, I found a nearby hotel and settled Landon there.

With my hands free, I lit a cigarette. As I exhaled a cloud of smoke, I remembered how he became my fiancé.