Chapter 2

That pearl necklace was the gift Brandon had given Tiffany.

It was also the reason I was locked away for three years.

After my father was killed in combat, my mother took the survivor benefits and disappeared, leaving Brandon and me to fend for ourselves.

He dropped out of high school, stumbling through so many failures before finally making his business a success.

Once he started earning money, he took in Tiffany, who had also lost her father, and brought her home.

At first, I disagreed, but Brandon persuaded me.

"Tiffany is just as miserable as we were. At least you have me, but she has nothing."

"Maya, be generous. It's just one more mouth to feed."

But despite his words, Brandon treated her even better than he treated me.

He acted as if he was raising a sister from scratch, giving her everything he hadn't had the chance to give me.

Jewelry, accessories, designer bags—Tiffany just had to ask, and he'd buy it.

In just two years, he'd spent millions.

That was his hard-earned money, money he'd bled for.

So many nights he had to go out, entertain clients, drink until his head pounded, then keep going. He even coughed up blood a few times!

I hated seeing him waste his money and always urged him not to spend so much.

Tiffany resented me for it.

She hid the jewelry under my pillow, then cried to Brandon, claiming I had stolen it.

Brandon was furious, making me kneel in the rain to apologize.

"How could a Maxwell ever raise a daughter like you? Dad was a soldier, and I've always been honest, never done anything wrong."

"Out of everyone, you had to take after that mother of ours who stole the money and ran? Did I ever deprive you of food or clothes, that you had to steal?"

I was running a high fever, crying and explaining that I hadn't stolen anything, but he refused to believe me.

The next day, he hired the best lawyers and took me to court.

He was my own brother, yet he stood in court, testifying against me and supporting Tiffany.

In the end, I was sentenced to three years. A thief.

Before I went in, relatives, friends, even his own lawyer tried to talk him out of it.

I was a girl, after all. Three years in prison would ruin my life.

But Brandon wouldn't listen to anyone. He was willing to alienate them all just to send me in.

"Maya won't be ruined. I work hard for her sake. Even if she is, I'll take care of her for life."

"But she stole. She has to learn her lesson!"

Every month during those three years, he'd come to visit me, asking if I'd learned my lesson.

And I never showed my face. I only had the guards relay messages to him:

"I didn't steal anything."

Every time he left, the guards would sigh and tell me:

"Your brother doesn't believe you."

One disappointment after another, slowly, imperceptibly, turned into utter despair.

I felt like I was abandoned by the whole world. I used to have my brother's love, now even that was gone.

Seeing that pearl necklace again, I snapped and flipped the box over.

The pearls spilled onto the floor, scattering with a clatter as the string snapped, rolling away in every direction.

Tiffany was stunned into speechlessness, and Brandon's face instantly darkened.

"Tiffany was being kind, giving you a gift. She's not even mad at you, so what do you think you're doing?"

I sat in the chair, trembling all over, my face deathly pale.

He pulled me up.

"Did you think you could just throw a tantrum because you just got out? Pick up those pearls right now and apologize to Tiffany!"