THIRD PERSON’S POVThe headlights from the oncoming truck burned into Jake's vision before everything went black.When he regained a bit of consciousness, the world was spinning. His ears rang so loud he couldn't think. Slowly, his senses returned. The scent of burnt rubber hit him had. He heard the hiss of steam escaping from the crumpled hood. He could taste blood in his mouth."Mom?" His voice cracked. He turned his head and felt pain shooting down his neck.For a moment, he was confused and felt disoriented.What happened?His mother was slumped against the driver's seat with blood pouring down her temple. Her breathing was shallow. The dashboard had crushed inward, pinning her legs.Jake’s eyes went wide with horror when he saw her."Mom!" Jake reached for her, but his seatbelt held him back. He fumbled with the buckle, his hands shaking so badly he could barely grip it. When it finally clicked free, he moved toward her. "Mom, can you hear me?"Her eyes opened slowly. she was bre

THIRD PERSON’S POVJake stared down at the opened pendant in his hand.There was a tiny family photograph under the note. It showed a much younger Jake standing between his parents on a sunny afternoon at a beach. His mother had her arms wrapped around both him and his father while Jake grinned widely at the camera.His chest went tight. The photo alone almost broke him.His fingers shook as he picked up the note. He immediately recognized the handwriting before he even unfolded it. It belonged to his mother.The note read:“Happy Birthday, Jake.You were so excited about cryptocurrency this year that you wouldn’t stop talking about it for months. I honestly didn’t understand half the things you said, but I loved seeing how passionate you were. So I bought some for you as a surprise. Your father laughed at me because I kept asking the young man at the store too many questions, but I wanted to get it right.I hid the password here because I thought it would be fun if you discovered it

THIRD PERSON’S POVThe hallway remained frozen in silence after Ethan Vale entered.Nobody moved. Nobody even seemed willing to breathe too loudly.The guards who had been restraining Jake slowly loosened their grip without being told. The nurses exchanged nervous looks while the supervisor straightened his suit quickly.Ethan looked at the black gold card lying on the floor.“What exactly is going on here?” Ethan asked coldly.The supervisor rushed forward first.“Mr. Vale!” he said quickly. “Thank God you’re here.”Ethan barely looked at him. The supervisor pointed toward Jake.“This entire situation is a misunderstanding caused by this man,” he explained eagerly. “His mother has been receiving expensive treatment without payment. We informed the family multiple times that they could not continue without covering the costs, but the attending doctor ignored hospital policy and kept the patient on advanced life support anyway.”“She would have died,” the doctor snapped angrily. “She w

Jake's eyes locked onto Kathy instantly. The sight nearly broke him. His little sister stood in the middle of the ballroom, half naked. She looked exhausted. Her face was pale. Her legs trembled visibly. Her makeup had been ruined by tears. Strands of hair clung to her damp forehead.And when he looked lower, his blood ran cold. There was blood on her shoes.His little sister had literally danced until her feet bled….for their mother.For a second, Jake couldn't breathe. The entire room seemed to disappear. All he saw was Kathy, his little sister - the girl who had spent all night trying to save their mother.Now, she stood bleeding in front of a crowd of wealthy strangers who treated her suffering as entertainment.The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.The music had already stopped, but now even the soft background noise of conversation had disappeared completely. Every guest watched the unfolding scene with curiousity. Wealthy people loved drama, especially when it i

THIRD PERSON’S POVJake stood there with a calm expression that only made everyone around him even more confused.The expensive decorations, the sparkling crystal lights, and the elegant furniture all seemed insignificant compared to the silence that had suddenly filled the room.Only a few moments ago, Damien Stewart had been overflowing with confidence, acting as if nobody in the city could challenge his authority.Now the once-arrogant man looked like someone whose entire world had collapsed.Emily stared at Jake with widened eyes, unable to understand what had just happened.Even Ethan and her parents remained frozen in disbelief.Jake slipped his phone into his pocket as if nothing important had happened.His face showed no excitement, pride, or satisfaction.Instead, he simply looked tired after everything his sister had been forced to endure that evening.He glanced once toward his sister, making sure she was standing safely behind him before returning his attention to the othe