Amelia Sterling sat at her cold metal desk inside the busy Silver Cross Police Station. She stared blankly at a huge pile of messy paper files scattered across her workspace. Her head was hurting terribly, and her famous hot temper was already rising to the surface.For the past five years, she was the absolute top star of the entire police force. She always closed the hardest criminal cases in the city without breaking a single sweat. But today, her brain felt completely empty and stuck in the mud.She angrily flipped through the thick pages of a brand-new blackmail case. Usually, whenever she came to work, her heavy files were perfectly neat and organized. There used to be small yellow sticky notes placed nicely on every single page.Those secret notes always told her exactly who the bad guy was. They pointed out the hidden clues and gave her the perfect, sharp questions to ask. She always believed her eldest sister, Charlotte, had secretly hired top investigative experts to solve t

Inside the grand Sterling villa, the mood was incredibly heavy and dark. Julian Sterling lay flat on his huge, soft bed inside his luxury room. His useless arms were wrapped tightly in thick white athletic bandages, making him look like a completely helpless, tragic victim.Harper, the timid sixth sister, sat quietly in a chair right next to him. She held a small bowl of warm chicken soup in her shaking hands. Big tears rolled down her pretty face as she looked at her severely injured brother."Here, Julian," Harper whispered softly, carefully lifting the silver spoon to his pale lips. "Please open your mouth and eat a little bit of food for me. You need to stay strong so your nerves can heal completely."Julian put a very sad, weak look on his handsome face. He slowly opened his mouth and swallowed the warm soup without complaining. He even forced a fake, pitiful tear to fall from the corner of his eye to make her feel worse."Thank you so much, Harper," Julian said in a broken, shak

The small bedroom inside the Bennett Orphanage was quiet and very dark. Ethan Vance sat on the edge of his simple wooden bed, looking out the cold window. Suddenly, his black military watch vibrated silently against his bare wrist.He lifted his arm and looked closely at the glowing glass screen. A secret security alarm flashed a bright red warning in the dark room. It showed a fresh five-million-dollar transfer leaving the Sterling family bank account.Ethan stared at the moving numbers, his handsome face looking completely dead and cold. His sharp mind put the puzzle pieces together in less than a single second. Julian, the fake brother, was a greedy parasite bleeding the arrogant sisters dry."He is stealing from them while they sleep," Ethan whispered to the empty room. He could easily make one short phone call and stop the massive theft right now. He could save the Sterling empire from crashing down to the dirt.But instead of feeling any panic or worry for them, Ethan let out a c

Cynthia heard the heavy, raspy voice through the receiver and instantly changed her tone. She wiped the wild fury from her face, slipping effortlessly into her sweetest, most delicate actress voice. "Lord Baez, forgive me for calling you so late, but something terrible has happened. I need your help, and you are the only man in this entire city strong enough to protect me."On the other end of the line, Lord Baez let out a low, pleased growl. "Is that so? Tell me who had the nerve to upset my favorite lady, and I will make them pay before the night is over.""I cannot speak about it over the phone," Cynthia whispered, forcing a tiny tremble into her words. "It involves your territory and some very dangerous people who insulted your name. Can I come to your private lounge right now?""For you, my doors are always open," Baez answered with a wicked chuckle. "Come to the Crimson Lounge in the eastern district. My guards will let you straight into the VIP suite."Cynthia hung up the phone,

The grand banquet hall of the Aether Entertainment tower was filled with bright chandeliers and golden lights. Soft music played in the background, and the air was alive with the excited chatter of the city's top movie producers and famous directors.At the center of the hall, Chloe Bennett was surrounded by a dense crowd of wealthy studio heads. Just a few days ago, she had been a nameless background girl in cheap clothes, but now every important figure in the entertainment industry was trying to hand her their business card."Miss Bennett, your performance in the teaser trailer was an absolute masterpiece!" an elderly filmmaker named Director Hayes said eagerly, holding out a gold-trimmed contract. "My company is producing a fifty-million-dollar historical epic, and we want you as the sole female lead. Name any price you want!"Before Chloe could even answer, another prominent producer named Donald Shaw pushed forward with a warm, pleading smile. "Do not rush into anything, Miss Ben