Chapter 1 The Killer

• The train was crammed. Jojo Grant grabbed a cornbread, got some water from the pantry car, and returned to her roomette.
• She couldn’t stop thinking about what the doctor told her as she ate. 'Miss, you're diagnosed with brain cancer. We can't treat it in this small town. We suggest you visit a proper hospital in Lison.'
• Holding her hand, her grandma, who was almost eighty, insisted, 'Jojo, go to the Lison and find your father.'
• Tears filled Jojo's eyes as she finished her cornbread. She thought, When I get to Lison later, I'll head to the hospital first and lug my stuff around before looking for Dad, who's ignored me for eighteen years.
• The train rocked into a tunnel.
• In the dimness, Jojo lay back and overheard clatter outside her roomette. She intuitively clutched her backpack with her few hundred bucks, thinking, Who's that? Would it be a thief?
• Suddenly, the roomette's door opened, and Jojo smelled blood as a guy's hand clamped tightly over her mouth. She managed only a faint "Mmm..."
• "Keep quiet if you want to stay alive." His voice was threatening as he held her tightly.
• Terrified, she nodded and silently prayed. I won't make a noise. Just please don't hurt me.
• Outside, the trainman's voice floated in. "Did you hear something?"
• "No. It's late; let's call it a night," another replied.
• The voices gradually faded.
• Jojo held her breath. She'd heard of train thieves but never thought of confronting one herself. She stayed still until the guy tore open the bedsheet and probed, "Can you dress wounds?"
• Jojo initially shook her head, after which she hurriedly nodded. "Yeah."
• "Then, get to it," he ordered.
• "Oh," she muttered apprehensively.
• Dealing with such a scary situation was beyond anything she'd imagined. She couldn't see the guy's face in the dimness, just feeling his towering presence and menacing aura, which made it hard for her to even look at him.
• Jojo's fear grew as she nervously tended to the guy's wound. She wondered, Could this scarred man be on the run?
• Suppressing her fear, Jojo felt gradually frustrated and helpless. Dealing with cancer is tough enough, and now, I'm stuck with a possible murderer.
• "Hey, I don't have much cash. Just a few hundred bucks. I'm sick. Can you—" She started to say, but the guy cut her off.
• "Noisy," he snapped, silencing her.
• Jojo fell silent, focusing on bandaging his wound. As she worked, her hand inadvertently brushed against his feverish chest. She offered, "Oh, you've got a fever? I got some medicine from my grandma in my bag. Let me get it for you."
• "Girl, I'll be responsible for you." In a flash, the guy grasped her hand and drew her closer. Jojo was too shocked to react before he hushed her.
• He quickly restrained her, wrapping them both with a blanket and using a towel to bind her flailing hands to the bedpost. Jojo tried to resist, but the guy swiftly hushed her again.
• …
• The sun was blazing in the following day.
• As the station announcements droned on, Jojo fumed to realize that the guy from last night had not only taken advantage of her but also swiped her jade pendant.
• That pendant meant everything—it was a token of her parents' love, split between her and her half-sister, Veronica Grant. Jojo pondered, The jade pendant is my ticket to gain acceptance. Would losing it mean the Grant Family would shut me out?
• After freshening up, Jojo geared up to report the incident. Yet, as she neared the door, she heard a hushed chat among the trainmen. "Have you heard someone was after Mr. Lawson last night? They executed them this morning!"
• "What?! The notorious Mr. Lawson?!"
• "Yeah, him."
• Seriously?! Executed?! Jojo almost stumbled at the news.
• How could my purity link to a dead guy? If I report now, could they think I was involved somehow? she thought frantically. She grabbed her things and quickly left the train without a second thought.
• Jojo settled into the guesthouse right away. Once she was sorted, she went straight to Lison Medical Center to get registered. There, she found out that seeing a specialist would set her back a hefty three hundred bucks. It made her think—robbing a bank might be easier than scraping together that kind of cash.
• With only 108.5 bucks to her name, Jojo figured she'd better track down her tight-fisted father first.
• Meanwhile, a sleek black Rolls-Royce was caught in traffic. Inside, the shirtless Shawn Lawson was getting patched up by his personal doctor. The injury looked pretty bad as sweat dotted his forehead as he underwent treatment. His assistant, Asher Everhart, was clearly spooked, while Shawn stayed quiet—a real tough guy, just like they said.
• Asher reported, "Mr. Lawson, those folks who were after you? They're all taken care of. The one who poisoned you... it was actually the Zenith Group's heiress."
• "Wipe out the Zenith Family from Lison," Shawn instructed, smirking with his eyes closed.
• "Got it. Should we head back to the Lawson Estate now?" Asher asked vigilantly.
• Once he was dressed, Shawn emanated power with his strong stature and serious demeanor. Later, his thoughts heavily weighed as he remembered his sick grandpa back home.
• Uncle Josh ran the family business for years, but since I came back three months ago, I've taken over and dealt with any problems that came up. Sigh... but Grandpa's not doing well, and all he wants is to see me married. He's even picked my wife—a girl from a far-off village.
• Before, Shawn had never really considered what he wanted in a wife. Now, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl's innocent responses from the night before. She has this subtle and elegant odor, unlike any branded perfume.
• As the traffic cleared, Shawn's Rolls-Royce kept moving ahead. He momentarily made eye contact with Jojo as she hassled along the sidewalk.
• When she arrived at the Grant Residence, Jojo was soaked in sweat. "I'm Thomas Grant's daughter, but I've lost my proof. If you doubt me, bring my father out to verify. I'm not bluffing."
• "Come on, Mr. Grant's daughter? You're fabricating tales to get in! There's only one Miss Grant, and how could somebody like you, a country bumpkin, be her?"
• The maid slammed the door. "Go away!"
• Jojo felt dejected, and her stomach growled as exhaustion weighed heavily on her eyes and body. Clenching her teeth, she flagged down a scooter back to the guesthouse.
• During the ride, she used her keypad phone to tell her grandma she was safe.
• "Jojo, are you in Lison? Remember Rupert, the one you helped at the village two years ago? His family's here in Lison. If you've got nowhere else, find him..." Her grandma's advice brought tears to Jojo's eyes.
• Still, she kept the call short to save on charges.
• Back at the guesthouse, Jojo found her bed and belongings in disarray. Frustration bubbled up inside her as she muttered to herself, D*mn! Why are there so many thieves in Lison?!
• Her anger urged her to confront someone. Stepping outside, two men in black uniforms and sunglasses exchanged glances and quietly mumbled, "It's her."
• "Ah! Help! Robbery! Someone, please..." Jojo's cry echoed through the hallway, but the men acted swiftly. They grabbed her by the arms and legs, swiftly whisking her away. Despite her desperate pleas, no one came to her rescue.
• Creak. A bodyguard opened the Rolls-Royce door and threw Jojo inside. "Mr. Lawson, the person you wanted is here."
• Mr. Lawson? The unflinching tough guy?! Jojo lifted her eyes and met the intense gaze of a masked man with dark eyes fixed on her.