Chapter 1

To give my children a better, wealthier life, I resolutely resigned from my commission as a Special Forces Major and spent the last five years working as a private military contractor in the war zones of Africa.

Now, having finally retired and returned home, I saw all the familiar faces—except for my daughter, Lily.

I quickly turned to my two sons and asked where she was. They merely pointed to the girl standing beside them. "Dad, that’s Lily."

I took one look at her and erupted in fury. "You bastards! Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own daughter?"

The girl was dressed in expensive, designer clothes and wore the jewelry I had specifically sent from abroad for Lily. But her face—this face was absolutely not my daughter’s!

"Tell me! Where the hell is Lily?!"

The color drained from everyone’s faces. They started stuttering, not daring to look me in the eye.

The day I returned home, my boys had prepared a grand welcome-home party for me.

"Dad, Lily personally planned this entire party for you. She put so much heart into it," Carter and Ethan said, smiles plastered on their faces as if begging for praise.

Having fought and bled in the trenches of Africa for five years, the only thing keeping me going was my sweet girl, Lily. Hearing that she had arranged all of this warmed my heart to the core.

Looking at my two sons and seeing how well they seemed to care for their sister, I couldn't help but smile with relief.

"My sweet girl, Daddy missed you so much. Come here, give me a hug—"

But the moment I looked past them at the girl standing in the foyer, my smile froze.

She wasn't Lily.

The dress she was wearing was the exact limited-edition birthday gift I had shipped from Europe for Lily.

The necklace around her neck was the only heirloom my late wife had left for Lily before she passed away.

Yet here was this complete stranger, wearing Lily's things, standing in Lily’s place.

A terrible, suffocating feeling gripped my chest. I glared at my two sons, my voice turning icy.

"Where is Lily? Who is this girl? And why is she wearing Lily's dress and necklace?"

The stranger stepped forward timidly. "Dad, I am Lily..."

Carter forced a stiff smile, trying to smooth things over. "Dad, you've been away for five years. It’s normal that you don’t recognize her right away..."

"Yeah, Dad," Ethan chimed in, though his voice was trembling slightly. "Lily has grown up. Her face changed a lot recently..."

"Cut the crap!"

Seeing the two of them colluding to lie to my face, my anger boiled over. "I brought my daughter into this world. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize her?"

"Speak! What the hell is going on here? Where did you put Lily?"

The three of them flinched under my roar.

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Carter steeled himself and spoke up. "Dad, she is your daughter too. Her name is Cynthia. She is gentle, sensible, and a hundred times better than Lily ever was."

Ethan nodded frantically, quickly handing over a designer garment bag. "Look, Dad, Cynthia bought this custom suit for you with her own savings. She spent every penny of her allowance on you." He even sounded a bit heartbroken for her.

I stared at them, cold as death. "So? Where is Lily?"

Faced with my relentless questioning, my two sons opened their mouths, but their eyes drifted guiltily. Neither dared to make a sound.

Suddenly, Cynthia’s eyes welled with tears. She bit her lower lip, looking incredibly pitiful. "Dad, please don't blame my brothers. It’s all my fault. If Lily hadn't kept bullying me, they wouldn’t... they wouldn’t have sent her to The Velvet Lounge..."

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks, her face a mask of deep guilt.

Seeing her cry, Carter and Ethan looked devastated and rushed to comfort her.

"The Velvet Lounge?"

It felt as if I had been plunged into a frozen lake. I stared at them, pronouncing every single word with lethal intent. "You... sent Lily to The Velvet Lounge?"

Carter pointed a finger at me, filled with self-righteous indignation. "Dad, Lily was completely out of control! She had everything, yet she kept tormenting Cynthia."

Ethan joined in, disgust written all over his face. "Exactly. We only sent her to the Lounge to teach her some humility. We wanted to break her spoiled, arrogant attitude."

"You absolute monsters!"

I roared, my lungs burning. "A sketchy, underground strip club is where you send someone to 'teach them humility'? You wanted to destroy her!"

The Velvet Lounge was the most notorious, filthy underground club in the city, heavily associated with human trafficking and sexual abuse. If a young girl was dragged in there, she would face an endless living nightmare.

Cynthia stepped forward, crying like a tragic heroine. "Dad, please don't blame Carter and Ethan. It really is my fault..."

"Shut up!"

I slapped her hard across the face. "You think you're qualified to call me Dad? Just because these two bastards brought a stray dog like you into my house, you think you can replace my daughter?"

I glared at my sons. "As for you two—I’ll deal with you when I get back!"

Without another word, I spun around and slammed the door behind me.

Every second was precious now. I had to find Lily immediately.

I only prayed to God that my daughter hadn't been completely ruined yet.

But deep down, I knew. I was already too late.