In the fifth year after my suicide, Samuel got himself another woman. Everyone said that she was somewhat like me, both in personality and appearance. But I didn’t think so. I wouldn’t tie Samuel’s tie, and I certainly wouldn’t celebrate his birthday. I only knew how to make his life difficult. Seeing him be upset, I felt happy. Everyone in Lyrendale knew that Samuel hated me. My mother was a high-end masseuse before moving into the Everett Manor. His mother, on the other hand, was the daughter of the Hawke Group’s CEO. He was born into wealth and nobility, completely different from me. From the moment he laid eyes on me, he gritted his teeth and wanted to destroy me. I couldn’t care less about adult matters, but I didn’t owe him anything. In return, I often went out of my way to oppose him. He was bad with words, unable to retort to me, and bound by gentlemanly etiquette, unable to lay a hand on me. So, he would simply grit his teeth and storm off. We continued arguing. My mother and his father passed away. I lost my last support. Finally, he tore off his mask. As soon as I irritated him, he locked me in a small dark room. How could a street kid like me be afraid of the dark? I would shout insults at him through the door, calling him every name under the sun. Maybe he really was angry this time. He pinned me to the door and tore my white dress apart. I struggled to get up from the floor and slapped him hard. He grabbed my wrist, glaring at me with fury. “You’re just like your mother, cheap.” I didn’t cry, nor did my face show any emotion. I stood there, looking down at him. “Samuel, do you think you’re so noble? You’re just a bastard. Bah!” Samuel wasn’t actually a legitimate child of the Everett family. He was the product of his mother’s affair with another man. He didn’t know how I knew. His anger flared, and he grabbed my neck, his eyes bloodshot. “If you say another word, I’ll strangle you.” I could hardly breathe, my face turning red from lack of oxygen. I wasn’t scared at all. In fact, I almost wished he wouldn’t let go. The veins on my neck stood out, and I smiled, my grin was strange. “A bastard…” From behind the door, the sound of things falling and muffled groans echoed. The butler and the servants were used to it, no one paid attention. When the moon was high in the sky, Samuel finally slammed the door and left. I licked my lips. There was a strong, metallic taste of blood. It was Samuel’s. I dragged myself up and barefooted, walked back to my room. The butler was already waiting by my door. She was in her fifties, looking quite kind, but she was completely loyal to Samuel. Such a waste. She handed me a pill and some water. Without even looking at it, I popped the pill into my mouth and swallowed it dry. Her gaze flickered slightly. Holding the water cup, she left. The next day was the Everett Group’s banquet, and both Samuel and I had to attend. My body ached all over. I had slept the whole day and still couldn’t get out of bed. Samuel never knocks. He kicked open my door and leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. “If you don’t want me to go after your friends, get downstairs in thirty minutes.” I threw a pillow at him. “Get lost.” He dodged, casting me a cold look. “Twenty-nine minutes left.”
I eventually got into the car with him. The Everett Group was one of the top corporations in Lyrendale, with businesses spanning tourism, education, real estate, and more. Samuel was very clever, and ruthless when needed, but also skilled at winning people over. As the first heir, he had already entered the company when his father was still alive, eventually becoming the vice president and, naturally, the CEO. Tonight was about promoting his newly launched entertainment company. We entered the venue one after the other. Samuel wore a black suit and gold-framed glasses, standing on stage looking every bit the model businessman, giving a speech. Below, a crowd of well-dressed celebrities and wealthy heirs ogled him like lovesick fans. I felt nauseous, rolled my eyes, and walked toward the outskirts of the venue. The banquet was held at a large estate, which supposedly housed some exotic animals you could only find in a zoo. I wandered for quite a while but still couldn’t find them. “Ms. Parker, are you lost?” I looked up to see a man in a dark green suit looking at me curiously. He was really pale, paler than me. I raised an eyebrow and gave him a faint smile. “Do you know me?” “You’re Mr. Everett’s stepsister. No one in Lyrendale doesn’t know you.” “Are you married?” He was caught off guard, clearly nervous. “No.” I folded my arms, casually walked up to him, and stared at him with a sincere expression. “Marry me. Be my husband. What do you say?” His face instantly turned red, and I bit my lip, holding back my laughter. This guy was amusing. He was pretending to be all pure now. Samuel hated me, yet there were plenty of people rushing to marry me. After all, I was his stepsister and a small shareholder in the Everett Group. I reached out and touched his burning red cheek, continuing my playful invitation. “How about we get a marriage certificate tomorrow? Then I’ll move into your place.” “Sophia!” How boring. Samuel had arrived. The bodyguards behind him escorted the man in the green suit away. Samuel glared at me with disdain and disgust. “Are you that desperate? That’s the second son of the Grayson family, a useless coward. You like him?” I couldn’t be bothered to speak to him. Just as I was about to leave, he grabbed my arm and jerked me toward him with force. His grip was strong enough that I stumbled, almost falling. I broke free, glaring at him. Then I laughed and wrapped my hands around his neck, gazing at him mischievously. “Samuel, are you jealous?” He was instantly enraged. He grabbed my chin tightly, his strength so intense that I thought my bones might crack. “You’re despicable.” That’s all he ever said. It had become so repetitive it was like background noise. Later that night, he locked me in the small dark room again. In the darkness, he couldn’t see my gloomy expression, nor could he see how fragile my heart was. I left several bite marks on his shoulder, and I guess they were painful, because the next day, when I saw him raise his arm, he winced. I was pleased and grabbed my bag, ready to go out and have some fun. The world was small. I bumped into that man again. He was sitting in a booth, holding a woman in his arms and feeding her alcohol. The woman looked like a good girl, someone who wasn’t from our kind of world. I sat down casually, smiling brightly at him. “Hubby, didn’t we agree to get our marriage certificate today? Why didn’t you show up?” The whole room went silent. Lucas was so shocked that he dropped his wine glass, shattering it across the floor into pieces. “Ms. Parker, you… You’re…” I nodded, acting casual. “Yes, we’ll hold a wedding soon. Everyone’s invited, including you, Miss.” The woman bolted, and later I found out that she was a student Lucas had tricked into coming. She was only nineteen, and when I found out, I made sure someone beat him up. He didn’t get out of bed for a month. As Samuel found out, his face was expressionless as he watched me. “You even hit your own husband?” “What’s wrong? Jealous? Do you want to get hit, too?” He puffed out his chest and scowled, calling me despicable again. I raised my hand and poured a glass of water over his head. “My mother was properly married into your father’s family. Got it? If you keep insulting me, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
The newly established entertainment company under the Everett Group produced a dark horse. A young actress in her twenties. Her name I didn’t catch, but she was quite good-looking. My friend said she kind of resembled me. I nearly choked on my coffee at the thought. “Well, that was fine until you said that. You might have ruined her future.” “You and Samuel are still at odds, huh?” “When have we ever reconciled?” She sighed, clearly helpless. That evening, the butler told me Samuel wouldn’t be back for dinner. I was thrilled and ate two large bowls of food, still not satisfied before heading upstairs. In the middle of the night, Samuel stumbled into my room. He must have been drunk. I could smell the alcohol on him. Annoyed, I pulled the blanket tighter and told him to get lost. After a while, when no sound came from beside me, I turned around to find he had actually left. It was strange. He actually followed what I said. The next day, the butler informed me Samuel was sick, with a high fever. I was focused on painting my nails. “Get a doctor if he’s sick. What do you want me to do about it? I’m not a doctor.” I wasn’t concerned about his well-being. I still went out to find some fun. A week later, he returned from the hospital. They say people look a little more haggard after getting sick, but he didn’t look any different. His complexion was still perfect, his gaze still cold. He saw me painting and scoffed, “You have no artistic talent in your genes, so stop pretending to be sophisticated. It’s just a waste of time.” “You’re right, I am wasting time. Who told the bar to be closed during the day?” “You go to bars often?” This time, it was my turn to scoff. I put down my brush and turned to look at him. “Aren’t you the one who sends people to follow me every day? How come you didn’t know I go to bars? Your employees are terrible. You should fire them.” He was holding a cup of coffee, but with the other hand, he pulled out his phone and actually fired someone. I continued painting, satisfied. That evening, I wore a very revealing dress and went to the most chaotic bar, the kind where you could find all sorts of shady characters. I found the most conspicuous spot and sat down. It didn’t take long before a thug came over to strike up a conversation. His outfit was hard to describe, but I didn’t mind. I happily drank with him, one cup after another. Then, I dizzily stumbled into his arms. He happily held me, one arm around me while he pulled out some loose change to pay. Afterward, he led me to a small alley behind the bar. My feet slipped, and I nearly fell a few times, but he kept lifting me up. “Handsome… Where are we going?” “Of course, to the next round.” I grinned foolishly and cheered, “Next round, yay!” He put me against a wall. My vision blurred, and I looked up at him. He started undressing, but clearly, the quality wasn’t great. His zipper got stuck, and he was so impatient that he tore it open. I winced as if feeling sorry for him. “Your clothes are broken.” “Clothes are nothing compared to you. It’s fine!” He lunged at me. I stared at the streetlight above, my mind calm. Suddenly, the man stopped moving. I instinctively glanced to the side. My heart sank. Samuel strode over, his bodyguards pulling the unconscious man away. I sat against the wall, watching him. “You really know how to ruin my fun.” My self-destructive demeanor infuriated him. He violently yanked me up, and I struggled, hitting him with my hands and feet. “Let go! Damn it, let me go!” My hair had come undone, and the straps of my dress were nearly falling off, exposing a large part of my shoulder. Samuel took off his suit jacket and draped it over me, his gaze sharp. “You’re the daughter of the Everett Group. Don’t be like your mother!” I slapped him across the face. “Samuel, didn’t I tell you never to mention my mother again?” I slapped him with all my strength, and his head jerked to the side. He touched the side of his face where I had slapped him and suddenly smiled. Then, with a quick motion, he slapped me back. My balance faltered, and I stumbled backward, crashing into a trash can before falling to the ground. How the hell did this bastard grow up? He really had some strength. He hit me so hard that I couldn’t get back up.
The next time I woke up again, I was in the hospital. After asking the nurse, I found out that I had been unconscious for three days. No wonder I was so hungry. Samuel, with dark circles under his eyes, pushed open the door and walked in, looking a bit haggard. Just seeing him annoyed me, so I turned my head, not wanting to pay him any attention. After all, I was a patient now, and I’d lose in a fight. He stood by the bed, staring at my back. “Did you do this on purpose? “Sophia, was this intentional? Say something! “If you don’t speak up, I’ll have someone dig up your mother’s ashes and scatter them.” I shot up, pointing at his nose, cursing him as everything from calling him inhumane to worse came out. He wasn’t angry, still asking if it was on purpose. What the hell was he talking about? “You’re pregnant. Two months along.” I wasn’t surprised at all. I slowly replied, “You know? I bet you’re happy now. You’re going to be an uncle.” His expression was awkward and carried an element that was hard to decipher. “Do you even know what you’re saying?” I sighed, didn’t say anything, and lay back down, pretending I wanted to rest. Samuel sat down on the sofa. He said coldly, “I’ve fired those old servants and replaced them with new ones. You’ll stay there from now on, and you’re not allowed to leave.” I sat up again, holding back the urge to curse him. “Are you out of your mind? Since when can you arrange my life? You really think you’re the uncle now?” “You know exactly who I am to him.” He stared at me deeply, still full of disdain and contempt. The day I was discharged from the hospital, Samuel came to pick me up himself. I shoved his hand away when he tried to open the car door for me and got in from the other side. At the manor, just like he said, there wasn’t a single familiar face left, including the butler. He had also stationed a few bodyguards around the house. I cursed him incessantly, feeling like a prisoner. As time passed, the actress who looked like me officially announced she was dating Samuel. Watching the smiling girl on TV made me feel sorry for her. Samuel, that bastard, really? Later, Samuel had to stay abroad because of the company’s overseas branch issues. I was so happy that I could dance. That night, I couldn’t sleep, so I threw on a coat and decided to go outside to watch the stars. It was deep into the night, and as I slipped and thought I was about to fall on the lawn, a strong arm suddenly caught me. In the darkness, his eyes were so bright. He didn’t look that old, with a fresh and innocent face. I adjusted my clothes and looked him over. “Who are you? I didn’t see you during the day.” “Ms. Parker, my name is Ethan James. I’m on the night shift.” I really didn’t expect bodyguards to have different shifts. “Do night shifts pay more?” Ethan shook his head, looking sincere. “I’m not sure, actually.” He was much more interesting than the day shift bodyguards, at least he could talk like a normal person and didn’t look at me like I owed him money. After that, I started chatting with him from time to time. One day, we were talking happily when Samuel’s call came in. He used my mom to threaten me to pick up the phone. I suppressed my disgust and answered the call. Samuel seemed to be holding back his anger. “I found out, you didn’t take the medicine, did you?” I instinctively didn’t want Ethan to hear this, so I moved a little further away. “What medicine are you talking about?” “Sophia! You know exactly what I mean.” I looked up at the bright moon. It was just as bright as the first night I stayed in the manor. I smiled lightly, “Mr. Everett, don’t you think it’s a bit too late to realize this?” Samuel must have been furious. He was always the one scheming against others. Who dared to scheme against him? “Let’s make a deal. You let me go, and I’ll never appear in front of you again. You can stay the high and mighty, untouchable Mr. Everett.” “What if I don’t agree?” “Well, I think many media outlets might be very interested in Mr. Everett’s personal life.” “Sophia, you really are disgusting!”
Disgusting? I just wanted to leave. Was my mother disgusting? She just wanted to earn a living. I was only seven years old at that time. My mother was still working as a masseuse. It wasn’t exactly a clean profession, but she made a living with her hands. Samuel’s father came and happened to see my mother. He said my mother resembled his first love, and whether my mother agreed or not, he forcefully brought her into his manor. My father came looking for her, he died in a car accident on the way back. I became a child without a father, unable to find my mother, and wandered the streets every day. Later, my mother agreed to all of his father’s demands, on the condition that I be brought over. His father, happy, immediately sent someone to find me and bring me to my mother. I lay on a lounge chair, looking at the stars, not knowing which star was my father or my mother. The night wind was so cold, and I began to cry. Ethan stood beside me and said nothing, handing me a handkerchief. I looked at the handkerchief and let out a laugh. I thought, “What era is this, and there are still people using handkerchiefs? Ridiculous.” I held the handkerchief and wiped away my tears, suddenly remembering that my mother used to like using handkerchiefs, too. She said it was convenient and clean. I looked up at Ethan. He was still the same, not looking at me, standing upright, his appearance youthful. Samuel had been gone for more than a month. One day, the butler took me to the hospital for an examination. I asked Ethan to come along, and he hesitated, seemingly thinking it wasn’t in line with the schedule. I gave him a look. “Come on, I’m the employer. You should listen to me, not the schedule.” He thought for a moment and then followed me into the car. Honestly, I hadn’t seen such a silly person in a long time. The results of the examination were normal, and during the process, I received a call from a friend. She asked me to go out and have fun, and I lied, saying I was abroad. She scolded me for not being a good friend because I went out to have fun without inviting her. I didn’t know how to explain, so I hung up in a hurry. I hadn’t been out for a long time, and the world outside seemed so much more exciting. There was a café next to the hospital, and despite the butler’s objections, I went in for a cup of coffee. Coincidentally, I ran into Samuel’s girlfriend. She must have recognized me, and when she saw me, she smiled brightly and walked toward me. “Ms. Parker, I didn’t expect to see you here.” I was very thin, and with the loose clothes I was wearing, no one could tell I was pregnant. I nodded at her, not wanting to engage in any conversation. She seemed oblivious to my attitude and followed me, Ethan blocking her. She looked at me in confusion, looking a bit pitiful. “Ms. Parker, may I have a word with you?” I reluctantly let her sit across from me. She really talked a lot, and I was dizzy from listening. I got up to go to the bathroom to calm down, and when I came back, she looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Parker. Have I talked too much?” I politely shook my head. Her face looked pale, and she seemed quite nervous. “I thought you might find me annoying.” I drank my coffee in one go, stood up, and excused myself. Getting into the car, I felt a dull pain in my lower abdomen. At first, it was just a simple ache, but soon it felt like something heavy was pressing down on me, pulling my whole body downward. It hurt so much that I started to sweat cold beads on my forehead. “Ethan…” He didn’t respond. I thought, “Right, he’s a bodyguard, how could he sit with me?” The driver in front was also separated from me by a soundproof curtain. I curled up in the seat like a shrimp and then rolled onto the floor. I held my abdomen, my hand trembling uncontrollably, the pain so intense that I couldn’t utter a single word. Then I realized something sticky was constantly coming out from my body. I touched it, and it was blood. A lot… of blood. I never knew I could bleed this much, nor did I know how much longer I had left. Would I die like this? Maybe that would be for the best. I’d already had enough of life.
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