The night before my engagement party, my fiancé’s childhood friend said she had a surprise for me. She tricked me into going to the hotel’s rooftop glass conservatory, locked the door, and turned on all the sprinklers. It was a stormy December night. Ice-cold water crashed down on my head, and the conservatory walls were all transparent glass. Downstairs, guests held up their phones, watching me shiver in misery. She smiled, innocent and malicious. “Aria Hayes is always so high and mighty, isn’t she? Let everyone see what she looks like begging for mercy when she’s frozen.” My fiancé, Ethan Vance, stood downstairs, watching me through the rain. His voice was cold. “Just don’t kill her.” “Someone from her small-town background needs to learn the hard way that the Vance family isn’t easily impressed.” Later, I smashed the glass and came down from the rooftop. Wiping the blood from my face, I called my lawyer. “Notify the board. Withdraw investments, freeze accounts, and halt all project payments for Vance Group first thing tomorrow morning.” “Also, send tonight’s video to the police.” “Unlawful imprisonment, intentional assault, invasion of privacy—don’t miss a single charge.”
The moment the icy water hit me, I could barely breathe. The glass conservatory door was locked from the outside. All four walls were transparent, and the lights were blindingly bright, illuminating my pathetic state with nowhere to hide. The terrace of the banquet hall downstairs was packed with people. They stood, champagne glasses in hand, as if watching a meticulously planned performance. Some laughed, some whistled. Others held up their phones, their cameras pointed at my rain-soaked face. “This show is intense!” “Mr. Vance really knows how to have fun, arranging this kind of surprise for his fiancée the night before their engagement.” “What surprise? Didn’t Tiffany Blackwood say? It’s a test.” “A test to see if she’s worthy of joining the Vance family!” One taunt after another, they pierced through the sound of the rain and into my ears. My fingers gripped the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open. An electronic lock hung outside the glass conservatory, its screen glowing red. Tiffany stood outside, wearing a pristine, beautiful evening gown, her makeup flawless, like an untouched gardenia. She held a white umbrella, a wide smile on her face, and waved a remote control at me. “Aria, don’t look at me like that.” “Everyone just wants to see how much you truly love Ethan.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was just enough for those nearby to hear, and another burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. I raised a hand to wipe the water from my face, my voice trembling. “Tiffany, open the door.” She tilted her head, as if she’d heard something amusing. “But the game has just begun.” “We made a bet to see how long you can last without begging for mercy.” She took a step closer, looking at me through the glass. “Haven’t you always said you’re independent, strong, and capable?” “Well, prove it to us.” I looked at her innocent face, my heart growing colder by the inch. Tonight was the eve of my engagement party with Ethan. The Vance family had booked the entire mountaintop hotel. Tomorrow morning, all the media would be present. Ethan had said it was the proper recognition he owed me. He said I had stood by him through the Vance Group’s toughest three years, helped him rise from a marginalized illegitimate son on the board to his current position of power. He owed me a proper status. I had once felt truly happy. For this engagement party, I had canceled three important meetings, personally reviewed every guest list, and every financial transaction. But now, the man who was supposed to give me that recognition stood in the center of the terrace downstairs. He didn’t come up, nor did he tell anyone to open the door. The rain was blocked by the eaves. Ethan stood in the warm, bright light, wearing a black suit, watching me with cold eyes as I shivered under the icy water in the glass conservatory. I shouted at him through the glass. “Ethan! Tell her to open the door!” I thought he would at least frown, but he merely flicked his cigarette ash, unhurriedly. “Aria, Tiffany Blackwood just likes to play games.” “You’re older than her, and more sensible. Don’t hold it against her.”
At that moment, the icy water pierced into my very bones like knives. I stared at him, my eyes red-rimmed. “You know I’m afraid of this!” When I was eight, I was trapped in a collapsed old warehouse. Outside, the rain poured down relentlessly, water rising above my knees. It was dark, surrounded by broken wood. My mother, trying to save me, was crushed by a fallen beam. She pushed me out, but she never made it out herself. Since then, I’ve been afraid of confined spaces, of the continuous sound of water, of any night I can’t escape. All these years, I had never told anyone. Only Ethan knew. Because back then, when the Vance Group was cornered by debt collectors in the underground parking garage, he was also locked in his car for an entire night, protecting project documents. When I accompanied him for psychological counseling, he held my hand and said, “Aria, from now on, I’ll protect you from your fears.” Now, he stood downstairs, turning my fear into everyone’s amusement. Tiffany laughed, chiming in. “Ethan said it himself, I just like to have fun.” “Aria, don’t be so petty.” She turned to face the guests downstairs, her voice suddenly rising. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s bet officially begins.” “If she cries and begs Ethan to save her within half an hour, I lose.” “If she endures without begging, I’ll transfer a hundred grand to each of you.” The crowd erupted. “Miss Blackwood is generous!” “Well, then we’re definitely betting she can’t hold out.” “A woman from a small town, does she really think a designer gown makes her fit for high society?” “Is Mr. Vance really going to marry her? I always thought it was just a fling.” My fingertips went numb. Rainwater streamed down my hair and into my eyes, stinging them open. I pounded on the door. “Ethan, I’m telling you one last time, tell someone to open the door!” Ethan finally looked up at me. His expression showed no guilt, only annoyance at being publicly challenged. “Aria, do you really have to make this scene so ugly?” “Tiffany has been spoiled by us since she was little. Why are you being so serious with her?” “Besides, aren’t you the best at solving crises? You can’t even handle this small matter?” I stood there, stunned, and then a smile, grim and cold, stretched across my face. So, in his eyes, my fear, trapped in a downpour, was just a small matter. All the crises I had shouldered for him these past three years had ultimately become his reasons to humiliate me. Tiffany’s face twitched when she saw me smile. She hated this look on me, hated that even at my most pathetic, I still refused to bow my head. She raised her hand and pressed the remote control. The next second, the water pressure from the conservatory’s sprinklers suddenly intensified. Colder water poured down, and my knees buckled, almost making me fall. A collective gasp rose from downstairs. It wasn’t worry; it was excitement. “She’s about to break!” “Quick, record it! This video is definitely going viral tomorrow!” “Mr. Vance’s fiancée is quite stubborn…” Tiffany leaned closer to the glass, lowering her voice so only I could hear. “Aria, stop pretending.” “I know you’re terrified of places like this.” “Ethan told me himself.”
My heart plummeted. Her smile grew sweeter. “You thought he kept your secrets?” “Sorry, he tells me everything when he’s tucking me into bed.” “He said you were trapped as a child, so you never sleep soundly when it rains.” “He said you seem tough, but deep down, you’re still that little girl afraid of darkness and water.” My ears buzzed. These words were colder than the storm itself. Ethan and I had been together for three years. I had shielded him from the board’s power grabs, secured overseas financing for him, and revised acquisition plans for him at four in the morning. The night he had a stomach hemorrhage, I stayed by his side in the hospital all night. When he was framed by Julian Vance for embezzling public funds, I found the accounting loopholes and pulled him out of the mess. He knelt before me and said, “Aria, without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” “When I reclaim the Vance Group, I’ll marry you.” I thought it was a promise, but it turned out, to him, I was just a useful tool. Someone who would work tirelessly for a little kindness. Tiffany tapped on the glass. “Aria, don’t blame me.” “I just want you to recognize your place.” She looked up at Ethan, her voice suddenly softening. “Ethan, you won’t blame me, will you?” Ethan stubbed out his cigarette. “Don’t go too far.” Tiffany immediately pouted, looking wronged. “How am I going too far? You clearly promised me I could have fun tonight.” “You even said the engagement was just a temporary arrangement.” ‘Temporary arrangement’ cut through my heart like a dull knife. I looked up at Ethan. “Is she telling the truth?” Ethan frowned. He seemed not to have expected Tiffany Blackwood to let it slip in public. But quickly, he regained his aloof composure. “Since you heard it, there’s no need for me to hide it.” I was drenched, standing in the icy water, looking at him. “So tomorrow’s engagement party is also a sham?” He said calmly, “It’s not a sham, it’s just an engagement, not a marriage.” “Aria, you should understand that a Vance family marriage can’t just be about love.” “Tiffany has the Blackwood family behind her. She’s the most suitable person to stand by my side.” My nails dug into my palms. “Then what am I?” A hint of impatience finally flickered in Ethan’s eyes. “Do you have to ask such unpleasant questions?” “I haven’t treated you badly these past three years.” “You wanted a position, I gave you Vice President.” “You wanted respect, who in Vance Group dared not call you Miss Hayes?” “As for marriage, I can’t give it to you, and there’s no need to deceive you for a lifetime.” He spoke calmly, as if my three years of dedication were only worth a Vice President title. Tiffany laughed, leaning close to him. “Aria, you should be grateful for what you have.” “Someone with no connections, no family name, no parents to back you up, to get as far as an engagement with Ethan, that’s already incredibly lucky for you.” Someone nearby echoed, “Exactly.” “If Mr. Vance really married her, where would the Vance family’s reputation be?” “What good is being capable? High society wives are all about pedigree.” “Aria should wake up. She’s at most a meritorious figure on Mr. Vance’s path to power. A loyal servant doesn’t become the queen.” I looked at those who had once nodded and deferred to me in meeting rooms. They called me Miss Hayes when they respected me. Now, seeing Ethan not protect me, they immediately changed their tune. A man in a grey suit, Mark, smiled and raised his phone. “Miss Hayes, would you like me to take a picture for remembrance?” “After all, starting tomorrow, Miss Blackwood will be standing by Mr. Vance’s side.” “This look tonight, it’s your last time as the leading lady.” I didn’t say anything more because the most intense wave of fear had passed. When a person hurts to the extreme, they often become clear-headed. I raised my hand to my right ear; my earring was still there. It wasn’t an ordinary earring. Three months ago, when I noticed irregularities in the Vance Group’s internal accounts, I had my security team create an emergency device for me. By pressing it three times consecutively, it would automatically pinpoint my location and send an alarm to my lawyer, assistant, and private security. Ethan didn’t know. He always thought I had entrusted all my trump cards to him. But he forgot that someone who had climbed out of a ruin would never truly surrender their life into anyone’s hands. I lowered my head, pretending to be choked by the rain, and raised my hand to cover my ear. Once, twice, thrice. The earring vibrated slightly. The signal was sent.
Tiffany thought I was about to break, and her eyes lit up. “Ethan, is she about to cry?” “I knew she couldn’t pretend for long.” She took out her phone and pointed it at me. “Come on, Aria, look at the camera and say you were wrong.” “Just admit you’re not worthy of Ethan, and I’ll open the door.” I looked up at her. “Tiffany, are you sure you want to continue?” She froze for a moment, then scoffed. “It’s come to this, and you’re still threatening me?” “Aria, you don’t really think you’re still Miss Hayes, the one everyone at Vance Group reveres, do you?” “Your position was given by Ethan. He can give it to you, and he can take it back.” I slowly straightened up. “Then ask him if the Vance Group can still take back my position now.” A dark flicker crossed Ethan’s eyes. “Aria, what do you mean?” I looked at him through the rain. “It means you’d better pray I’m okay tonight.” “Otherwise, tomorrow, the Vance Group won’t have an engagement party, only a liquidation meeting.” The crowd laughed again, thinking I was just bluffing. Tiffany Blackwood bent over laughing. “Liquidation meeting? Who are you going to liquidate? The Vance family?” “Aria, are you frozen stupid?” Ethan’s face darkened. “Enough.” He looked up at me, his voice lowered. “Aria, don’t overestimate your importance.” “The projects you’re working on are ultimately the Vance Group’s.” “Your connections were also made on the Vance Group platform.” “Without the Vance Group, you are nothing.” I looked at him, and the last shred of pain in my heart burned to ash at that moment. “Alright. Ethan, then we’ll see tomorrow.” “We’ll see who truly becomes nothing without whom.” Tiffany didn’t like that look in my eyes. She wanted to see me cry, wanted to see me beg, wanted to see me lose all dignity in front of everyone. But I didn’t, and the smile on her face gradually faded. “Aria, you’re really tough.” She handed her umbrella to someone nearby and walked to the electronic lock herself. “Since you won’t admit you’re wrong, let’s make it harder.” She pressed another button. The automatic blackout blinds around the conservatory suddenly dropped, thick black curtains slowly covering the transparent glass. Light was cut off, and my breathing instantly became ragged. Confinement, darkness, and the sound of water pressed down on me simultaneously. My vision blurred. Tiffany stood outside the door, watching me through the last remaining gap. “You said you wanted to liquidate them?” “Come on, walk out of here first, then talk.” The curtains completely fell, plunging the conservatory into a dim twilight. Only the white lights above flickered like a malfunction, on and off. The water kept falling, each drop like the rain leaking into that old warehouse. I heard my mother calling me, “Aria, crawl out. Don’t look back.” I bit down hard on my lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. I couldn’t collapse, at least not now. There were still people outside waiting to laugh at me. Ethan was still standing there, waiting for me to bow my head and surrender. I fumbled my way to a corner. There was a decorative iron flower stand in the conservatory. I used all my strength to lift the flower stand and slammed it hard against the glass door. The first strike only left a crack in the glass. The people outside were startled. Someone shouted, “Is she crazy?” “That’s bulletproof glass; she can’t break it.” “Aria, stop struggling. It’s better to just admit you’re wrong.” I didn’t stop. The second strike, the third. My wrists were numb from the impact, the web between my thumb and forefinger split open, and blood mixed with rainwater dripped onto the floor. The cracks in the glass grew denser. Tiffany finally panicked. She banged on the door, shouting, “Aria, don’t do anything reckless!” “If that glass breaks, you’ll get hurt!” I scoffed. “Now you’re afraid I’ll get hurt?” Tiffany’s face went pale. She looked back at Ethan. “Ethan, she’s really going to smash the door!” Ethan frowned deeply. “Aria, stop.” “You’re just making things worse.” I swung the flower stand again, smashing it down. With a loud crash, a corner of the glass door finally shattered. Cold wind rushed in. I kicked hard at that.
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