I put my arm around Ashley. “You know the
scene better than I do. I want handsome, and
I want to drink!”
Ashley stared at me: “Seriously? Your guy
hates when you drink, let alone find other
guys.
“He hates the smell of alcohol. You gave me
your sister’s collection of expensive alcohol.
The one time I drank too much, I practically
scrubbed myself twenty times when I got
home.”
I smirked, “Let’s get wasted. I mean it.”
The club was elegantly designed. The waiters
were all attractive. We were led to a lower
level; mechanical music blasted; a familiar
thrill surged.
Ashley’s trainees were dancing wildly,
く
showing off their muscles. One of them, the
hottest, even gave me a sensual dance,
causing the crowd to scream.
Ashley clapped enthusiastically, like a seal.
“Clara, you’re amazing!”
“Clara, do it again!”
“Clara, I think I see your husband!”
I thought I misheard. I turned and saw Mark.
Just a fleeting glance.
The man with Mark saw me. “The Shaw twins.
The younger sister is even more beautiful, a
thorny rose.”
“You’re bold. Not worried the rose will stray
and get picked?”
Mark’s face was cold: “If you want her, have
at it, if you’ve got the guts.”
The man laughed, watching Mark frantically
scanning the dance floor.
He spotted his target and walked over.
I saw Sarah being harassed by a man.
23
<
She rejected his advances and slapped him.
A fight broke out.
Mark’s bodyguard subdued the man.
Sarah, tearful, ran into Mark’s arms.
“Uncle.”
After a brief moment of fear, her usual
arrogance returned. She showed him her
injured wrist.
“Uncle, he hurt my hand.”
“Uncle, punish him.”
“He’s ugly! He asked for my number!”
Mark said nothing, giving the bodyguard a
look.
The bodyguard acted swiftly.
A scream rang out.
Sarah laughed, snuggling into Mark’s
embrace.
“Uncle, I love you most! I won’t let anyone
take you away!”
“If you had to choose between me and that
レ
woman, who would you choose?”
Mark hesitated for a second.
Sarah lost control: “You hesitated?”
“You hesitated for that woman?”
“She can’t be more important than me, she
must not be!”
Sarah pushed him away and stormed over to
my table.
She grabbed a fruit knife and lunged at me.
“Die!”
Ashley screamed, throwing a fruit bowl at
Sarah.
“You’re insane!”
My arm bled, Sarah overturned the table, and
I fell onto the couch. She looked down at me
like a victor.
“You die, and Uncle will see me.”
“Clara!”
I woke up back at the Ultons‘ mansion.
<
The family doctor said my left arm was
broken, I had multiple soft tissue injuries, and
a puncture wound on my hand.
Ashley went to get breakfast. I looked at the
impassive butler, my voice lacking its usual
respect.
“Where’s Mark?”
The butler, unused to my changed tone, didn’t
answer immediately. He offered a designer
handbag.
“Miss Sarah was frightened. Mr. Ultan is
comforting her.”
“He said you wouldn’t be upset if you saw
this.”
He always did this–assuming women loved
designer bags, the rarer the better. Whenever
he refused to be intimate, he’d give me a bag
to appease me.
I already had ninety–seven bags in that price
range.
<
I took the bag and tossed it in the trash.
“Leave. You’re old; late nights are bad for
you. You don’t have to watch someone
unimportant.”
The butler opened his mouth, looked at the
bag in the trash, then swallowed his words.
He sensed something amiss.
The mistress was becoming distant.
He didn’t know whether it was good or bad.
My phone buzzed. Texts.
A photo: Sarah, Mark peeling fruit for her.
[Unknown Number: Uncle’s worried about my
emotional state and that I’ll do something
drastic. He’s going to stay with me.]
[Unknown Number: My hand was sore when I
stabbed you. Uncle’s first action was to put a
warm compress on it.]
I screenshotted the messages and forwarded
them to the assistant Jessica hired,
instructing her to call the police.
く
Half an hour later, someone kicked down my
door.
I saw anger on Mark’s face for the first time.
“Are you insane? You called the police over
something trivial?”
“Sarah’s unstable; questioning her could hurt
her!”
“Go apologize; don’t let them take Sarah!”
Ignoring my injured hand, he yanked me; I
gasped in pain.
Ashley tried to intervene; he shoved her, and
she hit a cabinet, falling unconscious,
bleeding.
I frantically patted his shoulder: “Call a
doctor! Ashley’s hurt!”
He wouldn’t let go of me, his voice hard:
“Drop the charges or she gets hurt. Choose.”
I had no choice.
When the butler said they were gone, his face
softened.
25
He was so devoted to her, he lost his reason.
A heavy weight settled in my chest. The
suffocating threat hadn’t disappeared.
I clutched my chest, looking at him, my eyes
devoid of love and affection: “Mark, you care
so much for her, why not marry her?”
“Don’t worry, given how much I hate her, I’ll
stay far away. We’ll never be in the same
circles again.”
Mark seemed exposed, angered. “Don’t be
absurd! She’s my niece.”
“No blood relation, is there?”
“Shut up!” He yelled. “Do you know what
you’re saying? Uncle and niece without blood
ties? People would crucify Sarah.“.
He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at
him: “Or you’ve got another wicked scheme.”
“I know you and Sarah don’t get along. But
don’t let me catch you hurting her.”
“She’s…very important to me.”
“Of course, you are too.”
I smirked, saying nothing.
Ashley texted.
