"Terence, the necklace you gave me is gone! It's the one you got after fighting in 12 consecutive boxing matches, and it's the only one in the world! Hurry and help me find it—it means a lot to me!" Winona cried.

Things descended into chaos, and all the lights were flipped on. Celeste had just made sense of what had happened when someone grabbed her arm and dragged her back from the door.

"Mr. Ford, this person was sneaking out of the hall. The necklace might be with her."

As soon as the words were out of their mouth, a necklace fell to the floor behind her. The person standing beside her hurriedly picked it up and held it high. "Look, here it is! I knew she was sneaking off for a reason! She's a thief!"

All eyes landed on Celeste at those words. Some people were appraising, some were disdainful, some were disgusted, and some were just excited by the drama.

Winona had already made her way to Celeste when the necklace had fallen. She said, "I know your parents died when you were young and that a playboy brother raised you. I can give you everything else that you want, but that necklace really means a lot to me.

"The necklace isn't all that's gone missing. My bracelet and diamond ring are gone, too. They were all from Terence, so please let me search you for them."

She waved as she spoke. Two bodyguards shot forward and grabbed each of Celeste's arms before starting to tug at her clothes.

Celeste's expression darkened. "Let me go! I didn't steal from you! There are surveillance cameras everywhere—look at the footage if you've lost something! You think you can just search me like this after forcing a false accusation on me? Do you think you're still abroad?"

She tried her best to break free, but a woman's strength still fell short when compared to a man, especially since two bodyguards were holding onto her.

She couldn't escape them, and the crowd watched her coldly. Her gaze hardened as the bodyguards tried to strip her. Then, throwing caution to the wind, she kicked Winona hard in the abdomen.

Winona screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Come on, she's the heiress of the Lodge family. Why would she steal a necklace? This must be a misunderstanding."

"Why wouldn't she? Mr. Ford won that necklace after fighting in boxing matches, and Celeste is hopelessly in love with him. Who knows how long she's been jealous of Winona?"

"She even had the nerve to kick Ms. Ford. Do you see the look in Mr. Ford's eyes? He's going to kill her."

Sure enough, Terence charged forward as the crowd whispered among themselves. His eyes were filled with heartache as he checked on Winona. Then, he turned to give Celeste a deadly look.

"Do you want to die, Celeste Lodge? How dare you hurt Winona! Apologize now!" he roared.

Celeste remained where she was, her fingers trembling as she pulled her clothes tighter around herself. She said sarcastically, "You didn't do anything when she ordered her bodyguards to seize me and strip me in public, yet you're making me apologize for fighting back. Do you even have a heart, Terence? She orchestrated this whole thing—there's no way I'm apologizing for that."

With that, she turned to leave.

Terence's expression turned hideous, and he stormed after her, stretching out an arm to stop her from leaving. He said commandingly, "I told you to apologize. You're not going anywhere if you don't."

She clutched the hem of her clothes so tightly that her nails almost bit into her palms. Her blood boiled, but all she did was force out, "What if I refuse to apologize?"

What would he do if she didn't apologize?

He sneered and raised a hand. The two bodyguards from earlier came to grab her again. Terence said, "We need an assistant in the boxing ring to hype things up. I'll send you up there."

Terence's sentence was short and sweet, but his words made Celeste's blood run cold. The boxing match they were watching that day was a professional one, and the boxers would fight to the death to please the audience.

The more blood there was, the more excitement it would bring about. She wouldn't just end up becoming a joke if she were sent up there—she probably wouldn't even make it out alive!

She couldn't believe Terence could be this cruel just to get back at her on Winona's behalf!

Celeste started laughing. She laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.

"Don't you think an apology is the least you can do, Celeste? You stole from Winona and even hurt her! What right do you have to cry?" A trace of impatience flashed in Terence's eyes.

The bodyguards closed in on Celeste, and despair washed over her. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard that it drew blood, then mustered all her strength to shove the bodyguards away.

After that, she lunged forward and slapped Terence hard across the face, using all of her might. The crisp sound echoed in the silent hall.

"I didn't steal anything, so I'm not apologizing!" Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she tried to keep her sobs at bay. "Why do you think I kicked her? Because she framed me for something I didn't do and tried to strip me without any proof!

"Should I have let her humiliate me as everyone watched instead of pushing her away? You believe everything Winona Ford tells you without even thinking whether it makes sense! What do you take me for, Terence? What exactly do you take me for?"

Celeste's eyes brimmed with tears, and anguish colored her voice. She'd always been calm and composed, so this was her first time losing control of her emotions.

Terence was taken aback. He stared at her, suddenly feeling his chest clench uncomfortably.

Just then, Winona approached. She said, "Alright, alright. I'm sure Celeste didn't mean for this to happen. The bodyguards misunderstood me. Anyway, the necklace has been found. I'll let this matter slide."

Her attitude did a 180, and she smiled faintly. However, it didn't reach her eyes. As she picked up a wine glass, she looked at Celeste and mouthed, "You're done for."

Then, she leaned close and poured the wine on herself before dropping the glass on the floor, making it shatter. She staggered backward, her eyes reddening. Coincidentally enough, she slipped on the glass shards and lost her balance, falling right into Terence's waiting arms.

"Celeste, I genuinely wanted to bury the hatchet and move past this. How could you…" She hissed and lifted the hem of her gown to reveal a thin scratch. "It hurts…"

The crowd was immediately abuzz.

"She really has no manners—not that she had any parents to teach them to her! It's bad enough that she stole from Ms. Ford. Look at how she rejected Ms. Ford's attempt to make things up to her and even got physical with her! That's guilt written all over her face!"

"Her parents are probably turning in their graves, knowing that she's so uncivilized."

Amid the comments, Terence snarled, "Celeste Lodge!"

Celeste saw the smugness in Winona's eyes and knew this was yet another of her favorite tricks. She sneered inwardly, dried her tears, and stepped forward. She grabbed another wine glass and shattered it at Winona's feet.

Then, she grabbed Winona and shoved her hard as the latter watched in horror. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she fell right onto the glass shards.

She screamed in pain and cried, "Terence!"

This time, she was genuinely hurt.

Celeste said icily, "Stop using your tricks on me, Winona. I'll get back at you each time you try me."

She wiped the wine that had gotten onto her fingers and watched as Terence lifted Winona into his arms, his gaze brimming with heartache. Then, it became filled with venom as he glared at Celeste.

There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her if anything else happened to Winona. Her breathing hitched, and she swallowed her humiliation as she turned and left.

Terence came running after Celeste as soon as she stepped out of the venue. "Stop right there! Apologize to Winona right now!"

He pressed a hand to the car door, stopping her from getting in. She glanced at him before shoving him aside and getting in.

As she shut the door, she heard his icy voice, "Don't regret this, Celeste!"

The car's engine revved to life. Celeste's mind was a mess, and she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. All she wanted to do was breathe and rest now that she'd finally found a moment of peace.

Suddenly, the roar of the engine jolted her upright. It was too late by the time she opened her eyes, realizing that something was afoot.

The driver put the pedal to the metal, and the car shot off. Celeste's blood ran cold when she met his gaze in the rearview mirror. She said hoarsely, "You're not my driver. Who are you?"

The driver lowered his eyes, looking menacing. "A devil who's going to teach you a lesson."

The car raced ahead, speeding along the road and deep into the mountains, out of the range of the surveillance cameras that dotted the streets.

Celeste opened the door and tried to make a run for it as soon as the car stopped, but the driver grabbed her by her hair and dragged her back, gagging her. Then, he sliced her skin open with a glass shard, making the blood rush to her head from the pain.

That was far from the end. He followed up with a second slash, a third slash… It went on.

Celeste struggled with all her might, but the driver pinned her down, rendering her unable to move. She couldn't even ask any questions. All she could do was lie there and endure the pain.

The forest echoed with her muffled, ragged sobs. She bled everywhere, and her brain turned fuzzy. Just as she thought she was going to die, the driver stopped and carelessly flung her aside.

He got into the car and turned on the headlights, slowly driving in her direction.

Celeste could only hear her weak breathing. She watched as the car made its way toward her, wanting to crush her to death. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure dashing toward her. She passed out before she could make out who it was.

…

Celeste found herself in the hospital again when she woke up. She was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, and her body felt like it wasn't hers. A single movement sent pain shooting through her, and she hissed.

"Don't move. You're too badly injured—you'll tear open your wounds if you move. I'll get a doctor, so rest," Terence said.

Shortly after he left, she heard her phone buzz nonstop from where it had been placed on the bedside table. She couldn't move, so she figured she would wait until Terence returned and answered it for her. Unexpectedly, the person on the other end of the line was relentless. They kept calling when she didn't answer.

The buzzing gave her a headache, so she asked a nurse for help. The call was from a number that wasn't saved in her contacts. She frowned and answered it, only to be greeted by a video. It played, showing a recording of what had happened at the earlier boxing match.

"Winona, stop crying. I'm sure Terence will get back at Celeste for you! He'll kill me if he comes back and sees you crying like this!"

Winona's eyes were red, and her voice shook as she said, "I was kind enough to back down so that she wouldn't be too humiliated. How could she do that to me? She took things too far!"

She buried her face in her hands as she wept. It made for a pitiful sight. No one knew how to comfort her, and nobody dared to touch her for fear of Terence ripping their arms off. They stood there helplessly until he finally returned.

Winona threw herself into his arms as soon as he was back. "You have to avenge me, Terence! Look at what she did to me! I'm covered in wine, and my legs are bleeding! They hurt so badly!

"You've treated me like a princess since childhood, and I can't take this lying down! You have to get back at her for me, or I'll leave the country right now and never come back!"

Terence hastily tried to pacify her. "How do you want to get back at her?"

Winona's eyes flashed. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned close to him, whispering, "I'm not someone who takes a hit without biting back. She slashed me once, so I want you to do it to her 99 times."

His expression shifted at that, and he looked slightly conflicted. He parted his lips to speak, but she didn't give him the chance to. She lifted the hem of her gown to show the faint scratch on her leg before turning on the charm, looking aggrieved.

He caved almost reflexively. "Alright. I'll get even for you."

Winona curled up in Terence's arms at the end of the video. "It hurts."

Heartache filled his gaze as he carefully tended to her wound. Then, he rubbed her head with restraint and said, "It's my fault for not protecting you."

They were so intimate that everyone could tell how much she meant to him. Offscreen, someone clucked and said, "They really do share the same surname, don't they? They're both ruthless to the core. Well, Celeste can only blame herself for being unlucky."