Winter’s fingers clenched so tightly they trembled, her nails biting into her palms until she drew blood.

The silence was suffocating.

“Winter. Winter…”

Sam frowned deeply as he called her name.

Winter sat there like a frozen statue. After a long moment, she finally moved her stiff lips and answered calmly, as if nothing were wrong. “I’m listening.”

Her composure unsettled him even more. No tears. No anger. Nothing at all.

Sam worried she might be bottling everything up, heading toward a breaking point.

But there were things he still had to say.

He slid a check across the desk. “This is compensation from the Jasper family.”

It was clear what they wanted. They were trying to make the matter disappear.

Winter glanced at the amount.

One million dollars.

She almost laughed. Turns out her injuries were worth quite a bit.

Sam said a few more words, trying to make her feel better.

“Fine. I understand,” Winter said. She took the check, stood up neatly, and left the office.

The door closed quietly behind her. Sam stared at it, his brow still furrowed.

This was not like her.

In the past, whenever Winter ran into trouble, she fought back head-on. She never backed down. She never took hush money and walked away.

But this time, the people involved were protected by the Xander family. Even if he wanted to help her, his connections did not reach that far.

If she really chose to let it go like this, he had to admit he felt disappointed.

He had entrusted her with the most dangerous investigations precisely because she feared no power and no retaliation. Exposing corruption and buried filth required exactly that kind of backbone.

And now she had taken the money and left.

However, it was her decision. Maybe she had her own difficulties. After all, she was a young woman with no parents and no backing. As an outsider, what right did he have to judge?

Winter returned to her desk and buried herself in her unfinished interview drafts. She stayed at the station until after hours, never leaving.

The next day, she showed up to work as usual.

Everyone at the station knew she had been assaulted. Colleagues she was close to came by to check on her, offer comfort, even suggested going out for dinner after work to shake off the bad luck.

She declined them all politely.

“If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to go out if I’d almost been beaten into a pulp,” Wendy Stone said, leaning against Winter’s desk. She held a freshly bought coffee, her long, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders.

She and Winter were rivals, both eyeing the “Outstanding Employee” title for the year-end evaluation.

“I was not beaten into a pulp, but thank you,” Winter replied. She casually took the coffee from Wendy’s hand, took a sip, and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. “Thanks. This is my favorite. You’ve been paying close attention to me, haven’t you?”

“Who said that was for you?” Wendy nearly jumped. “Give it back!”

Winter took another sip. “I’m drinking it anyway. What are you going to do about it?”

Wendy huffed and didn’t actually try to grab it back. She clicked her tongue and looked Winter up and down. “Good thing you’ve got skin this thick. Otherwise, you really would’ve been beaten to a mess.”

Instead of being annoyed, Winter found her oddly endearing.

Just as Wendy twisted her hips and turned to leave, Winter called out, “Wendy, sweetie, do you happen to have a VIP card for the JX Club?”

“Why?” Being called sweetie by someone as striking as Winter clearly put her in a good mood. “You want one?”

Winter blinked at her playfully. “Lend it to me, and I’ll tell you where I got my double eyelids done.”

Wendy’s eyes flew open. “So you did get work done!”

She knew it. No one was born with double eyelids that perfect.

She hurried back to her desk, pulled a black card from her wallet, and shoved it into Winter’s hand. “Now tell me.”

Winter leaned in close and whispered in her ear, smiling. “Actually, I got them done... in my mom’s womb.”

That meant they were natural.

Wendy’s expression twisted through several emotions before she exploded, stamping her foot.

“Winter! You lied to me!”

“Thanks for the VIP card,” Winter said, not even turning around as she waved casually in Wendy’s direction.

*

After leaving the TV station, Winter stopped by a mall and picked out an outfit that was both comfortable and party-appropriate. She swapped out the short skirt the sales associate suggested for a pair of fitted black pants, which conveniently hid the bruises on her thighs. She paired them with knee-high boots. With a slight tweak to her makeup, her look shifted instantly, cool, bold, and unapologetically edgy.

Then she drove straight to JX Club, a nightlife hotspot popular with the city’s young and reckless.

As expected, she was stopped at the entrance.

Winter rested one hand on the steering wheel as she handed over the VIP card. “I’m here for Jacob’s birthday.”

Jacob Jasper, Skyla’s brother, was hosting his party at the club tonight.

One look at her fashionable outfit told the security guard she belonged here. More importantly, the VIP card was all the proof he needed. He waved her through without hesitation.

As she walked deeper into the club, the louder the music became, pounding hard enough to rattle her chest.

Winter took a drink from a passing server, pretending to sip as her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Jacob.

Jacob was infamous in Liono City. He was a notorious troublemaker and his bright red hair made him easy to spot.

The moment she stepped into the party, heads turned. A stunning woman like her didn’t go unnoticed. Men and women alike looked over.

Winter rarely dressed like this. She had a great figure—a slim waist, soft curves, and long legs accentuated by fitted pants and knee-high boots. And then there was her face, striking enough to stand out in any crowd.

That was exactly why she usually wore a mask during interviews. She hated being the center of attention.

A few men tried to approach her, but she smiled and deflected smoothly.

“Sorry,” she said lightly. “I’m here as Jacob’s guest.”

The moment they realized she was a guest of Jacob’s, the men backed off without another word.

It didn’t take long before she spotted him at the poolside.

A woman, soaked and trembling, was shoved into the indoor pool. Jacob tossed a stack of cash down and laughed.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he jeered. “Hit her harder!”

“Jacob.”

Someone tapped his shoulder.

“Who is it?” Jacob snapped as he turned around.

Before he could finish the sentence, his vision went dark followed by a loud crack.

A glass bottle shattered against his head.

The music cut out abruptly as a few sharp screams pierced the air.

The atmosphere dropped instantly, cold and suffocating.

Even the assault in the pool stopped.

Blood trickled down Jacob’s forehead, sliding into the water and spreading in slow red swirls.

“Who the hell wants to die?” Jacob roared, grabbing a bottle to swing back.

But someone was faster.

Another bottle smashed straight into his head.

A clear, icy voice cut through the chaos.

“You’ve got some nerve asking. I’m your worst nightmare!”

The crowd held its breath. No one had imagined that Jacob would get his head cracked open at his own birthday party.

Jacob staggered, wiping the blood from his eyes. Through the red haze, he saw a stunningly beautiful face that was deathly calm.

The moment he recognized Winter, his expression twisted, venom flooding his eyes. “So it’s you,” he snarled. “I should’ve had you killed that day. What, you got a death wish coming back here?”

It was Winter who had ruined his business.

A sharp, scathing article she had posted online had gone viral online, stirring up a public uproar and getting Jacob’s bar shut down. Half a year of his blood, sweat, and money had gone down the drain.

He had been itching to settle that score for a long time.

His original plan was to have his guys beat her, assault her, and take photos to use as blackmail. Who would have guessed she would be lucky enough to escape? But today, she had practically delivered herself to his doorstep.

“You really aren't afraid to die, are you?” Jacob sneered.

He took the towel a bodyguard handed him and pressed it against the cut on his head. She actually had the nerve to smash a bottle over him.

Luckily, he had dodged during the second strike, so it wasn't as deep as it could have been but the amount of blood lost and the sheer humiliation in front of the crowd made him see red.

No matter what, he was not letting her walk out of here tonight.

He leaned in close, a twisted grin pulling at his face. “Don’t think you’ll get lucky every time.

“Still thinking about going to the police?”

He had specifically sent men to beat her on the day his sister returned to the country. He had planned for the worst from the start. Even if Chris found out afterward, he was confident he could hide behind Skyla and walk away untouched.

What he hadn’t expected was for Winter to actually call the police. The investigation had traced everything back to him. And yet Chris had stepped in and protected him anyway.

That told him everything he needed to know.

Winter clearly meant nothing to Chris.

What kind of husband watched his wife get beaten and did absolutely nothing?

It was obvious that Chris despised her.

“As long as Skyla says the word, Chris will cover for me,” Jacob said coldly. “But you? Has he ever shown you even a shred of concern? Winter, this is your karma for stealing her boyfriend three years ago.”

Winter’s expression stiffened for just a split second.

Jacob caught it and smiled darkly. “You’re going to regret what you did tonight.”

Winter scoffed, looking at him like he was trash. “The only thing I regret is not hitting harder. I should’ve smashed your skull instead of leaving you standing here barking.”

The smile vanished from Jacob’s face.

“Get her,” he barked. “Hold her down. Strip her. I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave this place alive.”

She was still talking back even with death staring her in the face.

Empty bottles were scattered across the table. Jacob grabbed one and smashed the bottom against the edge. Jagged glass glinted sharply under the lights.

At his order, two men beside him rushed forward, eager to prove themselves.

The sound of their smug laughter made Winter’s blood run cold. She recognized them at once.

They were the same men who had attacked her that night.

Perfect. That saved her the trouble of tracking them down herself.

The moment they moved in, Winter quickly pulled a switchblade from her pocket and drove the tip into one man’s thigh.

A sharp scream rang out.

He collapsed to his knees, clutching his leg. The other man had not even figured out what had happened before Winter caught movement in the corner of her eye. She lifted her right leg and slammed her heel into him.

Pain tore through his thigh, and he cried out as he dropped to his knees as well.

Winter gripped the bloodied switchblade and stared coldly at the two men kneeling on the floor, screaming in pain.

She did not care who had kicked her leg that night. One leg each was fair. They had it coming.

That night, she had been careless. They had caught her off guard.

Did they really think a reporter like her had no idea how to defend herself?

William Zeller had hired professionals to teach her self-defense techniques. She had let her training lapse last year because of her pregnancy, but she still remembered enough for situations like this.

If William ever found out she had been beaten, he would abandon the entire film crew and rush back to stand up for her.

She refused to let anyone look down on her, especially not for failing to avenge herself.

“All of you, get her!” Jacob roared when he saw his men taken down. His expression turned dark with rage. “Are you all useless? You cannot even handle one woman?”

Jacob had more than ten bodyguards. Winter immediately backed away.

They were all professionally trained. She knew better than to fight them head-on. Instead, she shot a quick glance toward the direction she had come from.

This was Jacob’s territory. She had walked straight into danger, but she had not come unprepared.

So why had the security guards she hired not shown up?

She had arranged everything carefully. Something had gone wrong.

As Winter found herself surrounded, one bodyguard attacked from behind and pinned her arms.

Jacob’s blood-smeared face lunged close as he grabbed her by the throat. “You think you're so tough, Winter? Let’s see how tough you are by the end of the night!”

He showed no restraint, cutting off her air completely. Her face began to change color, yet she made no sound. She looked at him the way one would look at trash.

“Looking for death?” Jacob snarled.

“Stop!”

A woman’s sharp command rang out from nearby.

The hand around Winter’s throat froze.

“Sis, what are you doing here?” Jacob turned around.

But the first person he saw was not Skyla.

It was the man standing beside the wheelchair, tall, composed, and coldly refined.

The moment Jacob met those pitch-dark eyes, a chill ran down his spine.

Chris Xander.

Why was he here?

Winter’s gaze followed as Jacob turned his shoulder. The instant she saw him, her face drained of color.

She understood everything.

The people she had arranged outside the club had been intercepted by Chris.

To protect Skyla’s brother and keep the birthday party from being disrupted, he had truly gone that far.

As Jacob stood there distracted, Winter summoned every ounce of fury in her soul. She wrenched herself free from the guard and kicked Jacob away. Before anyone could react, she lunged at him, pinning him down. She grabbed a jagged bottle fragment from the floor and began slamming it into his head.

Her eyes were bloodshot and wild. The sound of glass shattering against bone echoed as bystanders screamed and scrambled away from the flying shards.

No one had time to react. Even the bodyguards froze.

At that moment, Winter no longer looked human. She looked like a vengeful spirit crawled out from the depths of hell.

Jacob lay on the ground, disoriented, his words slurred. It was unclear whether he was begging or cursing.

Still, Winter showed no sign of stopping.

She reversed her grip on the switchblade, grabbed his collar, and drove it down with swift, decisive intent. Anyone watching would have thought she truly meant to kill him.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around her wrist.

The grip was overwhelming. She had no chance to struggle. Her strength was cut off instantly, and the blade fell to the floor.

“Mrs. Xander,” Gavin said softly, frowning.

Even he had been shaken by what he had just witnessed.

Winter collapsed to her knees. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gavin retrieve the switchblade from the floor.

He was Chris’s personal bodyguard. He only followed Chris’s orders.

“So it is fine for him to have people beat me and try to kill me,” Winter said softly with a low laugh. “But when I want his life, I need your permission?”

A shard of glass had grazed her cheek when the bottle shattered. Blood streaked down half her face.

Gavin froze.

Something finally clicked.

His heart tightened as he instinctively turned to look at Chris standing not far away.

Skyla, seated in her wheelchair, suddenly tightened her grip on the armrests. Her expression went rigid as she slowly looked up at Chris standing in front of her.

“Chris,” she said softly, “I didn’t know Jacob was the one who had Winter beaten.”

Chris did not look up. He simply lowered his gaze and adjusted the watch on his wrist.

At some point, the music at the party had stopped. Only a few colored lights still flickered. He stood at the intersection of several beams, his face obscured by shadow, his expression impossible to read.

Skyla took a steadying breath and gestured to the caregiver behind her.

The caregiver pushed her wheelchair toward Jacob and Winter. The closer they got, the stronger the stench became. Blood mixed with alcohol hung thick in the air, heavy and nauseating, like something rising out of a swamp.

Skyla instinctively lifted a hand to cover her nose and mouth. She glanced at Jacob, who was barely conscious, and frowned deeply.

“Get someone to take Jacob to the hospital immediately.”

Even as she spoke, Winter didn't let go of Jacob’s collar. She clearly had no intention of handing him over.

“Winter,” Skyla’s voice trembled. “It’s me.”

Winter remained motionless and silent. The only movement was the slight tightening of her hand around Jacob’s shirt.

“I'm sorry,” Skyla continued, her voice pleading. “I didn't know it was you Jacob hurt. If I had known, I would have disciplined him myself. But you’ve already punished him. If you keep going, he’ll die.”

Die?

Winter slowly lifted her gaze from the floor.

“So how much is his life worth? A million dollars? Would that be enough?”

That single look made Skyla feel an inexplicable pressure, sharp and mocking.

She understood immediately. Winter was ridiculing the compensation Skyla’s father had offered for the victim. It was exactly one million.

“I should have asked more carefully,” Skyla said softly. “I’m sorry you were hurt. Please, for my sake, let Jacob go.”

Winter gave a faint, crooked smile and looked at the gentle, composed woman seated in the wheelchair.

Three years had passed, yet Skyla had barely changed. If anything, the old gloom that used to hang over her had vanished, replaced by a natural, effortless grace.

It seemed she had come to terms with her paralyzed legs.

She had once been the pride of Liono City, the city’s most admired socialite. Now she was confined to a wheelchair, bound to a life where she would never walk again.

She was pitiful but Winter had never believed she took Chris away from Skyla. Even without her, Skyla’s disability meant she could never have married into the Xander family.

If Skyla could not be the one, then why couldn’t it have been her?

But Skyla’s legs had been ruined while saving Chris’s life. For that, Winter had always felt gratitude and guilt toward Skyla.

She loved Chris, and Skyla had saved Chris. In a way, it felt as though Skyla had saved her life as well.

But gratitude and guilt did not mean she owed Skyla her life.

She owed Skyla nothing.

She owed no one anything.

“Why should I let him go?” Winter said coldly. “Did he care about my life when he sent men to beat me?”

If a passerby had not intervened that night, what would have happened to her?

Skyla looked down at Jacob, who was struggling to breathe, her heart aching with worry. But she knew Winter well enough to understand. Winter wasn’t going to let him go.

“If you kill him,” Skyla said urgently, “you’ll only get a moment of satisfaction. Have you thought about the consequences? What about your job? I remember how much you loved it. Is this really worth it?”

At the mention of her work, Winter’s expression shifted ever so slightly.

Skyla knew exactly what mattered most to Winter.

She always had.

Once, they had been best friends.

But Winter’s fingers only twitched before she tightened her grip again, watching indifferently as Jacob’s blood pooled on the floor.

Skyla was growing desperate. “He’s already been punished,” she pressed. “You’ve had your revenge. Let this end here. Besides, you’re fine now, aren’t you?”

“Fine?” Winter laughed softly, her eyes filled with scorn. “I’m fine not because your precious brother showed mercy, but because a stranger stepped in and saved me. Otherwise, you can ask him yourself what he planned to do to me that night.”

Skyla glanced at the two men clutching their legs and wailing on the ground. They were the ones who had attacked Winter.

When they met her gaze, they looked away guiltily.

She didn't need to ask to know that Jacob’s orders had gone far beyond a simple beating.

But as the blood continued to pour from Jacob’s forehead, Skyla’s expression tightened. She could not just sit there and do nothing.

Her hands clenched hard against the armrests. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to shift her body forward even a few inches.

“If kneeling down to beg you is what it takes…”

A sudden force pressed down on her shoulder. Skyla froze.

“That’s enough.”

The cold, low voice poured into Winter’s ears. It felt like an explosion in her mind, leaving her thoughts as white and empty as an avalanche.

Skyla looked up at Chris, her eyes reddening with a glimmer of hope. She forced herself to look away and said, “If this is what it takes to calm her down,” she said softly, “then it’s fine.”

She turned to Winter. “Winter, I apologize to you on Jacob’s behalf.”

Her hands were still trembling with effort. Chris glanced at the caretaker standing behind her.

The caretaker immediately understood and moved forward to support Skyla. “Ms. Jasper, your health is fragile. You can't kneel in this cold.”

“But Jacob…” Skyla refused to give up. She looked at Jacob on the floor. “Winter, for the sake of our old friendship, let him go. I promise I'll bring him to apologize to you properly later.”

Winter only responded with a sharp, cold laugh. “People like him are a menace to society as long as they're breathing.”

Chris’s gaze fell on the blood streaking down half of her face. His voice dropped. “Winter. That’s enough.”

Winter’s legs had long since gone numb from kneeling. The numbness crept upward, straight into her heart, leaving her hollow.

And yet, with just a single sentence, Chris managed to pierce that numbness. A slow, aching pain rippled through her chest.

Winter clenched her teeth, then let out a quiet breath and curved her lips into a calm, empty smile.

It all felt meaningless.

The hand gripping Jacob’s collar finally relaxed, and she let go.

Skyla finally let out a breath of relief and turned sharply to the bodyguards. “Take him to the hospital.”

Jacob was infamous in Liono City for being a menace. After being humiliated and nearly beaten to death at his own birthday party, there was no way he would let this go. Whether it was pain jolting him awake or sheer desperation, he suddenly stirred.

Through blurred vision, he saw Winter moving away. Hatred surged inside him. The moment he opened his mouth, blood flooded in, staining his teeth red.

“Don’t… let her go… I’m going to kill her…”

Winter forced herself upright, swaying slightly. When she heard that the trash on the floor was still able to speak, she ground her high-heeled boot down on his fingers.

She looked down at him coldly, then glanced at the bottles scattered across the messy table.

In that split second, Chris grabbed her wrist. He gave a sharp look to the Jasper family bodyguards who were about to lunge at Winter.

In Liono City, no one dared cross the head of the powerful Xander family. That one silent look was enough to freeze them in their tracks.

After being stopped again and again, Winter found the whole thing meaningless.

“Let go!”

She wrenched her hand free. Under the flashing lights, her eyes brimmed with tears and hatred as she stared at him.

“Chris Xander, you’re truly heartless.”

A check fluttered through the air and landed by Jacob’s feet.

It was the million-dollar check the Jasper family had given her.

Winter turned and walked out of the club.

Behind her, Gavin followed closely. “Mrs. Xander…”

Before he could finish, she got into her car. The door slammed shut. The engine roared to life, and the car sped away.

With the windows sealed, the stench of alcohol and blood clung to her, sickening and overwhelming. It made her want to vomit.

When she returned to Blackwood Manor, she stripped off her clothes and threw them straight into the trash. She then walked barefoot into the bathroom.

Hot water poured down over her, but it could not warm her frozen body.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was pushed open.

This was her private room, and she never bothered to lock the door while showering. No one ever dared to intrude.

Through the rising steam, she met Chris’s ice-cold gaze.