A flush of dark red flooded Ariadnie’s eyes. Her fingers curled in on themselves, nails digging deep into her palms.

“Apologize to her? Keep dreaming!”

Reagan bit her lip and covered her swollen cheek. “Sister, I just like the painting as much as you do, that’s all…”

Ariadnie’s gaze was pure, undisguised hatred. “You knew perfectly well it was something my mother left behind!”

“I really didn’t know…” Reagan sobbed. “Rasper, Redmond, you believe me, don’t you?”

Rasper’s expression darkened. “Of course, we believe you.”

He loosened his tie, his voice sinking. “I’m going all the way!”

The guests erupted into murmurs in an instant.

“What’s going on? Isn’t Ariadnie his girlfriend?”

“Did he finally see her true colors and get tired of her?”

“It was only a matter of time. Look how unreasonable she is—she even hit her own sister in front of everyone…”

The comments echoed painfully in Ariadnie’s ears. She clenched her teeth and demanded coldly at Rasper, “I told you—this is my mom’s final piece. You really want to help her take it from me?!”

Rasper’s face didn’t shift. His tone stayed flat. “You hit her first. Since the painting means so much to you, give it to Reagan as your apology gift.”

Delight flashed instantly across Reagan’s face. The corners of her eyes and brows were smug. “Oh, Rasper, you’re really the best!”

Rasper said nothing, but the softness in his eyes when he looked at her said enough.

Redmond shot Ariadnie a glance, his voice dripping with mockery. “You’re not like certain people—vicious to the core—who deserve anyone treating them well.”

Ariadnie watched the painting get handed to Reagan with her own eyes. Her heart felt like a giant hand was squeezing it tight, crushing the air from her lungs.

Anything Rasper wanted, she never stood a chance.

Reagan’s smile grew deeper. She lowered her voice. “I told you, you’ll never beat me.”

After the auction ended and the crowd dispersed, Ariadnie stopped Reagan. She forced down the rage burning in her chest.

“Reagan, this painting means nothing to you. Name a price—I’ll buy it.”

Reagan’s smile turned cruel, gloating spilling through every word. She dragged a long nail over the painting. “It’s so beautiful. Why would I sell it to you? Unless…”

Ariadnie clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to strangle her. “Unless what?”

Reagan lifted the painting high, acting as though she might smash it. “Unless you kneel and apologize to me. Admit you’re nothing but slut, beneath me in every way.”

Something inside Ariadnie jolted. In the end, she exhaled. “F-Fine.”

Without a second of hesitation, she dropped to her knees. Her back stayed perfectly straight. Her voice trembled, but she forced the words out—each one slicing flesh off her heart.

“I’m sorry. I’m… a slut who’s inferior to you in every way.”

Her blood felt like it was screaming, but all she could see was her mother’s gentle smile.

‘Just hold on. Just a little longer.’

As long as she could get her mother’s painting back, it would be worth it.

Reagan laughed so hard she almost bent over. Holding the painting, she walked to the champagne tower. Then she suddenly let go and covered her mouth lightly. “Oops.”

The painting crashed into the glasses. Champagne and shattered crystal exploded everywhere, splashing across the canvas and ruining everything.

“Oh no, what should I do…” Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction even as she feigned innocence. “I really didn’t mean it…”

She stayed exactly where she was, waiting to savor Ariadnie’s reaction.

Ariadnie felt the blood drain from her entire body. Stumbling forward, she picked up the painting from the wreckage.

It was destroyed beyond recognition—just like her mother, her older sister… and like her.

She gently brushed off shards of glass, blood streaming from her fingers, but she didn’t feel the pain.

A familiar voice suddenly echoed from the painting—her mother’s voice, soft and warm, breaking apart into static.

“Mom loves you both.”

“Mom… lo—…”

The voice dissolved into a sharp crackling sound.

Huge tears splashed onto the back of her hand. The ache in her chest rushed through her entire body, making her tremble uncontrollably.

Reagan admired her absolute ruin, lips curling with delight. “For a worthless painting, you beg and grovel? You’re just as useless as your mother.”

Ariadnie shot to her feet and shoved Reagan hard. Her voice shook. “Shut up!”

Reagan fell to the floor but kept laughing. “When your mom died, she was still calling your names.”

Ariadnie froze where she stood, as if struck by lightning.

A terrifying possibility surfaced in her mind.

With that, the last string in her heart finally snapped.

She gently set the painting down, her eyes completely lifeless.

Suddenly, she grabbed the shattered champagne glass beside her and lunged at Reagan. The jagged edge sliced across Reagan’s fair cheek, and she panicked instantly, gripping Ariadnie’s wrist with both hands and struggling as hard as she could.

Ariadnie was using a lot of force. Just as the glass was about to reach Reagan’s neck, something slammed into her.

It was Rasper.

He kicked Ariadnie off Reagan and stepped protectively in front of her, fury burning in his eyes. His voice was cold. “Ariadnie! Are you out of your mind?”

Redmond hurried to help Reagan up, looking at Ariadnie with nothing but disgust.

“Bro, hurry up and teach this crazy woman a lesson! She was trying to kill Reagan!”

Tears streamed down Reagan’s face as she curled into Redmond’s arms. “She suddenly snapped and grabbed the painting. She said if she couldn’t have it, then I couldn’t either. I was so scared…”

Rasper’s expression grew colder. He looked down at Ariadnie from above, his voice heavy. “So you really are exactly what they said—vicious and unreasonable.”

Ariadnie scoffed stubbornly, lifting her chin even as her eyes reddened. “She destroyed the painting on purpose! She forced me to kneel, and then—”

“Enough!” Rasper cut her off, irritation flashing in his eyes. “Reagan is kind and innocent. She would never do something like that. But you? You’ve always pushed her around.”

He waved a hand at the bodyguards behind him. “Throw her onto the champagne tower. Give her a taste of her own medicine.”

Ariadnie clenched her teeth, her voice rough. “Every word I said is true!”

A trace of hesitation flickered in Rasper’s eyes until Redmond spoke up. “Everyone knows you lie without blinking.”

Reagan added, voice trembling, “Ariadnie… how could you accuse me of that?”

Whatever hesitation Rasper had disappeared immediately. He turned, lifting Reagan into his arms, his tone cold. “Stay here and think about what you’ve done.”

With that, the bodyguards threw Ariadnie onto the floor scattered with broken glass. She looked like a discarded rag doll.

Pain spread across her entire body at once. She struggled to her feet, clutching the ruined painting tightly as tears streamed down her face.

Her breathing turned sharp and uneven from the pain. She had just reached the main doors when she realized they were locked.

She collapsed to the floor, a searing ache tearing through her chest.

“Rasper… your heart is really that cruel.”

Suddenly, she saw flames rising from the wooden stage in the center of the hall. Her heart lurched.

“Help!”

She pounded on the door with all her strength, screaming until her voice turned hoarse.

“There’s a fire!”

The hall was lavishly decorated, and the flames spread quickly. With each crackling burst, thick smoke filled her lungs.

She fumbled for her phone, but there was no signal. All she could see were the messages Reagan had sent earlier.

[Thanks to you, I finally know how much Rasper cares about me.]

[It’s just a small cut on my face, but he booked an entire floor of the hospital and even brought in specialists for me.]

[But you? Does anyone even care whether you live or die?]

Ariadnie’s vision blurred. The moment the fire scorched her arm, she snapped back to alertness.

She couldn’t die yet.

She carried the hatred her mother and sister left behind. Even if she died, she had to drag those people down with her.

She slammed her shoulder against the door again and again, her eyes fierce and unwavering.

Just before she lost consciousness, she fell into a warm embrace. Someone scooped her up, his voice full of heartache.

“I’ve already ordered people to move against the Stallones. Anyone who lay a hand on you—I won’t let a single one of them walk free.”

When Ariadnie opened her eyes, she was already in a hospital room.

The sharp smell of disinfectant lingered at the tip of her nose. She looked around—there wasn’t a single person there.

It felt as if the man she’d seen before losing consciousness had been nothing more than a hallucination.

Lowering her head, she caught a faint cedar scent on her clothes, and her heart eased.

‘It was him.’

Remembering what she needed to do next, and the wedding that was just around the corner, she immediately pulled out the IV from the back of her hand, checked herself out of the hospital, and headed home.

When she got home, the place was completely empty.

Scrolling through Reagan’s Instagram Stories, she saw that Rasper and Redmond were busy cheering her up—buying her jewelry, even booking out Disneyland for her.

A stabbing pain pierced through Ariadnie’s chest, like thousands of needles driving straight into her heart.

She looked down at her arm. The burn wrapped under gauze radiated heat and pain, keeping her from falling asleep.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before a heavy body suddenly crashed onto hers, the strong smell of alcohol making her frown.

The man’s voice was hoarse, dripping with lust. “Babe…”

Ariadnie froze. The moment she snapped back to herself, she used all her strength to push Redmond away.

“Still throwing a tantrum?” His expression turned cold. His tone was impatient. “It was your fault. I just locked you up for one night. Nothing happened to you, did it?”

Ariadnie’s cold gaze settled on the tear mole at the corner of his eye. Suddenly, she laughed.

“You know I hate the smell of alcohol. Couldn’t you at least take a shower first?”

Thinking she’d finally calmed down, Redmond looked satisfied. He took off his clothes and went to shower.

The moment the water started running, Ariadnie grabbed his phone. She tried several passwords with no luck until Reagan’s birthday flashed through her mind.

The phone unlocked at once. A knowing glint flashed across her eyes.

‘So Rasper isn’t the only one who likes Reagan…’

She quickly opened the photo album and deleted every video on both the phone and the cloud.

Just as she was about to exit, she accidentally noticed a hidden folder in the cloud. When she opened it, her pupils constricted sharply.

She hadn’t expected Redmond to gift her something this valuable.

Without a second of hesitation, Ariadnie transferred all the data onto her own phone.

By the time Redmond came out wrapped in a towel, he was mostly sober. He dimmed the lights first.

“Babe, you should cover your eyes later…”

Before he could finish, Ariadnie’s stomach twisted violently. She rushed into the bathroom and gagged.

When she stepped out, Redmond was on the balcony making a call.

“Bro, could Ariadnie be pregnant? I don’t want this kid.”

After a while, he replied, “Alright, I’ll figure out a way to take care of it.”

When he turned around and saw Ariadnie’s cold expression, a chill shot through him.

“Babe… did you… hear anything?”

Ariadnie quietly stared at his face. A moment later, she spoke softly.

“No.”

A flicker of guilt flashed in Redmond’s eyes. “Something urgent came up at work. I need to head out now.”

Ariadnie showed no reaction at all. “Okay.”

The next morning, just as she stepped out the door to go in for an abortion, a speeding sports car suddenly came straight at her.

She saw the vicious, unhinged look in Reagan’s eyes.

A loud crash followed as the car rammed directly into Ariadnie. She was thrown hard onto the ground.

Struggling, she reached into her bag for her phone—only for Reagan, who had already gotten out of the car, to kick it out of her hand.

“Go die!”

Not long after, Ariadnie lost consciousness completely, collapsing in a pool of her own blood.