Terri held back the sting in her eyes and looked up at Blayne. “Are you serious? You believe whatever she says? Why would I hurt her? Why would I slap myself?”

“I won’t say this a third time, Terri.” Blayne pulled Valerie—who looked hurt and wronged as if she had just been falsely accused—behind him, shielding her like a protector.

“The money from the marriage contract you signed with my Grandpa goes through the company’s accounts. Terri, I’d advise you to be smart and not piss me off. Otherwise, you’ll end up with nothing—not a single cent.”

Terri took a step back.

Even though the contract had been terminated and she and Blayne were no longer legally married, she still couldn’t believe he was using it to threaten her.

For a moment, Blayne hesitated under her gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

“Forget it, Blayne,” Valerie said gently. “Terri is still young, and there are so many people around today. If it really bothers you, I can change into a long-sleeved gown later to cover it up. It’s not a big deal.

“Today is an important day for the Holzmans. Let’s not ruin it over something so trivial.”

She stepped forward to take Blayne’s hand, playing the understanding, considerate one.

With that movement, her bruised wrist was suddenly and unmistakably exposed—whether by accident or on purpose, it was hard to tell.

Seeing the purple marks on her skin, the momentary softness in Blayne’s heart hardened again.

His almond eyes narrowed, brimming with undisguised contempt and disgust. “Oh, Terri, you really don’t know what’s good for you. Keeping you far away was the right choice.

“A woman like you, so consumed by jealousy that you’d even go after your own sister—I have no idea what my grandfather ever saw in you. If it were up to me, not even if you begged would I let you have a single thing from the Holzmans.”

The words cut deep.

Terri’s eyes turned red, but she refused to lower her head. She clenched her jaw and shot back, “Blayne, you knew exactly who I was when you first met me. So what the hell are you saying now?”

She never thought he’d talk about her like this.

Especially for Valerie.

Back when Valerie left the U.S., Blayne spent his days drowning himself in clubs and bars.

Oswald, his grandfather, had no choice. Seeing that Terri bore a slight resemblance to Valerie, he gritted his teeth and sent her over.

From then on, Terri stayed by Blayne’s side.

He loved lychees, so she arranged for them to be flown in from Hawaii.

Her mother was vain and constantly pestered her for money. Blayne, instead of letting her deal with it, gave Clarissa a supplementary card just to shut her up.

There was sincerity in it.

Every night, he held Terri in his arms, gently caressing her face, calling her his precious girl.

When things got heated between them, she once asked him why he never took it further.

Blayne buried his face in her neck and whispered, “Let’s wait until we’re married. I want to give you the best.”

She cried until her heart melted.

But then—the day before the wedding, she saw him lounging in a hotel room, holding Valerie in his arms.

He was beneath her, their bodies intimately entwined.

Blayne frowned at Terri now, unable to understand why she still didn’t know when to quit.

“You think your little tricks aren’t obvious?” He pulled Valerie into his arms. “You just want to frame your sister so you can come running to me, playing the victim?”

Valerie clung to his arm, looking troubled. “Whatever it is, let’s talk about it later. The party's about to start, and there are people everywhere. You’ll need a date when you go in. I won’t hold this against Terri—it’s not worth it.”

Saying that, she reached out as if to take Terri’s arm.

Terri turned away in disgust.

Blayne let out a cold laugh. “Someone like her? She actually thinks she deserves to walk in with me and attend the party? Still clinging to the title of my fiancée? As if.”

The staff behind him, quick on their feet, stepped forward with a dress box in hand.

Terri remained where she was, unmoving. She was waiting for Blayne’s final verdict.

‘This is good.’

With every action, Blayne was wearing down the last remnants of her patience and attachment.

The final stage of desensitization.

Once she had cried out all her tears, she would leave—swiftly, cleanly, without ever looking back.

Blayne tightened his hold around Valerie’s waist. “Go back the way you came. My family’s party doesn’t need someone as manipulative and disgraceful as you. You’re not fit to be my wife, let alone my fiancée.”

The dress matched Blayne’s outfit perfectly.

Terri watched as he handed it to Valerie.

Terri looked at Blayne, her expression unusually calm, without a hint of emotion.

She nodded. “Alright.”

That made Blayne seem caught off guard.

Something about the way she looked at him gave him an unsettling feeling as if he was losing something.

But he quickly dismissed the thought, convinced she was just putting on a front.

With a look of contempt, he turned away, holding Valerie’s hand as they brushed past Terri.

Valerie shot her a triumphant smile.

Just then, Terri’s phone chimed.

A message from Valerie.

[The Crimson Club, Room 304. Remember what I told you. Otherwise, you know what’ll happen.]

A familiar face flashed through Terri’s mind.

Her grip tightened around her phone as she stepped out the door.

From a higher vantage point, Valerie watched Terri’s retreating figure. She tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her, pouting.

“Mr. Hemphill wants me to sign the contract now. The party doesn’t start for a while, so we have just enough time. Blayne, come with me?”

Terri didn’t want to go.

But she had no choice.

Oswald, Blayne’s grandfather, had her in his grasp. He thought she was easier to control than Valerie, so he insisted she marry Blayne.

Now, Valerie was using the same tactics.

Years ago, Terri’s mother had been young and naive when she was taken advantage of by Giddeon, Valerie’s father, while he was stationed in a quiet Midwest town.

In places like that, a woman in Clarissa’s situation would have been sent away in disgrace.

Clarissa didn’t want to disappear, so she clung to Giddeon and followed him to Massachusetts.

She kept her head down and survived by playing the obedient, submissive role under Demetria’s watch.

But even then, in that household, Clarissa remained the perfect target for the cruelty of Belladonna, Valerie’s mother.

And by extension, Terri became Valerie’s punching bag.

Controlling Terri was easy.

All they had to do was threaten to expose Clarissa’s past as a mistress and cut off her financial support.

Clarissa was a timid woman who had lived her whole life afraid. If that day ever came, it would push her straight to the edge.

Terri couldn’t let that happen.

Even if it meant being treated like a dog, she had to go.

From inside the private room, crude, degrading voices mocked the female servers.

Terri’s lashes quivered.

She hesitated for a moment until she pushed open the door.

“Well, well, this must be Miss Valerie’s so-called sister, the one who tried to seduce her fiancé?”

All eyes turned to the entrance.

Their gazes were lewd and amused as if Terri’s presence had been expected.

Terri took a deep breath. “I’m here to get the documents Valerie told me to retrieve.”

The fat man at the head of the table let go of the server in his arms and lazily lifted his chin at Terri.

“That’s not how you ask for favors. If you want the contract, show some humility.”

He pulled out the document and placed a tall glass of fortified wine on top of it.

“Drink it, and the contract is yours.”

Terri wasn’t stupid.

She knew exactly what kind of trap they had set for her.

If Terri really drank the wine, she’d be nothing more than a dish served up on the table.

“I think I’ll pass. I’m allergic to alcohol. If needed, I can call Valerie and have her come instead.”

Terri tried to step back, but a few women on the couch grabbed her by the wrist.

“You took advantage of Valerie being in Scotland to seduce her man. Like mother, like daughter—both of you are shameless sluts. Who the hell are you pretending to be, huh?”

“Be smart and drink up. If you obediently become Valerie’s stepping stone, well, you might suffer a little less.”

One of them yanked her hair and shoved her back onto the couch.

Another woman picked up a glass of liquor from the table, grabbed Terri by the chin, and forced it down her throat.

She couldn’t break free. The burning alcohol slid down her throat as tears streamed down her face.

Once the glass was empty, the two women suddenly let go of her.

Right then, the door opened.

Blayne walked in and immediately saw Terri slumped on the couch, her face flushed.

Valerie covered her mouth in disbelief. “What happened here?”

The fat man exchanged a look with her, then sighed as if troubled. “Miss Valerie, Miss Terri insisted on taking your place to negotiate the contract with me. I tried to decline, but she just started drinking. I… I really didn’t know what to do.”

He was making it sound like Terri had tried to steal Valerie’s contract.

Blayne’s expression darkened as he looked at Terri, his face turning cold. “Has Valerie not treated you well enough? You couldn’t slander her, so now you resort to this kind of shit?”

Being accused time and again, ignored, and misunderstood—Terri’s eyes turned bloodshot. “I didn’t slander her, and I wasn’t trying to steal anything. I came here because Valerie told me to pick up the damn contract!”

Blayne rubbed his temples in frustration. “Dammit, Terri. I never thought your jealousy could go this far. You can’t stand to see your sister have anything, can you?”

Terri’s voice trembled. “I didn’t—”

Seeing the growing disdain in Blayne’s eyes, Valerie knew she had achieved her goal. She subtly signaled to the others in the room.

Then, with teary eyes, she clutched her chest, looking heartbroken. “It’s my fault. I should’ve done better. Don’t blame Terri—she’s still young…”

And with that, she collapsed into Blayne’s arms.

Panic flashed across his face. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and rushed out.

His eyes were filled with urgency and concern.

Meanwhile, Terri wiped her tears and stumbled out the door, struggling to stay on her feet.

That’s when it hit her—there was something in that wine!

A drunk, unaccompanied woman in a private room of a club… She suddenly realized exactly what Valerie was trying to do.

The drug took effect quickly. She staggered, pressing against the wall as dizziness overwhelmed her.

With her last bit of strength, she unlocked her phone and tapped the only pinned contact.

Blayne’s phone buzzed. Seeing the caller ID, his chest tightened for some inexplicable reason.

On the hospital bed, Valerie noticed the change in his expression.

She bit her lip and gave a frail smile. “It’s okay, Blayne. If you have something to take care of, go ahead. I’ll be fine here on my own.”

At her words, Blayne didn’t hesitate.

He hung up.

In the end, it was a female server who called an ambulance for Terri.

The doctor diagnosed her with a drug overdose.

Not only was it an aphrodisiac, but if left untreated, it could’ve caused neurological damage.

That was the polite way of putting it.

Terri calmly thanked the doctor.

Then, she pulled up her bank account.

It was the card Oswald had given her when she agreed to marry Blayne.

It had been locked. The balance was zero.

Of course, it was empty.

The night Blayne had humiliated her while drunk—over Valerie—Terri had already signed the termination agreement.