So how did your shopping go?" Lucien asked. He had dropped his work just to welcome her. The action warmed her heart, making her feel more free and comfortable around him.

"I couldn't buy anything," Maya said while pouting sadly. "So I came to return the card."

"Why didn't you buy anything?" Lucien noticed her bad mood and asked her.

"I ran into my ex-fiance and my stepsister," she replied, her mood dropping even more.

Lucien could sense that she wasn't happy. "Did they give you a hard time again?"

Maya pursed her lips before nodding. "She wanted to hit me, but…"

Lucien immediately grabbed her chin. "Where? Where did she hit you? Which hand did she use? I'll make sure to break it."

His worry for her made her smile. "I didn't allow her to hit me. Instead, I struck her cheek hard."

Maya waited for Lucien to judge her and pity Stephanie like everyone else did, but instead, he stroked her hair gently.

"Good girl. That was a good one."

Maya looked at him. He actually encouraged and supported her. He didn't side with Stephanie like everyone else did. Tears formed in her eyes as she hugged him while sitting on his lap. Her sudden action caught him off guard, but he relaxed and embraced her tightly.

As they stayed in that position, Maya began to feel something hard poking her thighs. She released herself from his embrace and was about to get up when Lucien pressed her down.

"Don't move!" he said as his hands pressed her onto his lap tighter.

Confused, Maya stared at him. She could feel something hot and hard pressing against her. Just as she was about to question him, her face suddenly turned beetroot red.

Could it be that… The thought made her blush even more. She shifted slightly to adjust herself, but unknown to her, her actions made the man lose his mind. He suddenly stood up and carried her onto the desk, locking her in a passionate kiss.

Maya was startled. She wasn't expecting him to lose control in his office. What if someone suddenly walks in? What if… Her mind spiraled with lots of questions, but being in his arms, inhaling his masculine scent, made her relax into the kiss.

She felt his hands slide into her dress. His warm hands roamed around her thighs, eventually brushing against a sensitive spot.

"I miss you!" his husky voice whispered into her ear as he moved to kiss her neck.

Maya sighed and tilted her neck up, giving him more room. Lucien sucked hard on a sensitive spot on her neck, leaving a red mark. Satisfied that he had marked what was his, he moved back. He looked at the flushed, out-of-breath, beautiful woman sitting on his desk.

Indeed, she was really beautiful. Her skin was smooth and clear; her red, plump lips looked moist and swollen from their kiss. He stared hard at her half-buttoned shirt, which exposed her cleavage.

Oh my, what does this woman have on me? Just a glance at her and I'm already losing my mind. I just want to bury my face into that deep cleavage and… argh, Lucien thought, his expression darkening.

He moved closer to her and raised her chin. Then, he pressed his lips against hers again. His hand moved toward her breast and gave it a soft squeeze, making her gasp. He continued doing so, his actions stirring up Maya's emotions until she felt a pool of heat forming between her thighs.

"Lucien…" she called out.

Knowing his effect on her, he smiled as he continued teasing her. "Yes, my love?" he replied.

"Ah!" Maya moaned softly.

At this point, he had her full breast out in his hand, teasing her nipple. Even Lucien could hardly control himself, but he needed to know how much she wanted him first.

What is this man up to? Maya questioned in her mind. Every time he pinched her nipple slightly, she would yelp softly.

"Tell me you want more, my love. Tell me," he said while biting her ear softly.

"Umm..." she replied.

"Words, Maya. Words. Tell me."

"I…"

Just as she was about to speak, a call interrupted their session.

"Just a minute," Maya said as she slowly got off the table to answer the phone. "Yes, Dad?" she said as she walked over to a corner in the office.

"Where are you?"

"I'm working on something at the office. Is there anything wrong?" Maya replied.

"I heard what you did to your sister at the mall. Come home immediately. Looks like you've forgotten your place," James scolded.

"My place? What exactly is my place?" Maya asked. Her question made James choke on his words.

"You know what I mean! How dare you humiliate your sister in public? Come home immediately so we can discuss this, or else the outcome won't be good." With that, he hung up.

Maya stared at the blank screen for a moment and sighed. My place? I should know my place.

She blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall and practiced a smile before turning to face Lucien, determined not to let him catch that something was wrong.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as she approached him.

"Yes, I have to go home now," Maya replied as she began to put her things together.

"Is everything alright at home?" he questioned.

"Everything's alright."

With that, she grabbed her bag and was about to walk out when Lucien held her wrist. "I hope they won't give you a hard time. Do you need me to accompany you?"

His question made Maya’s heart skip a beat. As much as she would love for him to accompany her, she could not risk Stephanie finding out about him—or even her parents. She feared that they might try to give him to Stephanie just like they did with Marcus.

She gave a slight smile and slowly pulled her hand back. "I would love that," she said, "but they won't give me a hard time."

Just as she turned away, Lucien spoke up again. "So you won't need me to at least drop you off?"

Maya watched his cold, expressionless face. For some reason, he always kept that look on his face, yet he always cared for her. Just watching how he wanted to make sure she was safe made her feel extremely touched.

Soon, Maya arrived at the Ewell family house. She tried to open the front door, but to her surprise, it wouldn't open. She knocked and called out, but no one answered.

Then, through the huge glass window, she saw the family of three sitting at the dining table, happily enjoying a nice dinner without her while the door remained locked tight.

She banged and banged, but no one answered her. It was only after they had finished their dinner that James walked up to the door and looked at her with a cold expression.

"Dad, please open the door. You called me back home saying you had something to discuss with me," Maya spoke through gritted teeth as the cold wind pierced through her skin.

Stephanie soon joined him, along with her mom, Celene.

"What do you think? That you can hit my daughter and get away with it?" James questioned. "I heard how you embarrassed and humiliated her in front of everyone at the mall just because you caught her with your fiancé. You have no right to do that! Mind you, Stephanie and Marcus are together now. Stay out of their business and stop harassing them."

Maya shook her head in protest. "That's not what happened! She's the one who started it."

"Lies!" James retorted. "You are just jealous that she's with Marcus. If you really wanted to keep your relationship, you would have worked hard for it. Now that it is gone, stop trying to make things difficult for other people! Stop harassing Stephanie just because Marcus chose her over you. Your sister has been through a lot. You grew up with lots of privileges that she did not have. Now that it is her turn, allow her to enjoy what she couldn't enjoy before. Stop being so spoiled and jealous! Maybe it is because I spoiled you too much that you have become like this. Once you spend the night outside, you will know how to behave next time."

His words made Maya’s blood run cold. Has it really come to this? No one had even asked for her side of the story. No one asked why she did what she did. If she hadn't slapped Stephanie, she would have been the one struck. But even if she were the one slapped, no one would fight for her the way they fought for Stephanie.

She wanted to cry and beg, but she knew it was pointless. If you have to cry and beg for love, that love was never there in the first place.

She looked at her mom, hoping Celene would say something to stand up for her, but all she saw on her mother's face was disappointment.

"Dad, it's going to rain very soon. Are you really going to leave me out here in the rain just because of this?" Maya questioned, her voice breaking.

"If that is what it takes to put you in your place, then yes." With that, he turned his back and walked away.

Celene looked at Maya with a weary frown. "Why can't you just behave? You know your sister has a precious place in your father's heart, yet you keep causing trouble for her. Did you not think of the outcome when you decided to slap her? Now you are acting all pitiful. Once you spend the night outside, maybe, just maybe, you'll come back to your senses."

Immediately after saying that, she walked away, leaving only Stephanie and Maya at the door.

There was a long silence between them before Stephanie spoke up, a smirk dancing on her lips. "Just look at where you are, outside. And I am inside, right where I belong. And you? You are back to where I started. I told you that everything that was once yours would belong to me. You thought I was joking, right? I'm just getting started. Enjoy your night."

Just before Stephanie turned to leave, Maya spoke up. "You were never cast outside. Ever since you joined this home, you were never treated badly. Even though I biologically belong to my parents, I was pushed aside to accommodate you. So I honestly do not understand what you are chasing or what you are trying to take revenge for. Maybe you just enjoy seeing me this way, but there's really nothing to gain from it."

After Maya finished talking, a cold light flashed in Stephanie's eyes. She sneered. "There's a saying: at some point, the deeds of the parents become so bad that their children have to pay for them."

With that, she turned and left.

What did she mean by that? Maya questioned in her mind. What bad deed of my parents is she talking about?

Just as Maya was pondering Stephanie's words, thunder roared loudly and the wind blew harder, making her shiver violently. She could feel every limb in her body shaking from the cold. It was painful, not only physically, but the fact that her own father had left her out in the rain over a lie made it unbearable. She realized there was no shelter to protect her from the coming storm; she could only stand against the locked front door.

Very soon, the rain began to fall. It started light against her skin, but quickly turned into a heavy downpour. The droplets struck so hard they left stinging marks on her skin. She was completely drenched within seconds, and her phone was ruined by the water.

Nothing on her was dry. The wind and rain battered her petite frame, making her sway on her feet. In the freezing cold, she pictured them sitting at the warm dining table having a beautiful family dinner without her. That mental image hurt far worse than the storm.

She thought of reaching out to Lucien, but her phone was dead. Has it really come down to this? she laughed bitterly to herself.

It had all started years ago when young Stephanie was first brought into the Ewell family house. Everyone had been so welcoming, and Maya had been thrilled to finally have a sister.

"Hi, I'm Maya! We are going to be sisters. Come upstairs, let me show you my room!" young Maya had said enthusiastically, dragging little Stephanie up the stairs.

She had showed Stephanie all her toys and asked if she would like to play with them.

Stephanie’s eyes had flickered with something cold as she sneered, "So because you have all this, you decide to show off, huh? Don’t worry. Everything that is yours will be mine."

With that, she had shoved Maya to the ground and instantly burst into loud tears.

Maya’s parents had rushed up to the room. Seeing Stephanie crying while Maya was sprawled on the floor, they immediately demanded to know what had happened.

Stephanie pointed at Maya, shaking and trembling. "Mom, Dad, she tried to hit me! I’m so scared. I thought my sister would like me, but I guess she doesn’t want me anywhere near her. All I wanted was to play with her toys because I don't have any of my own, but she tried to hit me and push me out!"

Her parents looked at Maya with deep frowns.

"Maya, why on earth would you do that?" her mother scolded. "Don’t you see that your sister has been through a lot and just joined the family? Can’t you be more accommodating and welcoming?"

"Mom, I didn’t do any of that!" Maya protested, her voice filled with frustration. "I’m the one on the floor right now! She pushed me! I tried to share my toys with her, but she suddenly turned on me and shoved me down. I never did what she's saying!"

Before Maya could finish, Stephanie began to wail even louder.

Her father immediately rushed to Stephanie's side and pulled her into a warm embrace, lightly patting her back. "Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll get you your own toys, okay?"

After Stephanie finally calmed down, her father looked at Maya with a cold glare. "Your sister just joined the family, and this is how you welcome her? This is how you treat her? I knew it, I spoiled you too much."

He turned toward a servant. "Take all the toys from Maya's room and put them in Stephanie’s room. From now on, your toys belong to Stephanie. Since Maya doesn’t know how to behave, she will learn this way."

Maya had stared in disbelief as the servant carried away every single one of her toys, leaving her with nothing. From that day on, whenever Stephanie's toys grew old or unwanted, they were handed down to Maya.

That was how her life had been ever since.

Standing outside in the freezing rain brought Maya crashing back to reality. Seeing that no one was going to open the door or show her mercy, she turned away from the house to find shelter elsewhere.

She roamed the empty, dark streets, completely soaked. Her body was burning up with a fever, yet she couldn't stop shivering. She clutched her arms tightly around herself as her steps grew heavier by the minute.

By the time she finally reached a hotel, she was utterly exhausted. She pushed the glass doors open and stumbled toward the front desk.

"Excuse me, can I get a room?" Maya asked through chattering teeth.

The receptionist looked at her with an awkward, pitying smile. "I'm so sorry, madam. All our rooms are fully booked for tonight."

Maya's heart sank. "Please..." she whispered, barely able to keep her balance. "I just need somewhere to stay."

The receptionist's expression softened, but she shook her head apologetically. "I'm really sorry, but there's nothing I can do."

Maya lowered her head, a self-mocking smile touching her lips. Of course. Even the hotel has no place for me.

She turned around and forced her weak legs back outside. But the moment she stepped through the sliding doors, her vision blurred violently. Her body swayed, and as she tried to steady herself, her legs gave out completely.

Before she hit the pavement, everything went black. She collapsed onto the cold ground, the rain showing no mercy as it continued to pour over her unconscious body.

Suddenly, a sleek black car screeched to a halt nearby, and a figure rushed toward her.

"Maya? Shit! Don't worry, I'm here now."

The voice sounded distant, almost impossible to make out, but the familiar, comforting scent of sandalwood wrapped around her fading senses as strong arms lifted her off the ground and carried her out of the storm.