I woke from a deep sleep to a sharp sting in my arm. When I looked down, bright red blood had backed up into the clear IV tubing.

I pressed the call button by the bed.

A nurse walked in, frowning at the tubing. "How come no one's keeping an eye on you? Where's your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend. He had to leave," I said evenly.

"How long ago?" she asked as she changed the IV.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was 2:00 am. Daniel had left at 7:00 pm. It had already been seven hours.

"A long time," I said.

The nurse shook her head. "That's just how the rich are. All they care about is appearances. When it counts, they are never around."

After she finished, I couldn't fall back asleep.

By dawn, I decided to get out of bed and stretch my legs. I pushed the IV pole into the hallway and overheard two nurses whispering to each other.

"That young woman in the VIP ward is fortunate. Her boyfriend booked the entire floor for her."

"They say he even brought in specialists from all over the world, and she has care around the clock."

"The Falkner heir treats her well. He hasn't left her side."

I stopped short.

The VIP ward was on the tenth floor. I was on the eighth floor, in a standard room.

I pressed the elevator button and went up to the tenth floor. The whole floor was sealed off, and only one room was lit. I went up to the door and peered through the gap.

Daniel sat at the bedside, patiently feeding Serena spoonfuls of oatmeal. She leaned against the headboard, pale but content.

"Does it still hurt?" Daniel asked softly.

"I feel much better." Serena opened her mouth and let him feed her another spoonful. "I'm not afraid of anything with you around."

Alfred sat on the couch, peeling an apple for her. When she finished the oatmeal, he handed her a small slice.

"Eat slowly. Be careful so you don't choke," Alfred said, his voice warm with affection.

Serena smiled sweetly. "Mr. Seymour, you are so kind to me. You are just like a real father to me."

He patted her hand. "You are my daughter now. From now on, this family is yours."

Daniel, too, smiled gently and reached out to smooth Serena's hair. "Still dizzy?"

"No, just a little tired."

He drew the curtains and dimmed the lights. "Then sleep a little longer. I'll stay right here with you."

That tender scene was a knife driven hard into my heart. I bit down hard on my lip and forced myself not to let a sob escape.

I turned and left the VIP area, then went back to my own room.

I told myself not to cry. I told myself I couldn't cry.

…

Four days before I was scheduled to fly to Velport for the wedding, I checked out of the hospital. As soon as I walked out of the hospital, I saw Daniel leaning against a black sedan, waiting for me.

"Get in," he said.

"I'll just take a cab."

"Get in."

His tone carried a threat, leaving no room for refusal.

I looked at his cold, hard expression and, in the end, got into the car.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Daniel started the engine. "To clear your head. You've been cooped up in the hospital too long."

Half an hour later, the car pulled up outside Whitman's Auction House in the financial district.

I looked at the poster by the entrance. "An auction?"

Daniel got out of the car. "There's an art auction today. Aren't you into this stuff?"

I was about to refuse, but as I took the auction catalog he handed me, I saw a familiar item. Listed as Lot 47 was a pearl necklace.

My hands began to tremble. I knew that necklace all too well.

It was Mom's.

Noticing the change in my expression, Daniel asked, "What's wrong?"

I clutched the catalog. "Nothing. Let's go in."

…

In the restroom, my fingers shook as I called my lawyer. "Sell everything I'd set aside. Right now. Immediately."

"Ms. Seymour, those are the assets you said you were taking to Velport—"

"I've changed my mind," I said, my voice urgent. "How much can we get?"

"About 100 million dollars."

"That'll do."

I hung up and took a deep breath. I must retrieve Mom's necklace.

…

Once inside the auction hall, Daniel found us seats in the front row.

Just as I was about to sit down, a familiar voice called out, "Danny!"

She had on a pale pink dress. A bandage was still on her head, yet she looked heartbreakingly beautiful in her own fragile way. She came over and slipped her arm through Daniel's arm, affectionate as ever.

Serena looked at me with a sweet smile. "Freya, you're here too. I told Danny I wanted to apologize to you at the auction, and I didn't think he'd actually bring you."

In that instant, everything became clear.

Daniel hadn't brought me here to cheer me up or help me clear my head. It was only because Serena wanted to "apologize" to me, and I was just a prop he'd brought along on the way.

Looking at Serena's smug smile, even the last trace of pain in me vanished. I was already numb.

The auction officially began. I gripped my paddle tightly, waiting for Lot 47.

At last, the auctioneer raised the pearl necklace. "Lot 47, a pearl necklace. Opening bid, five million dollars."

I raised my paddle immediately. "Five million dollars."

"Ten million dollars," came Serena's voice from right beside me.

I looked over. She was all smiles, her paddle raised.

"15 million dollars," I said, raising my paddle again.

Serena didn't even pause. "20 million dollars."

The price started to soar. 30 million dollars. 50 million dollars. 80 million dollars…

Sweat slicked my palms. My lawyer had said everything I owned was worth about 100 million dollars in total, but the price had already climbed to nearly 120 million dollars.

"120 million dollars."

Serena raised her paddle with ease, as if she were naming a trivial number.

The auctioneer looked at me. "Ma'am, would you like to continue?"

My hands trembled. I couldn't raise the paddle again. I didn't have enough.

All eyes were on me, Daniel's included. Swallowing my pride, I turned to him.

My voice shook. "Daniel, lend me some money, please. This necklace was my mother's. It's the only thing she left me."

Daniel looked at me. Something complicated flickered in his eyes. Just as he reached for his black card, Serena turned to him as well.

In a sweet, wheedling tone, she said, "Danny, I had nothing growing up. This is the first necklace I've ever truly loved. Could you ask Freya to let me have this one?"

She caught his sleeve, her eyes bright with expectation.

Daniel looked between Serena and me, silent for several seconds—seconds that felt like an eternity.

"Let Rena have it," he said at last.

A chill ran down my spine. My world collapsed around me.

The auctioneer's voice rang out. "120 million dollars, going once! 120 million dollars, going twice!"

I wanted to beg Daniel again, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

"120 million dollars—third and final call! Sold!"

The instant the gavel fell, my heart went cold.

Thrilled, Serena clapped and turned to me. "Freya, thank you!"

Smug satisfaction was written all over her face.

After the auction, Serena said she had a headache, and Daniel went to get her medicine. I sat alone in the lounge, watching the staff clear the items away.

Ten minutes later, Serena came to the backstage area and stopped in front of me.

I got to my feet to meet her. "Serena, would you trade me the necklace for something else?"

She lifted a brow. "Trade it for what?"

I forced myself to stay calm. "I have a sports car and a few high-end watches. The total doesn't come to 120 million, but if you give me a little time, I'll make up the rest. All I ask is that you return the necklace."

Serena shook her head. "I don't need those."

"Then what do you want?"

She thought for a moment, then smiled. "I want you on your knees, begging."

"What?"

Something vicious flickered in her eyes. "Get on your knees, apologize, and beg me for the necklace. After how you treated me before, it's your turn to beg."

I stared at her, my fists clenched. Thinking of Mom's keepsake, I sank to my knees.

"Good. Let me show you where the necklace is," she said.

Serena wore a triumphant smile as she took out her phone. She pulled up a video and handed it to me. On the screen, a dirty stray wagged its tail, a pearl necklace around its neck.

It was Mom's.

Serena's smile turned sickly sweet. "See? This is where it is now. I think it suits the stray perfectly. A bitch's things belong with a dog."

My blood went cold. "What did you just say?"

Serena put her phone away. "I said a bitch belongs with a dog. Wasn't your mother a bitch? She deserved to be hit by a car and die. Now her keepsake is on a stray. That fits, doesn't it?"

"Which hand did you use to put the necklace on the dog?" I asked, my voice so soft I could barely hear it.

Serena was still grinning. "My right hand. Why?"

I snatched the dinner knife from the table and plunged it into her right palm. Blood spurted, and she let out a piercing scream.

Serena's scream tore through the auction's backstage area. The staff nearby froze. Some screamed. Someone was already on the phone, calling an ambulance.

I let the dinner knife go and straightened up. I looked at Serena, who lay on the floor, clutching her hand and sobbing. "I, Freya Seymour, settle my scores then and there. Remember it."

As I turned to leave, a commotion erupted behind me. I headed straight for the exit, my steps steady, as if nothing had happened.

Just as I reached the doorway, Daniel blocked my path. He had a blanket in his arms and a thermos in his hand, clearly just back from picking up medicine.

The moment he saw me, he went livid and barked, "What did you do?"

I glanced at the thermos in his hand and gave a wry smile. "You went to get her medicine?"

Daniel's voice went colder. "I'm asking you, what did you do?"

I met his eyes. "She put my mother's necklace on a stray dog and called my mother a bitch. So I stabbed her."

His face stiffened. "What did you just say?"

I pointed at his earpiece. "Didn't you already hear it all? Your men should've reported to you by now."

He was indeed wearing a discreet earpiece. It was obvious he already knew what had happened before.

His voice was cold. "Even if she put the necklace on a stray, you don't get to lay a hand on her!"

That line shattered me. I looked at him, tears gathering in my eyes. So that was how he saw it—I shouldn't fight back even if Serena insulted my late mother.

My voice trembled. "Daniel, how exactly do you intend to put me in my place this time?"

At the sight of my tears, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes. But almost at once, his expression turned cold again.

"I can't deal with you anymore." Daniel pulled out his phone. "Mark, call the police and request officers at the auction hall. Freya is to be arrested for intentional assault and taken to the station."

His voice was merciless, and my heart was already bleeding.

Ten minutes later, two uniformed officers came in.

"Ms. Freya Seymour, you're suspected of intentional assault. Please come with us."

I didn't resist. I held out my hands and let them cuff me.

As they led me away, I looked back. Daniel was holding Serena, her hand already bandaged. He was gently soothing her.

"It's alright. I'm here," he said, stroking her hair. "No one will hurt you again."

Serena cried in his arms, like a wounded little animal. And I was led off like a criminal.

When I was pushed into jail, a group of women closed in on me.

"New here? What are you in for?" The one in front was big, tattoos covering her arms.

I frowned. "Mind your own business."

She grinned. "Well, aren't you a feisty one? You know the rules? Newcomers pay for protection."

"I don't have any money."

Her face darkened. "No money? Then you'll have to pay another way."

That night, they doused me with a basin of ice water. The next day, I found glass shards in my food. On the third day, they started beating me.

Before they laid hands on me each time, the woman in charge would say the same thing. "Mr. Falkner said you need to be taught a lesson."

It turned out Daniel had set the whole thing up. He didn't just want me locked up. He wanted me to suffer there.

I was released three days later. It was my last day in Belcaster.

I walked out of the jail covered in bruises, and the glare was so harsh I couldn't keep my eyes open. A wave of dizziness hit me as I reached the gate. The world spun, and I went down.

…

I woke to find myself in a hospital room again.

Daniel stood at my bedside, hands in his pockets. He asked in a detached voice, "Did you learn your lesson this time?"