Chapter 2

"You..." Samuel's face was so dark that it looked like a storm was about to break.

"Fine." He let out a cold, mocking laugh. The words squeezed through gritted teeth. "Looks like in these five years, you've grown a spine you shouldn't have."

He clapped his hands, and a group of bodyguards in black suits immediately closed in, blocking every way out. "Since you won't apologize yourself."

He looked down at me like I was nothing but an ant under his shoe. "Then I'll break every last one of those extra bones myself, one by one."

Five years ago, Samuel was like this, threatening what I cared about most, trying to force me to yield.

Back then, to keep the last shred of my dignity, I'd rather have my leg broken than bow my head.

Now, seeing that look on his face, like he still thought he controlled everything, I found it both pathetic and laughable. "Samuel, you really think the world still revolves around you, huh?"

My smile didn't fade, but my eyes grew colder with every word. "How about we make a bet? Let's see who ends up apologizing to whom today."

Samuel's patience had clearly run out. He signaled the bodyguards. "Do it."

Two bodyguards moved in at once, reaching for my arms.

The crowd let out a muffled gasp, as if already seeing me dragged out with my limbs broken.

Eliza's lips curled into a smug, icy smile.

But just as the bodyguards were about to touch me, there was a sudden commotion at the hall entrance.

A refined middle-aged man in a bespoke suit strode in, surrounded by business bigwigs.

"Mr. Blevins?" Someone recognized him.

Dimitri Blevins was the host of tonight's event, the chairman of Global Ventures.

Samuel frowned, clearly not expecting Dimitri to show up in person. He motioned for the bodyguards to stop, adjusted his suit, and prepared to say hi.

After all, Global Ventures was a partner the Hampton Group had been pushing hard to secure.

What happened next left everyone stunned.

Dimitri didn't look at Samuel. He cut through the crowd and stopped right in front of me.

In full view of everyone, he dipped his head, respectful to the extreme. "Ms. Preston, if you were coming, you should've told me. Mr. Preston has been waiting upstairs for you."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze.

'Why is Mr. Blevins so respectful to Rachel? And who is Mr. Preston?' Samuel's expression locked up, like he'd been struck over the head.

Eliza's smugness shattered too, replaced by confusion and fear.

The guests who had been whispering and pointing went dead silent, shrinking back.

I watched Samuel's face, and the curve of my mouth lifted higher.

"Samuel," I spoke unhurriedly. My voice wasn't loud, but it carried through the hushed hall. "Do you still want me to apologize?"

His face went from livid to pale, then from pale to red. His lips moved, but he couldn't say a word.

I ignored him and turned to Dimitri. "Take me up."

"Yes, Ms. Preston." Dimitri led the way, deferential as ever.

I walked past Samuel without sparing him a glance.

As we passed, he asked in a strained voice only we could hear, "Who are you?"

I didn't stop walking. "Who am I? I'm the ghost crawling out of hell after five years, here to settle all your debts."

I followed Dimitri into the private elevator to the top floor.

The doors closed, locking out every stare and whisper below.

Dimitri stood behind me, barely daring to breathe. "Ms. Preston, about what happened downstairs..."

"Clean it up," I said coolly.

"Yes."

The elevator rose steadily.

Reflected in the mirror-like elevator walls, my face was flawless, my eyes cold as ice.

Five years ago, Samuel threw me out with nothing, broke my leg, and left me curled in a hospital corner like a stray.

Then Colsen Decker found me. He pulled me out of the muck and gave me a new life.

These five years, not only did I become a queen in the investment world with billions to my name, but I was also the long-lost daughter of the Preston family in Kingsford, finally found.

And the Preston family, meanwhile, was a world Hampton family could only look up to.

The elevator chimed and opened.

A tall figure was waiting right outside. When he saw me, he rushed over, worry etched between his brows. "What took you so long?"

Colsen naturally grabbed my clutch, his eyes landing on my slightly reddened wrist, his gaze darkening. "Did he touch you?"

"It's nothing. Already handled." I didn't want him to worry.

But Colsen wasn't that easy to fool. He pulled me into the room, grabbed ointment from the first aid kit, and carefully started applying it.

His touch was gentle with a kind of barely hidden tenderness. "Rachel, you don't have to get tangled up with people like them yourself. You could let me handle it."

I looked at his focused side profile and felt warmth spread inside. "Some debts, I have to collect myself. Only then does it feel right."

Colsen sighed but didn't try to persuade me. He knew what I was like. "Your dad is in the study, waiting for you."

I nodded, about to get up, when the door was suddenly thrown open from outside.

Samuel stood there, eyes red as blood, as if a beast pushed to its limit.

He glared at Colsen's hand clasping my wrist and demanded, "Who is he? Have you been with him these last five years?"

His voice was thick with jealousy and some kind of unwillingness he probably didn't realize.

Colsen stood up, shielding me calmly. "Mr. Hampton, breaking into someone else's room isn't exactly polite."

Samuel ignored him, his eyes locked on me with obsessive intensity. "Rachel, you did everything to get my attention, didn't you? Well, fine. I admit it. You made it."

He took a deep breath, like he was making some huge concession. "As long as you cut ties with him and come back to me, I'll pretend none of this ever happened. And..." He paused. "I can even let you be Mrs. Hampton again."

I almost laughed out loud at his self-important bravado. "Samuel, did the blow to my leg break your brain too?"