Chapter 2
I turned over in bed, feeling restless.
Helen painted a vivid picture as she told the story.
She said, "This guy was tall and striking, weaving through the colorful crowd leisurely, then stopped right in front of his grandfather.
"His grandfather was boiling with rage, demanding to know why he'd disappeared.
"But he just replied with a lazy smile, 'I'm someone's sugar baby now.'"
Helen shrieked at this point, totally losing her cool.
She went on, "The guy was such a heartthrob! That dangerously handsome face, paired with the bowtie collar—damn, his looks could kill.
"His grandfather was furious. He started scolding him in front of everyone, and the birthday party ended early. Then the guy was punished."
She sent me a sneaky pic she'd snapped.
In the photo, the guy had his hands bound behind his back, his back straight.
I didn't need to zoom in. I recognized Ryan instantly.
His back was covered in blood. He'd been whipped according to his family's idiotic traditional punishments.
But what really blew my mind was that he was still wearing the bow-tie collar I'd fastened on him.
Guilt tugged at me, so I grabbed my phone.
It turned out that Ryan had blown up my phone with messages.
Ryan: [Did you leave wearing my clothes? My car's parked in B1. The keys are in the jacket pocket. You can take it.]
Then he sent a selfie of him rocking the collar.
Ryan: [Where's the key for the collar? I've got a party later.]
Ryan: [Quit playing around. It is a formal event. Unlock it for me, seriously.]
There were over 99 messages from him.
The end of which was [So, the moment you got out of bed, you're ignoring me? You better pray I don't catch you!]
*****
Lacey's business wasn't going so well.
Every day, a crowd of franchisees would show up at our place, raising hell.
I hid out on the second floor, not knowing what to do.
When Lacey finally managed to come home for a bit, Mom and Dad still argued with her.
The house was in an uproar, and Lacey lost it. She yelled, "Why can't people choose their own parents? You two selfish jerks, why did you have me and Corrine if all we were meant to do was suffer?"
Lacey was so furious her face turned red.
She snapped, "Sure, Corrine's got looks, but she's your daughter, not some tool for you to curry favor with those lecherous tycoons.
"Anyone who, instead of actually fixing things, just wants to sell off their own daughter is nothing but a monster."
Dad, always acting like he was some paragon of virtue, snapped at Lacey, "What a joke. Corrine got taken advantage of while you were caring for her. Do you think we wouldn't know?"
He always said a girl's beauty was her greatest asset, so he guarded my innocence like it was the crown jewels.
That was why he always had people watching me. He knew I'd gotten involved with Ryan, a big shot with mountains of cash.
He hoped I'd land a rich husband and turn our lives around in no time.
But Lacey's big project had hit a snag. The client was a subsidiary of Weaver Group, which basically meant Ryan was trying to back me into a corner.
Dad sneered, "Since Corrine's already slept with Ryan, she might as well cling to him. She's useless. Only you treasure..."
"William, you bastard," Lacey started cursing.
Lacey was a girl, and she had one hell of a temper. She started smashing anything within reach.
Loud crashes sounded in the house.
I curled up near the front corner of my room.
Mom and Dad always favored sons over daughters. When I was born, they were totally disappointed.
Before I was even a month old, they were already plotting how to make it look like I died in an accident, just so they could score a big insurance payout.
Lacey was a kid then, barely in grade school. She chased after me for two hours along the river behind Grandma's house, finally grabbing the tub I was floating away in.
She was the one who gave me my name and watched over me as I grew up.
She always said, "We are sisters, now and forever."
Later, Dad was giving me a ride to school on his motorbike when he crashed.
I smashed my head.
The doctors said it could mess with my IQ, so Lacey busted her ass to pay for my treatment.
Lacey figured as long as I could take care of myself and get along with people, who cared if my grades sucked?
Perhaps my life was too smooth-sailing, I became reckless and pulled off something that was so bold.
Ryan was tall and lean, with that effortlessly cool, handsome vibe that drew one in.
The moment I laid eyes on him, I fell for him, completely and hopelessly.
However, I never coveted anything that belonged to Lacey.
But Lacey said she didn't like him.
When I looked at him, he seemed cool, mysterious, and impossibly handsome.
He was so irresistible.
Before things got heated that day, I blurted out to him, "You're so good-looking, like a big, fluffy cat. I wish I could take you home and keep you."
Ryan glanced down at me, smirking, "I'm high maintenance, you know. Can you afford to keep me?"
Desire made me lose my mind. Moreover, it was spring, the perfect season for mating.
I pressed down on him and let lust swept us away.
Whenever I think back to that night, I couldn't help but feel like I was a clueless idiot, totally blinded by desire.
But now, with all the chaos downstairs, I felt like my whole world was falling apart.
Ryan's cunning gaze kept appearing in my mind.
That day, he wouldn't let me go. In the heat of our struggle, I sank my teeth into his neck.
He bit me back, leaving stinging marks on my skin in places I could never mention.
As I trembled uncontrollably under him, he smirked. "Do you know the one thing you should never do when you're up against a big cat?"
I shook my head.
He said, "You should never turn your back on it."