Chapter 6

Martin seemed to say something behind her, but Sarah didn't care to listen. All she could think about was escaping from there.

She walked faster and faster, and soon, she was almost running.

As she burst out the door, she ran straight into someone. The person jabbed a finger at her and started yelling, a stream of sharp, angry words pouring out.

It was Tessa.

Still dazed, Sarah grabbed Tessa's hand. "Don't go in."

She was babbling, not even sure what she was saying. "Stay away from him. Don't go in. He..."

But her words cut off abruptly when she saw Martin standing in the doorway, his eyes dark and fixed on her.

"What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?" Tessa demanded, her face full of confusion and disgust.

She looked at Sarah as if she were a curse she needed to avoid, then hurried over to Martin. "Martin, didn't we agree you'd spend the day with me?"

She shot a quick, furtive glance at Sarah and spoke louder. "My dad wants you to come over tonight to discuss the details of our engagement day."

Martin smiled and nodded, his eyes still on Sarah, his tone gentle. "Sarah, come here. Don't make a scene."

Sarah stumbled back in panic, quickly wiping her face. Her hand came away sticky with blood, and she practically fled.

After Sarah got back, she fell sick and spent the next few days in bed. The day after the news dropped about the Clarke and Watson families' engagement, the internet exploded with a headline: an orphan kid from her old home had allegedly tried to seduce the fifty-something director.

The article was crazy long and went into way too much detail, all from an outsider's perspective. At the end, it basically exposed the kid's current college, her major, and even gossiped that she was set to represent her school overseas.

With all the obvious hints and not-so-subtle nudges, internet sleuths quickly dug up Sarah's information. Her school's site was bombarded by netizens, negative comments flooded in from all sides, and people started gossiping that she only got her chance to study abroad because of some backdoor deal.

Sarah curled up in her dorm room, watching everything unfold in silence. She gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.

Martin was really going all out just to wreck her shot at going abroad.

Bradley gave her a call, his voice concerned as he asked, "Do you need a hand with any of this?"

"No, thanks," Sarah murmured.

She added in a low, bitter voice, "It wasn't just me. Every girl who stayed at that orphanage went through hell. If they really start digging, all those ugly truths will be dragged out into the light."

Bradley paused. "So this is why you left the orphanage?"

"Yeah." She gave a dry, self-mocking laugh. "If there had been any way to survive, no one would ever run from one monster just to end up with another."

By the third day, all that online hate had started to shift gears. When Sarah got home, she spotted Tessa lounging on the couch. Tessa froze for a second, clearly caught off guard to see her walk in.

"Yo, Sarah," Tessa called over, her voice sounding kinda stiff.

She blurted out, a bit on edge, "That post? It wasn't me. Seriously, don't pin it on me.

"Sure, I've never been your biggest fan, but wrecking you like this? That's not my style."

"Yeah," Sarah replied, voice cool as ice.

Sarah quietly slipped off her shoes and said, "I know."

Tessa followed up, "That director is honestly a scum. The way things are blowing up online is working for you now."

Tessa lowered her voice as she stepped closer. "Tomorrow's the engagement party for me and Martin. As long as you keep things cool and don't make a scene, I'll help you out. Deal?"

"Don't worry," Sarah replied, level-headed.

She met Tessa's eyes and said seriously, "I genuinely wish you both well. I won't cause trouble."

Only then did Tessa leave, looking pleased.

Sarah kept her eyes on Tessa's retreating figure for a while. As she went upstairs, she spotted Martin by the stairs, his expression blank. "What did she say to you?" he asked.

"She said tomorrow's the engagement banquet for you two and told me to behave myself," Sarah replied.

Sarah walked up to him, her posture submissive and her voice barely above a whisper. "Martin, is there anything you want me to do?"

Martin's gaze lingered on her face, his tone almost tender. "You've gotten thinner. You look even better this way."

He reached out, gently pinched her chin, then leaned in and kissed her like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Sarah's lashes fluttered, and she squeezed her thigh hard to hold herself together. When the kiss finally broke, Sarah turned her head aside, gasping for breath.

"As long as you're obedient, I'll like you no matter what you become," Martin said, his voice low and possessive.

Martin absentmindedly ran his hand up and down her back, sounding totally nonchalant. "You don't really want me to get married, do you?"

Sarah stiffened for a second, realizing what he was hinting at. She hesitated and whispered, "But what if the Watson family tries to get back at me?"

Martin snorted, dismissive. "What's that got to do with me?"

He grinned. "If you end up stuck at home instead of school, so what? As long as I love you, isn't that all you need?"

"Yeah," Sarah said softly, all the fight gone from her voice.

She lowered her eyes and whispered, "That's all I need."

Martin didn't want to get married, certainly not to Tessa.

But the stakes were too high for him to refuse outright, so he needed Sarah to be the bad guy for him.

He wanted her to crash the next day's engagement party and take all the heat herself.

And as for what might happen to her afterward? Martin couldn't care less.

Back in her room, Sarah splashed her face with cold water, then stared at herself in the mirror—hollow-eyed, pale, and completely worn down.

She looked like a ghost straight out of a nightmare.

She tried to smile at her own reflection, but all she managed was a broken grimace.

She reminded herself in silence, encouraging herself to hold on a little bit.

Martin always left without a trace, but Sarah never lost sight of him. Every so often, someone would send her on-the-spot photos showing exactly where he was.

There was no escaping it. Every message was a warning: it was nearly her turn to step onto the stage.

Sarah sat quietly in her room, soaking in the familiar setup until her eyes finally landed on the security camera perched in the corner.

She stared hard at the cold, black lens for a long time, then snatched up her bag and headed out.

When one of the house staff asked where she was headed, Sarah grinned and said, "I'm going to ruin the engagement party."

Just before she stepped out of the car, the driver handed her a plane ticket, heading for a small country in Merceland.

"Mr. Dawson said you should lay low until things are taken care of," the driver told her.

"Thanks." Sarah nodded.

She tossed her old phone into a trash can, got a new one, and headed into the airport.