Chapter 7
It turned out that, in Evander's eyes, everything she had done was just a calculated scheme to worm her way into the Hale family.
Samara hugged herself tightly, and when her hand brushed against the wound on her shoulder blade, her whole body shuddered as if scalded.
She suddenly saw through all of Evander's changes.
She had never been trusted.
'I really regret it, Mom,' Samara whispered.
'If I hadn't saved Evander back then, maybe none of this would have happened... Maybe I wouldn't have missed seeing you one last time,' she thought.
Samara had no idea when she finally drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, a few thin rays of light were filtering into the basement.
"Mr. Hale is getting engaged to Miss Storm today. What about the woman locked up in the basement?" one of the guards muttered.
"What a lousy job. Stuck here watching over this woman instead of joining the fun and grabbing a drink," the other guard grumbled.
Samara thought she wouldn't feel anything anymore, but when she heard the news of Evander's engagement, a sharp pain stabbed through her chest.
'He's really getting engaged...' she thought, her heart sinking.
The voices outside grew distant, and the basement door was left slightly ajar. The guards who had been stationed outside had vanished.
Samara touched the lucky charm at her chest, feeling her mother's presence with her, and walked out of the basement.
Samara wandered through the crowded streets, not knowing where she was headed.
"Hey, check it out! The Hale family's engagement is streaming live! The bride and Mr. Hale look perfect together!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
Samara froze where she stood.
On the screen, Evander was down on one knee.
"Lavinia, will you marry me?" he asked.
Lavinia Storm's cheeks turned rosy with shyness as she gave a small, bashful nod.
"Yes," she replied softly.
Samara remembered their very first night together.
He fought to keep his desire in check, his breath hot against her skin as he nibbled at her earlobe, teasing her.
"Samara, will you marry me?" he murmured, his voice low and husky.
"Seriously, Evander? You're proposing and you don't even have a ring?" she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.
She teased him instead of acting shy.
"Don't worry, Samara. When I propose to you, I'll make sure the whole world witnesses how happy we are together," he promised.
Now, the whole world really was watching, just like he said.
But sadly, it wasn't the two of them.
"Wasn't Mr. Hale's ex-girlfriend that Miss Thorne? That whole thing was such a spectacle back then. I was jealous for ages," the girl said, leaning into her boyfriend.
She asked offhandedly, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Tsk, she's a total slut!" the guy sneered.
Samara flinched.
The guy pulled out his phone and played a video.
In the video, Samara was in a private room, slowly unbuttoning her shirt, and then someone was pinning her down.
Everyone else was covered in heavy pixelation, but her image was perfectly clear.
"I paid a fortune for this yesterday. Keep it to yourself, alright? There's even crazier stuff coming up. Samara with thirty men!" the guy bragged.
The sun was shining down on her, but Samara felt nothing but cold all over.
'He actually went this far, making and spreading a video just to destroy me,' she thought.
"She looks all sweet and innocent, but turns out she's just hooking up with guys behind everyone's back..." someone snickered in the crowd.
Tears slipped down Samara's cheeks, silent and unnoticed.
Samara gripped the lucky charm at her chest, holding on tight.
Samara whispered, "Mom, I'm taking you home."
Evander absentmindedly twirled the ring on his ring finger. When his gaze landed on the live-streaming equipment nearby, he called over his assistant, Dorian Vale.
"Is the engagement being live-streamed?" he asked.
Dorian nodded. "Yes, Mr. Hale. You told us before that you wanted the whole world to know about the engagement and the wedding!"
He'd already given orders to arrange everything for the engagement and wedding five years ago.
Back then, the one he wanted to marry was still Samara.
Samara crept back into his thoughts before he even realized it. With a deep frown, Evander knocked back his drink.
"Is she still in the basement?" he asked.
Dorian knew exactly who he meant.
"Yes, the bodyguards are keeping an eye on her around the clock," Dorian replied.
Evander stared at the empty glass in his hand, not even sure what was running through his mind.
Dorian was about to leave when Evander's voice stopped him.
"Go tell the woman in the basement about my engagement to Lavinia... to my fiancée," he said, the hesitation clear in his tone.
Dorian stood there, stunned for a second, but when he caught the growing impatience on Evander's face, he quickly nodded and headed off toward the basement.
When Dorian reached the basement and saw it was empty, with the bodyguards just staring at each other in shock, it felt like the sky was falling.
Sure, Evander was engaged now, but let's be honest. Young masters from powerful families like him always had a wife at home and a lover outside.
Samara had been with Evander for years. Even if she never became Mrs. Hale, she'd still be the woman he couldn't do without.
And now she was gone.
Just thinking about how furious Evander would be made Dorian's scalp tingle.
Nervous and uneasy, Dorian made his way to the banquet hall with the news, but when he got there, Evander was nowhere to be found.