Chapter 3
Snow fell outside the villa.
A cold wind howled through the air.
I sat on the steps, naked beneath the blanket, my teeth chattering uncontrollably from the cold.
I was waiting for the man I was going to marry to come get me.
The lights in Alexander's room on the second floor blazed brightly.
Through the sheer curtains, I could vaguely make out his tall figure.
He watched me from above without looking away.
He seemed to have a cigarette smoldering between his fingers.
Numb with cold, as if my blood had frozen, I curled up with my eyes closed, refusing to show weakness.
I knew Alexander was waiting for me to beg.
His indifference that day had only been an act. Once he realized I was really leaving, he finally felt the humiliation of someone encroaching on what he considered his.
In his great mercy, he had given me a chance to change my mind.
As long as I turned back now.
Screech.
The tires scraped heavily against the ground.
A black van pulled up outside the villa, its paint peeling and one taillight broken, utterly out of place against the elegant luxury of the house.
A worried-looking man hurried out of the driver's seat.
The moment he saw me, his eyes reddened, and he looked as though he might cry from the pain of seeing me this way.
"Serena!" Ryan cried.
He stepped forward and held me, his hot tears soaking into my chest.
"I'm here. Don't be afraid. I've come to take you home," Ryan said.
"Let's go home."
*****
Ryan Sinclair was my friend from the orphanage when we were children.
I'd actually forgotten all about him.
Until recently, when he found me and said I was the one he'd never forgotten.
He said he would do anything for me.
Anything.
I slowly turned those two words over in my mind, then suddenly smiled.
"Then can you marry me?" I asked.
His hands froze on my arms. First he looked stunned, then his face lit up with joy.
"Really? I can marry you? Could anything this wonderful really happen?" Ryan asked, his eyes wide.
I stared at him without expression.
After all those years with Alexander, I had seen how fickle people could be.
But at that moment, I could find no falsehood or pretense in his clear, bright eyes.
They seemed full of nothing but sincerity.
But sincerity?
Did I deserve something like that?
A woman Alexander had used and discarded, degraded enough to bear his child without ever being given a name
I almost laughed out loud.
"Are you sure you want to marry me?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Then go die," I said viciously.
The words were full of malice.
I thought he would leave in anger.
Instead, his eyes went wide and round as he asked in disbelief,
"Do I really have to die to marry you?
"Then you'd be a widow.
"Could we not do that? I'm very healthy. I could even change your lightbulbs!" Ryan said earnestly.
I was speechless.
I later learned that Ryan had been adopted by a wonderful couple.
They loved each other, and theirs was a happy home.
He had grown up surrounded by love, living a life completely unlike mine.
It had also made him a little naive, a little foolish.
When he said he wanted to marry me, he meant it.
He had been planning the wedding for a long time, ever since I agreed.
Ryan picked me up and tried to leave.
We had barely taken a few steps before we were completely surrounded by bodyguards.
The Ford Family's bodyguards were all former soldiers, dressed in black suits, built like tanks, with faces so serious they could scare anyone senseless.
The butler bowed respectfully.
The butler said, "Miss Serena, Mr. Ford has instructed that if you wish to leave, you must repay the Ford Family for all the expenses they've incurred in supporting you over the years.
The total is 43 million dollars."
I poked my head out from under the blanket.
My body was so cold I could barely feel anything, practically numb.
Even seeing that insane number, I couldn't muster a single feeling.
I glanced back at the second floor.
By the floor-to-ceiling window, Alexander stood tall, watching me from above like a king surveying his domain.
His outline was blurred, but the pressure in the air was so intense it felt like you could barely breathe.
I muttered, "You really are heartless."
The butler couldn't bear to see me like this.
The butler said, "Miss Serena, if you play nice with Mr. Ford, everything will be alright. You're special to him, you know."
"Special? Please. He's as cold and ruthless as anyone else," I muttered.
I let out a low, bitter laugh.
I nuzzled into Ryan's chest, wrapping my bare arms around his neck.
"Ryan, what are we supposed to do? That's a crazy amount of money. I'm scared," I whispered, clinging to him.
Ryan hugged me tighter, gently patting my back to comfort me.
"Don't be scared. I'm here for you," he said softly.
But even Ryan was feeling a bit anxious.
The Sinclair Family was comfortable, not rich. That kind of cash was something Ryan couldn't even imagine.
But he still held on to me, refusing to let go.
Instead, he pulled me closer, took a deep breath, and looked the butler straight in the eye.
"We'll pay what we owe, but you can't throw out any number you want. You need to show us some proof," Ryan said, his voice steady.
The butler's smile didn't waver.
The butler said, "Alright, I'll get the proof for you soon.
"Why don't you two go inside and warm up for a while? We wouldn't want Miss Serena to catch a cold."
He gestured politely for us to go in.
Ryan was an innocent guy, fresh out of college. Whenever someone acted friendly, he'd instinctively want to go along with whatever they said.
"Don't go," Serena warned, her voice firm as she held Ryan back.
Serena patted Ryan's hand, keeping him from moving toward the villa.
Serena looked up at the imposing figure behind the floor-to-ceiling window and gave a faint, defiant smile.
I said, "Sir, please tell Mr. Ford that if he doesn't let me leave today, I'll kill myself right here.
"If I say it, I'll do it."