Chapter 5
But now, the very person who once promised to protect me was carefully cleaning the old whip with a handkerchief.
He was going to deliver the punishment himself.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling.
The sharp click of his leather shoes echoed through the hall.
The whip tapped lightly on my shoulder.
Alexander didn't even look at me. He gazed up at the ancestral tablets, his voice steady and echoing through the hall.
He said, "If you regret it now, there's still time to turn back."
I gave a bitter smile. "Mr. Ford, I can't turn back anymore."
"Why not?" Alexander asked.
He leaned in close, gently wiped away the tears at the corner of my eye, and spoke softly.
"As long as I'm here, even if you turned the world upside down, nobody would dare question you.
"Come back to me. I'll marry you, and you'll be the lady of the Ford Family. Those who insult you now will be groveling at your feet, desperate for your approval.
"Think it over carefully, Serena. Don't be so headstrong."
Alexander was always proud, always treated like royalty. For him to say all this to me was him letting his guard down for once.
His blue eyes locked onto me, never blinking.
His intentions were written all over his face.
He was waiting for me to come back to him.
If I did, my future would be golden, filled with everything I could ever want.
But when I looked up and met his eyes, my fingertips trembled with a rush of excitement I couldn't explain.
I heard myself say, "I can't, Mr. Ford.
I've already fallen for him. I won't marry anyone else."
*****
The sound of the whip hitting my back was muffled and heavy, echoing through the hall with a suffocating weight.
Alexander delivered five lashes, each one colder than the last.
The whole place was filled with a chill and heartlessness I'd never experienced before. The butler stood helpless, unable to do anything.
I was kneeling there, battered and pathetic, my back covered in fresh crimson blood.
Scarlet drops fell to the floor, and tears spilled from my eyes, uncontrollable from the pain.
Alexander's voice was icy.
He asked, "This is your last chance. Will you reconsider?"
I shook my head.
Alexander let out a cold scoff. "You're hopelessly stubborn."
He raised his hand again and slammed the whip down hard.
The whip cracked through the air with a chilling hiss.
But it never touched me.
He tossed the whip aside.
His eyes were dark and cold, his whole presence chilling like a demon lord shrouded in night.
"Get out," he said.
He said, "From this moment on, you and the Ford Family have nothing to do with each other. We're finished."
After everything that happened, dawn was around the corner.
The glow of sunrise brushed my shoulders. Still half out of it, I raised my hand as if trying to catch the light, watching it dance across my palm.
Ryan had completely lost his cool, cursing out the Fords like there was no tomorrow.
I clung to Ryan's shoulder, letting out a low laugh.
"What's up?" he asked.
He sidled up to me like a clingy puppy, craning his neck to see my face.
I shook my head. "Nothing, it's funny."
It was finally over.
I knew Alexander. Making such a big scene was his way of telling the Fords he was done with me.
He wouldn't change his mind now.
I laughed even louder, my chest shaking as I buried my face in Ryan's chest.
I wondered what Alexander was thinking right now.
He was probably wishing he could strangle both me and Ryan.
To him, we were the adulterous pair who made him a laughingstock.
But as I laughed, a wave of sadness crashed over me, and tears started to fall.
My back hurt so bad, I felt like I could pass out.
Why did I even try to provoke him? He never cared who I was with or where I went.
He was angry that his authority had been challenged. Did I really think being with someone else would actually get to him?
He probably thought I was ridiculous.
Compared to Alexander, I was so small and powerless.
I couldn't even show him how much I hated him, much less ever make him pay.
I was leaving Crown City with Ryan.
like that, I was leaving, looking like a total mess.
Like a deserter.
Alexander, this is probably the last time I'll ever see you in my life.
Don't expect me to wish you happiness or anything. I'm not that generous.
But if you kick the bucket, I'll be gracious enough to come pay my respects at your grave.
So honestly, I hope you die soon.
I thought, full of spite.
*****