Police cars and ambulances roared in, the situation escalating beyond control, and the wedding was completely ruined. Fiona was taken to the police station for intentional injury. As she was getting into the police car, she saw Rick helping Anna into the ambulance.
Of course, between his own sister and an outsider like her, he would choose the former. How could she have foolishly thought he would take her side?
Two hours after Fiona was locked up at the police station, Rick's lawyer arrived. This lawyer was a top veteran in the company's legal department. Fiona had worked with him before, so they were somewhat acquainted.
"Fiona, what were you thinking? Of all the people to mess with, you chose Rick's little princess of a sister. Now look, you've landed yourself in jail!" the lawyer said.
Fiona didn't say much, only asked, "Did Rick send you to bail me out?"
"Yes, Rick said that after Anna was checked at the hospital and found to be fine, they decided not to press charges."
"Thank you, and sorry for the trouble."
"It's my duty." The lawyer pointed to the Rolls-Royce Phantom parked across the street. "Rick is waiting for you in the car."
Fiona walked to the car and opened the back door. Under the starry ceiling of the Phantom, Rick sat in a white shirt and black trousers, exuding an air of nobility. He glanced sideways at her, "Get in."
Fiona got into the car, and the heater inside was turned up high, making it feel stifling.
They sat in silence.
Suddenly, Rick stretched out his long arm and grabbed Fiona's slender waist.
"What's wrong? Upset?"
"I wouldn't dare."
Rick sneered and repeated her words, "Wouldn't dare…"
"I didn't push Anna," Fiona explained.
"That doesn't matter."
"Then what does? Is ruining the wedding what really matters?" Fiona couldn't help but raise her voice, thinking about how her mother's wedding had been disrupted. "Rick, you deliberately escalated this because you don't want my mom to marry Tom, right? Do you also think my mom is marrying Tom for your family's money?"
"What's wrong with thinking that?" Rick's voice grew colder. "You've been sleeping with me for money all this time; isn't loving money a fine tradition in your family?"
Rick's words cut Fiona deeply. This pain made her realize just how much Rick meant to her. Over two years, more than seven hundred days, they had been together day and night, at the office during the day and in bed at night. She spent more time with him than most married couples do. He was her first man and, in her twenty-something years, the only man she had ever loved. She had fallen for him without even realizing it.
But to Rick, she was just an employee during the day and a tool for his desires at night, a role that could be easily replaced by anyone, someone of no importance. That's why he could completely disregard her feelings and say such humiliating things.
"You can think of me however you want, but don't think of my mother that way. She's not the kind of person you imagine."
"Defending someone else but not yourself, Fiona, you're really something! Since you're so determined to break up, fine, I'll just give you another breakup fee." Rick threw a blank check at her. "Fill in whatever amount you want. Take it and get out."
The check landed lightly on Fiona's lap, but it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. She gripped it tightly, pushed open the car door, and with tears in her eyes, smiled bitterly. "Thank you for your generosity, Rick."
With that, she got out of the car. The Rolls-Royce didn't linger, driving off into the distance.
Fiona watched the car disappear, and finally, the tears she had held back for so long began to fall.
**
Fiona returned to her rented apartment. As soon as she took off her crumpled dress, her mother, Emma, called.
"Fiona, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm home now."
"You know, Fiona, Anna is still young. You're an adult; why did you have to argue with her?" Emma's tone carried a hint of displeasure. "If you hadn't been so impulsive today, things wouldn't have escalated like this, and the wedding wouldn't have been canceled."
Fiona could hardly believe what she was hearing—these were her mother's words.
"Mom, I didn't push Anna. She jumped into the pool herself and framed me."
"I'm not talking about that. From the beginning, you shouldn't have intervened."
"She's bullying you—should I just stand by and do nothing?"
"What's wrong with kowtowing a few times to a dead person? That woman might have been formidable, but now she's gone, and if her children have a grudge, let them vent it. It's no big deal."
"Mom..." Fiona couldn't understand her mother. "Are you really happy? The people in that family, with their awful attitudes, it just shows they don't want you there."
"Whether they welcome me or not doesn't matter to me. What matters is that Tom and I care for each other. Our future is just the two of us. As long as we're happy together, that's enough."
It sounded reasonable, but Fiona couldn't shake the old saying: marriages without the blessings of elders don't last long—so how far could a marriage go without the blessings of the younger generation?
"By the way, Fiona, could you come to the Duan house tomorrow and apologize to Anna?"
"I'm not going." Fiona refused outright. No matter how she looked at it, she didn't owe an apology for what happened today.
"Fiona, don't be like this. I know asking you to apologize is unfair, but think of me. It hasn't been easy raising you and your sister all these years. I finally escaped your father, that monster, and found a kind and caring man like Tom. Could you please do this for my happiness? Just endure it, alright?"
"But I really don't want to go."
If she went to their house, she would undoubtedly run into Rick. She didn't want Rick to think she was willing to give up her dignity for money. She hadn't pushed Anna, and apologizing would only make people look down on her more.
"Fiona, I'm begging you. Tom cares deeply for Anna. She fell into the pool today, and he's already a bit upset. I'm afraid he'll hold a grudge. Tomorrow, Tom will be home. If you bring some gifts and apologize to Anna, as long as she forgives you, Tom will let it go too."
"…"
"Please, Fiona, I'm really begging you. I'm already in a difficult position in their family. If you don't support me, who will?"
"…"
"Fiona..."
"Alright, I'll go."
Family had always been Fiona's weak spot. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to be heartless toward her mother.
The next day, Fiona brought a gift and headed to Rick's house. Her plan was to apologize to Anna in front of Tom, so he could see her sincerity, and Anna wouldn't dare to make things too difficult for her in front of her father.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Just as she stepped into the courtyard, she was intercepted by Anna.
"What are you doing here?" Anna stood with her arms crossed, glaring at her.
"I'm here to apologize."
"Ha, Gina, did you hear that?" Anna looked over at the maid standing next to her. "She says she's here to apologize to me. Do you believe her?"
"Not at all. Like a weasel wishing a chicken a happy New Year, she's up to no good." Gina was shrewd. Knowing that Rick, his sister, and their grandmother all disliked Emma, she made her stance clear by siding with Anna and targeting Fiona.
"I'm really here to apologize." Fiona handed the gift to Anna—a custom-made Chanel Kelly bag. Anna had been begging Rick to buy it for her earlier, but Rick refused, saying a university student didn't need to be so ostentatious on campus.
"A Chanel bag? This bag is expensive. Fiona, you're just a lowly secretary. Where did you get the money to buy this bag?" Without even looking, Anna knocked the bag to the ground. "You think you can fool me with a counterfeit?"
"It's not fake."
Fiona had bought it with the check Rick gave her. He had told her to fill in any amount she wanted, so she had filled in the amount for the bag. Using Rick's money to buy a gift to please his sister seemed like a fitting use of the funds.
Of course, she couldn't tell Anna that.
"It's real, believe it or not."
"Still trying to deceive me? Do you think I'm an idiot? If you really feel sorry for what you did, fine, I'll give you a chance to make it up to me." Anna signaled to Gina with a glance.
Gina immediately understood, grabbing Fiona's arm and dragging her toward the swimming pool in the Duan family's courtyard. Anna followed closely, forcefully grabbing the back of Fiona's head and shoving it into the pool.
Fiona was caught off guard and inhaled a mouthful of cold water. First, a sharp pain spread through her nose, followed by the terrifying sensation of suffocation.
"Mmph... mmph..."
She wanted to scream for help, but no sound came out.
In fact, she had been afraid of water since she was a child. Fiona would never forget the time when she was ten years old, and her father, Ben, beat her for eating an extra piece of meat. The beating wasn't enough for him; he dragged her to the river, threatening to drown her as punishment. She barely escaped with her life, and ever since then, she had been terrified of water. As an adult, she avoided bathtubs and swimming pools at all costs.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Fiona struggled, but Anna and Gina held her down with all their strength, leaving her no chance to break free.
"What are you doing? Let her go! Let her go now!"
Her mother's voice, Emma, grew louder as she approached. The force pinning Fiona down was quickly pushed away, and Fiona lifted her head from the water, wiping it from her face and gasping for fresh air.
In those few seconds, she looked up and saw Rick standing on the second-floor balcony. He was wearing a light-colored sweater, bathed in the warm sunlight, but his gaze was cold as ice.
Fiona couldn't believe it. Just moments ago, when Anna and Gina had been on the verge of drowning her, Rick had simply stood there, watching. He knew she was afraid of water. He was truly heartless!
Even if he didn't love her, they had been together for two years. If there was no love, there should have at least been some sense of loyalty, but he had chosen to stand by and do nothing.
It was true what they said—men think with their lower bodies. Once they've gotten what they want, they couldn't care less about you.
"Fiona, are you okay?"
Emma and Tom looked at her with concern, clearly shaken.
Fiona shook her head, but before she could speak, Tom raised his hand and slapped Anna across the face.
The loud smack shocked everyone.
"Dad, you hit me?" Anna clutched her burning cheek, staring at Tom in disbelief. "You actually hit me for that vixen and her daughter? Have you forgotten that I'm your real daughter?"
"Precisely because you're my daughter, I need to teach you a lesson. If you keep acting so arrogant, you'll end up causing trouble for yourself and others."
"That's just an excuse! You're just using it as an excuse to defend that vixen and her daughter! I hate you!"
With that, Anna ran off in tears.
Tom watched his daughter run away, sighed deeply, and then turned to Fiona. "Fiona, I'm truly sorry. Anna is still young and doesn't know any better. Please don't hold it against her."
"It's okay, Uncle. I'm fine, really," Fiona replied, trying to smile, though her heart was heavy with the memory of Rick's cold gaze.
"That was really close," Emma sighed with relief, turning to grasp the butler Jim's hand. "Jim, I can't thank you enough."
Jim, however, wasn't fond of this overly approachable new lady of the house. He took a step back, pulling his hand away, and glanced up at the now-empty balcony on the second floor. In truth, he wasn't the first to notice what had happened...
"Fiona, your hair and clothes are soaked. Come on, let's get you changed before you catch a cold," Emma urged.
"Okay."
**
Emma brought a dress upstairs for Fiona. It was a new release from Pop, originally intended as a birthday gift for her younger daughter, Kim. Since she couldn't find anything else that fit Fiona, she had to give her this dress instead. Luckily, Fiona and Kim were about the same height and weight, so they often swapped clothes.
As Fiona cut the tag off the dress, she almost slipped when she saw the price. The dress cost over sixty thousand.
Noticing Fiona's reaction, Emma quickly explained, "It's for your sister's eighteenth birthday, her coming-of-age ceremony. I wanted to get her something nice that she could wear for a long time since she's not growing anymore. Fiona, you're not jealous, are you?"
"How could I be jealous of my sister?"
Growing up, Emma had always favored Kim, giving her the best of everything—food, toys, you name it. But Fiona never minded because she knew her sister was in poor health, and their mother was more attentive to Kim out of concern.
"I knew you'd understand. You're always so considerate. Now, hurry and change. I'll be downstairs waiting."
Emma smiled and left the room, heading downstairs.
As Fiona began to undress, removing her wet clothes, she heard the door to the guest room being opened again.
"Mom, didn't you go dow—"
Fiona turned, but to her shock, it wasn't her mother standing at the door—it was Rick.
Rick was dressed in light-colored clothes today, and even though he was standing against the light, his elegant and striking presence was unmistakable.
He stepped into the room, casually locking the door behind him.
"Rick, I'm changing. What are you doing here?" Fiona held her wet clothes against her chest, trying to cover herself. She was completely undressed except for her plain white underwear. "Get out, now!"
Rick acted as if he hadn't heard her, slowly approaching.
"Why are you covering up? Is there anything I haven't already seen?" He pulled the wet clothes from her hands and tossed them onto the floor.
"That was in the past, things are different now," Fiona said, locking eyes with Rick as she tried to remind him, "This is your home. You can't do whatever you want."
"So what if it's my home? You and your mother come and go as you please, don't you?" Rick's tone was sharp.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Yesterday, you insisted you didn't push Anna. If that's true, then why are you here to apologize?" Rick's grip on her arm tightened, his gaze intense. "What is it? Are you that eager to join forces with your mother to become a part of this family?"
Just as Fiona feared, Rick saw her coming to apologize as her humiliating herself.
"It's not like that. I just didn't want my mom to be in a difficult position..." Fiona tried to explain, but Rick silenced her with a forceful kiss.
His tongue was assertive, prying her lips apart, invading without mercy. Before she knew it, Fiona was thrown onto the large bed, her bra expertly unhooked by him.
"Rick!" she pushed harder against him. "Calm down, let me go!"
Rick ignored her protests, his kisses raining down on her like a sudden storm. Fiona was trapped in his arms, the scent of sandalwood and bitter orange from his skin overwhelming her senses, along with the sheer force of his presence.
"Let me go, Rick! If you don't, I'll scream for help!"
"I dare you," Rick sneered. "You wouldn't."
Fiona was indeed powerless. She couldn't scream—if her mother walked in and saw them like this, disheveled on the bed, it would likely make her faint on the spot.
"Rick, stop it. Let me go! I'm practically your sister now!"
"Sister?" Rick scoffed. "Your mother and my father haven't even registered their marriage, and they didn't even manage to have a wedding. What kind of sister are you?"
"But they're together now," Fiona protested.
"So what? Remember, it was you and I who were together first."
"But this isn't love."
The words "this isn't love" hit Rick like a spell, freezing him in place. He loomed over her, his dark eyes, clouded with desire, appeared even darker, deeper.
Finally, he let her go.
"I'm warning you, don't ever step foot in this house again," Rick said, straightening his shirt cuffs. "If you do, I will definitely have my way with you."
With that, he turned and walked out of the guest room, leaving Fiona alone.