Chapter 9

A chill surged from my feet, and my body kept trembling uncontrollably. I bit my lip hard, nails digging into my palm until it was bloody, swallowing the hatred that was rising to my throat. Suddenly, a phone rang in the room, followed by the sound of footsteps a few seconds later. I hid behind a pillar and saw Serena Sullivan leave with a sullen face. Her friends remained in the box, muttering about that "poor artist" and "he’s haunting." My intuition told me something was going on, so I instinctively followed them and saw Serena being pulled by a strange man in the stairwell. The two engaged in a fierce argument. "Caleb Crawford, I told you, don’t contact me anymore. I’m about to get engaged to Julian!" "Engaged? To Julian Lancaster? Serena Sullivan, did you dump me just because you want to marry into wealth? We grew up together. I sold all my award-winning paintings to fund your studies abroad, and now you want to marry someone else? Are you really that heartless?" "Heartless? What’s wrong with wanting a better life? Can you compare to Julian Lancaster? He’s the president of Aethel Group, and you, just a poor artist, are nothing! If I’m with you, am I supposed to live in poverty forever? If you love me, you should let go and fulfill my wishes, let me live the life I want!" Her words completely enraged the man; his face instantly turned livid. "Fulfill you? Then who will fulfill me? Does Julian Lancaster know you’re only with him for the money? Does he know you’re his ’Muse’ while selling my designs to his competitors? Does he know that last night, we were still in bed in my studio?!" Upon hearing these, I was stunned where I stood. With a tremble, the phone that was recording hit the ground with a "bang." "Who!" Hearing Serena’s panicked voice, my mind jolted awake, and I quickly picked up the phone. Back in the box, I clutched my rapidly beating heart, taking a long time to calm down. After saving the recording, I checked the time, picked up my bag, and wanted to leave. Just as I reached the café entrance, Serena and a few friends blocked my way, their eyes cold. "The one eavesdropping just now was you, right?" For a moment, my mind went blank. Serena looked at me, smirking as she stepped closer. "Clara Everard, do you think that now that you’ve overheard my secret, you can hold it over me? Let me tell you, even if you disclose all this to Julian, without any evidence, he will only think you’re slandering me! Between you and me, he will trust me unconditionally. If you don’t believe it, I’ll prove it to you!" As she spoke, she took out her phone to call Julian Lancaster to pick her up, and he agreed immediately. Then she had her friends drag me back into the box. Once the door was closed, those women pinned my shoulders, pulling my hair and repeatedly slamming my head against the wall, cursing me. I wanted to break free, but couldn’t, feeling like my scalp was about to be ripped off. With continual impact, my head buzzed, my forehead bled a vivid red, streaming down my face. My vision grew darker, screams echoing in the confined space. Not sure how long phad assed when the phone suddenly rang again, and finally, Serena ordered them to stop. She lifted a cup of coffee and poured it over me, washing away the blood on my face. While hitting the answer button, she feigned a cry with a hoarse voice. "Julian, I’ve run into Clara Everard in the café on the third floor. She won’t let me leave and wants to hit me, please come save me..."