Trisha winced as two maids carefully helped her up from the marble floor. Pain surged through her body, especially around her waist, where the guard had flung her aside like a rag doll. Her once pristine designer gown was torn and muddied, her hair a tangled mess, her cheeks swollen and streaked with tears. Bruises marred her fair skin, and yet, the fury in her eyes burned hotter than the pain in her bones.
She looked nothing like the noble daughter of a distinguished aristocratic family and more like a scorned fishmonger from the market square.
Sasha rushed to her side, her heels clacking across the floor. "Trisha! Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly, crouching down beside her.
Trisha bit her lip, trembling as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She clutched her waist, whimpering in pain, but her bloodshot eyes were fixated viciously on Ana, who stood across the room surrounded by stunned ladies and hushed whispers.
Meanwhile, a guard gently steadied Ana, his voice low with concern. "Are you hurt?"
Though her hair was disheveled and her cheeks bore signs of the scuffle, Ana appeared far calmer than Trisha. She was bruised, yes but her pride was intact. She raised her eyes to answer the guard, only to stop cold. Her eyes widened as they met a familiar gaze.
"I'm here now," the man whispered gently.
Ana's lips trembled. Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. "I'm tired… Please, just hug me."
Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms, holding her as though she were the most fragile thing in the world.
"Where are you taking that bitch?!" Trisha shrieked, struggling to rise. "She must pay for what she's done! She can't leave....she can't!"
Staggering toward them, she attempted to block their path, but the man didn't flinch. His eyes darkened with fury as he regarded her.
"Move," he commanded coldly, the air around him shifting with chilling dominance.
Trisha, overcome by the force of his presence, stumbled back, trembling. "W-Who are you...?"
Before he could answer, Kimberly still dignified despite sitting in her wheelchair intervened.
"Haven't you had enough of humiliating yourself?" she asked sharply. "You've already lost."
She turned away, signaling Nina and her assistant to follow. One by one, the other young ladies who were once excited by the gossip and spectacle, quietly slipped out, murmuring excuses. The party was over, and Trisha had become the clown.
Adonis held Ana tighter, his eyes blazing with heartache. This little girl… My Ana. My everything. They dared to hurt her?
He clenched his jaw.
He'd watched over her from the shadows like a hawk. When Aaron discovered her whereabouts, he'd pulled strings, infiltrating the Fairchild mansion as a guard just to get close to her. He had dreamed of their reunion and never once imagining it would be under such brutal circumstances.
He didn't know why she had lied about working abroad. Or why she was here, hiding under a false identity. But he would find out.
With Nina's directions, Adonis carried Ana to her room at the lake house. The moment he stepped inside, his brows furrowed.
This… isn't a maid's quarters.
The plush décor, luxurious furniture, and delicate floral scent spoke volumes. His suspicion only deepened.
Nina quickly fetched the first-aid kit, bustling nervously. "Thank you for bringing Miss back, but other men aren't allowed here. Please leave."
Adonis didn't budge. He stared at Ana, whose eyes flickered with guilt but not fear.
When Nina realized he was ignoring her, she stepped in front of Ana protectively. "Look, if you don't leave now, I'll call the other guards. You might've helped, but I won't let you endanger her." Nina said sharply.
Ana reached out, her fingers curling gently around Nina's wrist.
"Don't call anyone," she murmured. "He won't hurt me."
"But Miss… if the heir finds out, he won't be pleased."
"I'll explain everything to Harry," Ana said softly. "Please… let me speak with him alone. Go get your face treated. You're injured too."
Nina hesitated, concern clouding her features. But at Ana's pleading gaze, she relented, though not without a final warning. She turned to Adonis and said sternly, "If you dare do anything to my Miss, my boss will cut you into a thousand pieces. Humph."
With that, she huffed out of the room.
Adonis approached Ana quietly, opened the first-aid kit, his hands unusually gentle as he dabbed antiseptic on Ana's scraped arm.
"Agh! Be gentle—it stings!" Ana winced, jerking slightly.
Adonis scoffed. "You knew it'd hurt and still chose to fight? You deserved a proper beating."
Ana pouted, sulking. "Did you even see her face? Trisha's injuries are way worse than mine. She'll be hiding from society for weeks.
She pointed at her own bruises arm and said,"These are just… surface wounds."
He rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."
Yet his movements grew softer, his fingers brushing over her skin with unmistakable tenderness.
Meanwhile, across the estate…
Trisha stormed into the manor, her sobs echoing through the hallways. Her once beautiful gown clung to her like a wet rag, and her bruised face bore five distinct fingerprints. Maids gasped as they saw her, and whispers followed her path to the Old Madame's sitting room.
Old Madame looked up from her embroidery, her eyes widening at the sight.
"Trisha! What on earth happened to you?"
"Old Madame!" Trisha collapsed to her knees, weeping. "You must seek justice for me!"
"Who dared lay a hand on you? Who's so bold to attack you?"
"It was that savage Ana! She attacked me without reason! I...I only said a few things, and she went wild like a beast!"
Old Madame's expression twisted with rage. She didn't pause to question the story. In her eyes, Trisha, noble-born and well-bred was the victim. Ana was a nobody.
"That girl… she dares?! Call the police. Have her removed at once!"
Trisha's lips curled into a triumphant smile. Let's see you escape this time, bitch.
But just then, Kimberly rolled in.
"No, Grandma. You can't do that."
Old Madame stiffened. "You're defending her? After what she did to your cousin?"
Kimberly looked at Trisha, her gaze icy and unyielding. "She deserved every bit of it. Trisha is arrogant, selfish, and rude. She treats people like they're beneath her. As her older sister, I failed to discipline her. Ana simply did what I should've done long ago. In fact, consider it my doing."
Trisha gasped. "Y-You're lying to protect that slut! She beat me, and you're—!"
"Have you heard yourself?" Kimberly snapped. "Listen to your words. Vulgar and disgraceful. You don't sound like a Fairchild at all."
Old Madame looked from Kimberly to Trisha and saw what she had been blind to: a girl twisted with hatred and entitlement.
She sighed deeply. "Take her to her room. Call the doctor. When she's well… send her back to her family."
"WHAT?!" Trisha shrieked. "No! You're throwing me out?!"
But Old Madame would not hear it.
As Trisha was dragged away, her screams echoing through the hallway, a cold promise formed in her heart.
"Ana… I'll make you pay. If it's the last thing I do".