The tension vibrated around them. Drake was confused. He had hoped for her quick recovery, but now she wouldn't even look at him? “Aria?”Aria sniffed, still refusing to respond. He would not understand. She felt used, weak. Degraded. Exhausted, more than anything to the bones.She hated that she had been too weak to fight back. She hated that she was almost raped. And most of all, she hated that Drake had to see her like that in such a pathetic state.“This is not your fault, Aria,” Drake tried again. “You have to understand that none of what happened is your fault. If anything, you deserve protection. Safety. You deserve better,”She turned her eyes to him, the tears spilling freely now. “Y...you don't hate me?""No, I don't hate you,"She sniffed. "I just thought you'd have nothing to do with my miserable life anymore,"“Your life's not miserable,"“Thank you,” She whispered, looking into his eyes in search of an emotion that spelt disgust or irritation. There was none, instead, Dr

Kelvin shook off the chilling feeling crawling down his spine. There was no use of worrying over some meaningless words from a bastard . Everybody in this place was mad —from the warden down to the inmates. Prison did that to people. It twisted them.It had to be the air. Some kind of virus floating around, seeping into their heads and stealing their sense of reasoning.Time flew fast and in a few hours, the lights went off and his cellmates climbed to their beds. Kelvin remained in his foetus position, biting his teeth to calm the frantic pounding in his head. His jaws clenched hard. No matter how much he told himself it was nothing, his nerves refused to settle.“Aria…” He seethed as the cell's dampness seeped slowly into his bones.“You'll be out soon, Kelvin. Just endure this…” He muttered his breath. “Gerald's father will find a way. There would be a plan…” He repeated to himself like a mantra. The ugly snores of his fellow inmates reached out to him and he hissed, shielding the

Lydia's face whitened. She froze for a brief second, stunned by the audacity. “Did you just speak to me like that?”“What do you think?”Lydia scoffed, her expression slowly turning violent. She looked at Aria in disdain, her nose scrunching as she yelled. “Who the fuck do you think you are?! You dare lecture me? You, a bankrupt nobody who couldn't even manage her own company? What makes you think you're qualified to exchange words with me?!”She let out a bitter chuckle, brushing through her hair aggressively. “Such a pick-me bitch. Desperate for some cheap validation, are you not? How about you channel that energy into mourning for your failed company? It's not my fault that you lost everything and turned into this pathetic beggar, waltzing in here just to mooch off foods and drinks!”“Infact, I'll teach you…” Lydia hissed and snapped her fingers, motioning to the nearby security who hurried over at once. She eyed Aria, her lips pulled into a cynical grin. “Check their passes. I wan

The hall fell into a thick silence —silence so suffocating that if a pin fell, it would be heard.For a while, nobody spoke. They only stared, taking in the crash and the sight of Lydia as she went sprawling to the floor.Gasps flew around and Lydia jerked up almost immediately, her movement frantic. Her hands flew to her diamond dress and she wiped the deep crimson stain furiously, unshed tears burning in her eyes. That stupid tablecloth.Suddenly, everything began to sound louder. The voices, the laughter, someone’s coughing; she even heard a distant snort. Her legs were shaking so bad, she had to grab onto a nearby table to avoid falling again the second time. “What the hell–?” A man muttered under his breath. “What's she doing?”“She's so clumsy. My goodness,” Another person scoffed.The whispers began to thicken through the room as eyes settled on her.“Wait, isn't she the one with the failed IPO?”“Yes. Yes, Lydia Winter. That's she,”“What's she doing here? What's the point o

Lydia had a bright smile on her face as she stared. Her heart raced as she clasped her fingers tightly together.She couldn't wait. Her company would be the first to be recognized.“Hey,” She heard a faint whisper, and when she turned, Leo stood behind her. He kissed her cheeks. “Sorry, I disappeared. I went to use the restroom,”Lydia ignored his explanation, rather focused on smoothening her dress. “Madame Sky just offered to provide endorsements for three companies. She already approved my partnership. I'll be the first person she picks,”Leo's eyes shone. “Really? When did you meet her?”“At the garden,” Her eyes followed Madame Sky. “However, I need to talk to her again to make sure I'm still on the top of her mind. I can't lose my chance,”Leo nodded, his expression supportive. A sly smile crept up his lips. Good. His efforts to get them this invitations hadn't gone in vain. If Lydia managed to be at the top of Madame Sky's list, then it would open up a whole lot of opportunitie