Chapter 4

When I came out of the kitchen, Julian Sterling had already left, leaving behind only a sleek, black business card.

Seeing me looking down at the card, Mrs. Sterling asked, “So, how was it? Are you satisfied?”

I said hoarsely, “Mom, you should ask Uncle Julian that, not me.”

For a golden boy like Julian Sterling to come on a blind date with me, he was likely doing it out of respect for Mrs. Sterling. Leaving a business card was probably his way of not being too direct, avoiding awkwardness for both of us.

Liam finished his call and came out. Hearing my words, his face darkened as he looked at Mrs. Sterling. “Mom, if Ivy is going to marry, she should at least have a lot of options to choose from. I’m taking her to a party tonight so she can meet more guys and compare.”

Perhaps seeing Julian’s ambivalent attitude, Mrs. Sterling thought Liam’s idea made sense. She didn’t say anything more and agreed.

Liam took me out.

Liam’s “party” was a camping trip with a group of rich kids deep in the mountains. When he and I arrived, the tents and BBQ grills were already set up.

Everyone was sitting around drinking, and when they saw us, they all turned to look. But the excited chatter died down a bit as a few people noticed me.

I also froze for a moment when I saw a beautiful, striking girl in the crowd.

Daisy, Liam’s childhood sweetheart who had just returned to the country.

Unlike me, Daisy looked fresh and innocent, exuding a delicate, pure, almost ethereal aura.

Perhaps he saw her too. Liam quickly let go of my hand and walked towards the group.

Seeing this, I pursed my lips, let out a silent, soft laugh, and slowly followed.

After we sat down, everyone started playing games. After a few rounds of drinks, someone, clearly drunk, started egging Liam on.

“Liam, you’re always looking for thrills, aren’t you? There’s a grave in the woods behind us. Do you have the guts to check it out?”

Liam casually took a sip of his drink, his gaze landing on me. He smirked. “Why wouldn’t I? But my date is a bit timid. Wouldn’t want to scare her.”

Everyone started to tease.

Someone joked, “Oh, look at that, he’s worried about our sister-in-law. Liam really knows how to be considerate.”

“Of course! Our sister-in-law might be wild, but Liam is caring. He wouldn’t want to hurt her…”

They kept calling me “sister-in-law,” their tone teasing and frivolous. I clenched my hands, my chest tightening with a suffocating ache.

I looked at Liam. His gaze was on Daisy’s slender form. A few seconds later, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

He covered Daisy’s ears and smiled. “Those dirty words, they’ll just pollute your ears. Don’t listen.”

Their actions were so overtly intimate that everyone suddenly looked at them.

Someone, slurring from too much alcohol, blurted out, “Liam, Daisy lived abroad for so many years, and I hear things are pretty open over there. I wonder if she…”

*Crash!*

The man didn’t finish his sentence. Liam suddenly picked up a bottle from the table and smashed it into him. Then came Liam’s chilling warning, “She’s not someone you can talk about so casually.”

The “she,” of course, referred to Daisy.

No one had expected Liam to lose his temper so violently over a casual remark about Daisy.

Suddenly, the atmosphere became dead silent. Everyone’s faces were pale, their drunkenness mostly gone.

Daisy pursed her lips, her face pale, and stood up, saying, “I’m a bit sleepy. I’m going back to my tent to sleep.”

With that, she left.

Liam shot a dark look at the man who had spoken out of turn, then stood up and followed her.

Once they both left, everyone exchanged glances for a moment, then suddenly started talking. “Liam is really protective of Daisy, isn’t he? He didn’t even say anything bad, why such a strong reaction?”

“Exactly! He was fine when they were talking about our sister-in-law just now. Why can’t they talk about Daisy?”

“Idiots! Daisy is the apple of Liam’s eye. He wouldn’t even dare lay a hand on her himself. How could she be the same? He’s only with our sister-in-law to gain experience, fearing he might be too rough with Daisy when he eventually marries her. Otherwise, why do you think Liam has been faking such deep love for our sister-in-law all these years?”

“Alright, stop comparing Daisy and Ivy. They’re not the same.” It was Liam’s voice.

Not the same!

Biting my lip hard, my chest felt heavy and suffocated. I wanted to laugh, but no laughter would come.

Ha, people truly are different.

Liam wouldn’t dare lay a hand on Daisy, so he could trample and disregard me in every possible way?

Heh, these four years, I really was stupid and oblivious.

As night deepened, I sat for a long time, only belatedly realizing that everyone else had gone into their tents. I was the only one left, with nowhere to go.

Liam and I arrived late, so I didn’t know how the tents were allocated.

It was March or April, and the nights were still quite cold, especially late at night; the chill was biting.

I went to look for Liam’s tent. As I approached, I heard voices from inside. “Liam, are you and Ivy really dating?”

The soft voice was clearly Daisy’s.

For a moment, I stopped short of entering the tent.

“Don’t listen to their nonsense. She’s my sister-in-law. My parents just asked me to look after her. There’s nothing going on.” Liam’s voice was incredibly gentle, his tone even hinting at a soft coaxing.

It was a tone I had never heard before.

I lowered my head, suddenly feeling ridiculous.

It seemed there was no tent for me tonight.

Turning around, I walked towards the parking area. The mountain at night was silent, even eerie.

As I neared the car, I tightened my clothes and quickened my pace.

But I hadn’t walked many steps when a sudden, inexplicable force pushed me from behind. I panicked, my foot slipped, and I lost my balance, falling directly down the hillside.

After a bout of dizziness, it took me a while to regain my senses. The surroundings were pitch black, and I seemed to be surrounded by thorny bushes.

I tried to move slightly, but the pain made me gasp.

It seemed I had injured my leg.

“Help…” I called out in the direction I had tumbled from, but after several shouts, there was no response.

Thinking everyone must be asleep, I could only try to drag myself upwards.

However, after a short while, I saw someone approaching in the distance with a flashlight.

“Liam, is that you?” My heart leaped with joy, and some of my fear dissipated.

I struggled to move towards the approaching figure.

But the next second, as I clearly saw who it was, I froze. The two men holding flashlights were neither Liam nor his friends.

They were strangers.

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