Chapter 6

He forced himself to be calm, cruelly turning around to help Chloe to the hospital.

Dominic followed, his face worried, leaving me alone in the mansion, gasping for breath from the pain.

"Why… don't you believe me?" I stammered, my chest heaving violently.

I was clearly the one more seriously injured, yet neither my fiancé nor my own brother had shown me the slightest bit of concern.

I shed tears of despair, wanting to pick up my phone to call an ambulance for myself, but as soon as I tried to get up, my vision went black, and I collapsed forward weakly.

I don't know how long I was unconscious. I woke up in a pool of dried blood.

The mansion was silent, and the sky had turned completely dark.

My burning body told me I needed to get to a hospital immediately.

"Ugh…" I struggled to get up, every step pulling at my injuries, eliciting a heavy groan.

I staggered forward, but as soon as I opened the mansion's front door, I saw a group of people rush in like mad.

"Miss Stella Kingston, are the indecent photos circulating online really you?"

Reporters, carrying cameras and thrusting microphones, flashed their lights at my face, again and again.

"As far as I know, you're a socialite. But why are you engaging in power-for-sex transactions with others?"

"I heard you were forced to have an induced termination by your sugar daddy a few days ago. Do you have any explanation for this?"

The media's sharp words pierced deeply into my heart, one after another.

But the more terrified and panicked I became, the more excited these people got.

"We heard you got lost as a child and grew up in an orphanage, and after returning to your parents, you abused their adopted daughter. Is this true?"

I was pushed down into the crowd. I could only curl up, clutching my head with both hands, to avoid further harm.

"We heard Director Miller, who watched you grow up at the orphanage, died of a heart attack because of the rumors about you. Do you feel any guilt about that?"

My eyes suddenly widened. I grabbed a reporter's pant leg. "What did you say? Director Miller passed away?"

No one answered me. Reporters only heard what they wanted to hear.

Gradually, more people gathered around. I lost count of how many times I was stepped on.

Just as I was on the verge of despair, Julian rushed over, shouting loudly at the crowd.

He brought bodyguards to disperse the reporters, then anxiously picked me up from the ground.

"Stella, I'm so sorry I'm late. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

I trembled, holding onto him. "Julian, they said Director Miller died. That's not true, is it?"

My body was freezing cold, my clothes stained all over.

A flicker of pain crossed Julian's eyes. He didn't answer, only nodded with difficulty.

"How could this be?" My voice choked, tears rolling down my face, one after another.

The dual blow of physical and mental trauma made me faint once again.

Julian arranged for the best specialist doctors to treat me.

He stayed by my bedside, sleepless.

"Why isn't she waking up!" He turned and roared at the doctor, his fists tightly clenched.

"Julian, why get so angry?"

Dominic walked in from the doorway, speaking leisurely.

"Didn't we agree on this? Use the media to provoke her, ruin her reputation, and get revenge for Chloe."

Julian suppressed his anger. "Provoking is one thing, but look at her now. Look at how badly she's hurt."

"Accidents happen. Nobody can guarantee absolute safety."

Dominic frowned slightly, as if realizing something. "Julian, you haven't fallen for her, have you?"

Julian's heart sank, as if struck by something.

Dominic's tone instantly became anxious. "Don't forget why you got together with her seven years ago! Now Chloe is still in the hospital, unable to get up because of her. If you dare to like her, don't ever set foot in my Kingston family again!"

Julian bit his lip hard. He forcibly pushed away the strange feeling in his heart and said firmly,

"Being with her was just for revenge. How could I possibly like her?"

"Chloe is the only one in my heart, always!"

Dominic was half-convinced. "You really never developed feelings for her?"

"Never," he looked up defiantly.

At that moment, no one noticed a single sparkling tear roll down my face as I lay on the hospital bed.

"That's good," Dominic sighed in relief. "Tomorrow is her birthday. After you escape the wedding one last time, you can break up with her."

"And don't let her go to Director Miller's funeral either. Let her truly feel how painful it is to lose someone important!"

"Don't worry, I know better than you how to maximize the damage." Julian stood up, his voice cold. "Let's go outside first, otherwise she'll wake up soon."

After the two left, I slowly opened my eyes.