Chapter 2

After my wounds were stitched, Julian and his assistant didn't leave.

His assistant whispered, "Mr. Julian, Scarlett's hands are ruined.

She can't possibly threaten Candace's position anymore.

Do you really need to let those reporters in to take more photos?"

Julian's eyes were chillingly cold: "Of course I know that, but I won't gamble with Candace's future. Only by completely destroying her reputation can I truly be at peace!"

"Once she's Mrs. Julian, I'll naturally make sure these scandals disappear."

The hospital room door swung open, and several reporters with cameras surged in.

I curled up on the bed in terror.

The blinding flashbulbs, the acrid smoke, the cloying perfume—it all merged into a suffocating assault.

Even the sterile cold of the VIP room made me want to gag.

"She seems to be waking up? Should we give her another sedative?"

Ben, the assistant, hesitated: "The dosage is already beyond the limit. Another injection could be life-threatening."

Julian commanded coldly: "Do it! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

"But..."

Ben still hesitated, but Julian snatched the syringe and, without a moment's pause, pushed the liquid into my vein.

I forced my eyes open, seeing the cold indifference in his gaze, utterly devoid of warmth.

Tears silently streamed down, and I plunged into darkness once more.

When I next awoke, it was two days later.

Julian stood outside the room, on the phone, his voice clearly audible –

"Pay more. Make those photos go viral, keep the buzz alive until Candace secures that Chief Analyst position."

For Candace, he was truly sparing no effort.

The Julian before me was a stranger, terrifying. I didn't dare open my eyes, pretending to still be asleep.

My heart felt like it was being ripped apart, the pain almost suffocating me.

I had loved him without reservation, yet he had personally pushed me into this abyss.

I actually, foolishly, believed he truly cared for me when he frantically carried me into the ER that day.

But it was all his meticulously crafted design!

After that hospital door closed, it wasn't salvation waiting for me, but hell itself!

I used to command the financial markets, a master strategist. Yet, in the end, I was undone by the very person I trusted most.

It's just a Chief Analyst position. Candace wants it? She can have it.

And that position, and Julian –

I want none of it!

From now on, I will never appear in his world again!