Chapter 2

Victor, as if a great weight had been lifted, quickly pressed the button.

I closed my eyes, trying to empty my mind, my consciousness slowly blurring. I felt as if I was back in that cicada-filled afternoon.

Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground. Asher's lean, firm arms were stiffly wrapped around me, his fingers gripping the reins so tightly they were white.

I looked back and saw his ears flushed crimson, and the sparkling galaxy in his eyes.

"W-what are you looking at? I'm teaching you to ride. If you're not careful, you'll fall and start crying again."

"What's there to be afraid of? You're here, you'll protect me. Wow, Asher, your face is red!"

"Such disrespect! I told you to call me 'big brother'."

Asher suddenly spurred the horse, and I shrieked, burying myself in his arms, hearing the thunderous beat of his heart.

That summer, the vast grassland, unripe fruits, and intertwined figures on horseback.

A sparkling secret was etched into my life, from a time in my youth I could never return to.

"Skylar, look at me, say my name!"

Damon Sterling's voice was hoarse as he patted my face. I slowly opened my eyes.

The illusion vanished. I had missed that vibrant summer and lost that bright boy. Tears streamed down my face.

"Damon Sterling."

Damon Sterling tugged my hair and kissed me deeply, not hearing the rest of my sentence.

"I hate you..."

He kissed my sweat-dampened forehead, wiping away the marks on my body, as intimately as if we were lovers lost in passion.

"Sorry, I got carried away. Your dress is ruined, I'll take you to buy a new one."

"No." No dress was better. That way, I wouldn't have to go to Brock Miller's birthday party. Meeting my enemy face-to-face, I was afraid I'd lose control and stab him.

Damon Sterling didn't think much of it, only assuming I was pouting playfully. He smiled, picked me up, and wrapped me tightly in his jacket.

"Alright, alright, my bad. I wore you out, baby. I'll carry you in myself, how's that?"

Damon Sterling had already informed the store manager to clear everyone out. When he carried me in, only a few meek-looking staff stood by the door.

He placed me on the sofa in the dressing room. "Don't be shy. These guys are all trustworthy, they won't gossip or stare."

He knelt before me, looking completely harmless. I reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair on his head, my hand lingering on his face, gently caressing it.

Such a simple gesture made Damon Sterling grin like an idiot from a rural town. Even a hint of feigned affection from me was enough to send him over the moon.

Damon Sterling was already deeply smitten, though he didn't realize it.

He reluctantly held my hand, kissing it for a long time before his phone rang.

"What the hell are you rushing for?!"

The person on the other end wasn't bothered by his rudeness. "What's up, buddy? So much anger. Did I interrupt something good?"

"Get lost, get lost! If you call again, I'll kill you."

Damon Sterling cursed as he hung up. The tender moment was broken. "Go take a shower, I'll go pick out clothes for you."

When I emerged, I was dressed from head to toe, including jewelry. Damon Sterling sat beside me, propping his chin in his hand, watching me apply makeup, thoroughly pleased with my look.

Beauty is tempting; it can make a king forget his duties.

I knew how much my face tempted men. I also knew that beauty was just one card. Coupled with background, education, or intelligence, any one of them could be a winning hand. But alone, it was a dead end.

So, I needed a teammate to help me win this game.

Damon Sterling brought me to the club, but his hands were empty.

"Didn't you say it was Brock's birthday? How come you didn't bring a gift?"

Damon Sterling smiled, kissing my cheek. "The gift will arrive on its own."

The private room was thick with smoke, making me cough. I nudged Damon Sterling inside. "I'm just going to the restroom, I'll be right back."

This floor was for VIPs, so there weren't many customers. I walked down the corridor to the ladies' room. The moment I entered, I froze.

A woman's voice mingled with the sound of impacts. I instinctively stepped back, kicking a nearby trash can, which made a loud noise.

The woman shrieked in surprise, and then everything fell silent.

I turned to leave, but the door behind me opened and then closed. A large hand reached over my head, slamming against the door, blocking my exit. The man loomed over me.

"Where are you running off to?"

He had clearly come out in a hurry, his shirt unbuttoned.

I immediately turned and walked a few steps away, widening the distance between us.

"Little darling, you interrupted big brother's fun. Aren't you going to apologize?"

"Fun? What kind of fun is this? This is the ladies' room, a public place. Don't you have any shame?"

Brock Miller walked closer, looking at me like an interesting toy.

"Look at you, all fired up with righteous anger. Have you never tried it in a bathroom? Want to try with me? Big brother will be very gentle."

He grabbed my raised hand, pinning both my hands behind my back. "Trying to hit me?" Seeing my mixture of fury and fear, Brock's smile widened.

He leaned in, but I dodged, and his kiss landed on my neck. "You smell delicious." He then bit me.

Just as I was about to scream for help, there was a knock on the door. "Skylar, are you okay? What's taking so long?"

It was Damon Sterling.

Seizing the moment Brock was distracted, I raised my knee and brutally slammed it into him, then pushed him away and ran out.

"Damon Sterling, help me!"

Damon Sterling's face instantly changed when he saw me. He pulled me behind him. "Which bastard, get out here!"

The door opened, and Brock Miller emerged, his face grim. "You little brat, you dare lay a hand on me? You're tired of living!"

Damon Sterling looked at the sign on the door, then at Brock, and turned to ask me, "Did you hit him just now?"

I nodded vigorously. "He's a pervert! He was in the ladies' room..."

A scoff echoed from the end of the corridor. All three of us looked. A tall figure leaned against the window, smoking.

The glowing red tip of his cigarette flickered, illuminating a sharp jawline.

"Some dogs never change their spots. Brock, your bathroom 'encounters' habit will probably stick with you forever."

Brock Miller's face flushed and then paled at the insult.

Damon Sterling seemed frozen, as if struck by lightning, until the man in the black suit, hidden in the shadows of the night, stepped out and walked towards him, blowing a puff of smoke into his face.

"Well, nephew, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"

Damon Sterling, at 6'1", actually had to look up. "Uncle... Uncle Marcus."

Marcus Sterling nodded in satisfaction, flicking his ash onto Brock Miller's leather shoes. The smell of burning leather quickly spread, but Brock didn't dare utter a single sound.

"Uncle Marcus, why are you suddenly back in the country?"

"Grandfather Sterling isn't well. As his younger son, I came back to check on him. Do you have a problem with that?"

His gaze swept past Damon Sterling and settled on me. "And who is this?"

Damon Sterling's hand, gripping mine, was clammy with sweat. He was visibly nervous.

"Oh, you don't want to introduce her? Is she that precious? Afraid I'll steal her?"

I stepped out from behind Damon Sterling, meeting Marcus Sterling's scrutinizing gaze. "Hello, Mr. Sterling. My name is Skylar Xiao."

My position was awkward. I wasn't Damon Sterling's wife or girlfriend; I was just his kept woman.

He smiled slightly, extending his hand towards me.

I thought he wanted to shake my hand, but he gently took my fingers, lifted them to his lips, and kissed them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Xiao. I'm Marcus Sterling, Damon Sterling's uncle."

Marcus Sterling was a stain on Grandfather Sterling's life, a love child born out of wedlock.

His mother had been a hotel hostess back then. She'd thought she'd gain status by having a son and marry into the Sterling family as a mistress, but instead, both mother and son were exiled abroad.

Damon Sterling called him 'Uncle Marcus' because Marcus was older in terms of generation, but in reality, he was only five years older than Damon. They shared a five-point resemblance in their features; standing together, they looked more like brothers than uncle and nephew.

I had thought I would meet Marcus Sterling, but I hadn't expected it so soon.

"Uncle Marcus, Skylar is my..."

Marcus Sterling's expression instantly changed, the chill in his eyes dropping the surrounding temperature by several degrees.

"My girlfriend," Damon Sterling bit out, snatching my hand from his uncle's and pulling me close by the shoulder, asserting his claim. His grip was so strong it hurt.

He was starting to panic.

"Girlfriend?" Marcus Sterling scoffed. "Have you brought her home to meet Grandfather? What did the old man say?"

My heart skipped a beat. How could Damon Sterling dare take me to meet his grandfather?

"Not yet, but when the time is right, I'll definitely bring Skylar home to meet my parents and grandfather." Damon Sterling's urgent declaration was for his uncle, but it sounded more like it was for me.

Marcus Sterling patted Damon Sterling's shoulder. "Good nephew, remember your uncle's words: the more beautiful the expectation, the easier it is to fall apart. Not getting what you want is the norm in life."

After saying that, Marcus Sterling gave me a meaningful look.