Beep.

  Beep.

  The sound of the hospital machine for into Dahlia's ears and her eyes opened, ever so slowly as she stared. Everything was blurry at first, but soon, the white color of the ceiling stared right back at her.

  She recognized she was in a hospital.....and painfully, alone.

  A sigh escaped from her lips as she sat up, pulling the syringe out of her hands. It stung a little but she wasn't in the disposition to feel pain.

  As she got up from the bed, ready to leave, the door suddenly opened and she recognized the man from yesterday.

  "You–" 

  He pocketed his hands in his trousers as he stared at her. "You must be fine now. Were you about to leave?" He asked.

  Dahlia stared at him in confusion. "How did you hit me? I definitely saw you go in the opposite direction yesterday."

  "Where I go is none of your business." He said. "I don't want to make a big issue out of this, so..." He checked the time on his watch, his face hardening, "How much do you want to keep quiet about the accident?"

  "What?" She blurted out before she could even think. "Others would just apologize and say it was a mistake, but you want to pay me off with money? You must so rich....and arrogant." 

  "I don't have enough time for your tantrums, Ms Vexley. So please," His secretary walked in, moving towards Dahlia, "Sign that. And the money would be wired to your account before an hour." He said.

  Dahlia scoffed and ran her eyes over the offer. An hundred thousand dollars to keep her mouth. He must think she was a beggar. And how did he know her surname? 

  She pushed the paper back to the secretary. "Thank you, but you don't have to pay me anything. Just take it as a replacement for driving me home last night. Thank you." Without waiting for any reply, Dahlia walked out of the ward and out of the hospital in anger. All he had to do was apologize. That was the problem with rich people, always thinking they could get out of things with money....all the time.

  She swallowed hardly when she got to the street and realized she had nothing on her. Not her bag which she'd thrown away last night and not a single penny on her to even go back to her father's house. 

  She could walk it. Thankfully, she was not injured too much to faint on the streets.

  The sun was shining brightly in the sky when Dahlia finally made it home, sweats escaping her forehead and strands of her hair, sticking to her face. She was tired and most of all, hungry, having eaten nothing since she'd come out of prison.

  She rang the doorbell twice before Vivi, their housemaid opened up. Shock plastered Vivi's face as Dahlia stared at her with a huge smile.

  "Miss." She whispered noiselessly.

  "Vivi, long time, no see." Dahlia said. Vivi gave a strained smile as she pulled the door open and Dahlia walked in.

  "No, mom. We don't even know where she is." Evelyn's voice resounded from the stairs and Dahlia's heart picked up pace. Evelyn couldn't hurt her here, could she?

  "Don't worry, Dahlia would come back home soon." Her mother's voice followed and relaxation filled Dahlia's face again as she waited patiently for them to come down and then, surprise. She couldn't wait to see the look on her mother's face and her reaction when she tells them she heard everyone Evelyn and Draven planned.

  "Soon? How soon? Yesterday was the day she was meant to die." 

  Like a stab, Dahlia's heart wrecked painfully. A vibration ran down her body and she almost fell backwards but Vivi caught her quickly.

  "Miss." She muttered.

  Dahlia glanced at her and then back at the stairs, where her family was already coming downstairs.

  "She'll be out of your hair soon, Evelyn. Just be patient." Her father's voice.

  They were all in it together. How could family....how could family betray each other? 

  "Dahlia." Her mother called out and an hiccup left at her lips at the sound of her mother's voice.

  "Dahlia, did you–" her father started, but she interrupted him.

  "I heard everything." She muttered. "I heard how you guys planned to kill your daughter." 

  "Dahlia, it's not what you think."

  "What is it then? Is this a prank? A welcome prank maybe? So where's the camera?" She asked, looking around. Then suddenly, "Are you guys fvcking kidding me?! I'm your daughter for crying out loud! How could you do this?! How?!" Tears rushed down her eyes in huge balls, but they couldn't compare with the pain she felt in her heart.

  "Dahlia, calm down." Evelyn said in a relatively calm voice. 

  "You guys are going to regret this." Dahlia made a promise.

  "Are you going to report us to the police?!" Her father asked in a loud voice, obviously panicking. "I'm your father!"

  "Wow." She whispered, her voice a ghost to her own ears. "Best of luck playing father in jail." She said and turned to leave the house, but her hand had barely touched the door knob, when the flower pot came flying towards her head.

  "Miss!" Vivi stepped into her front and the pot hit her instead, shattering into pieces on the ground.

  "Dad!" Evelyn screamed and Dahlia gasped in shock.

  "Vivi." Dahlia grabbed Vivi's hands in hers.

  "Go... please..." Vivi whispered.

  "No, I can't leave you." Dahlia whispered.

  "Just...go.." Vivi whispered, before her eyes closed and she fell into unconsciousness.

  "Vivi!!!"

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she sat in front of a restaurant on the street. The sound of the doors opening and closing scattered her thoughts. 

  It was unreal to think that her father had just thrown a flower vase at her after she found out that he was in on the plan to kill her.

  She gulped, bile tasting in her throat. Tears rushed out of her eyes and she placed her head on her laps, crying bitterly. The day got worse than it already had been and rain started pouring heavily.

  Dahlia didn't move, she sat down there, letting the rain drench her, all of bitterness, all of her anger. Here, she count scream and no one would hear her because of how heavy the rain was. This was her perfect place.

  The rain suddenly stopped above her and her anger intensified. Even the sky couldn't understand her predicament and just let it fall? But when she raised up her head to rant, her eyes came in contact with him. He was holding an unwanted umbrella over her head.

  Like cloud sync, her brain retrieved all of the memories and she realized where she'd seen him. On the TVs, on the tabloids, in the prison. He was everywhere.

  Lucien Black.

  "Ms Vexley." He called her name in velvety voice, "Get out of the rain."

  "Who are you to tell me what to do?" She didn't care if he was Lucien –arrogant– Black, he couldn't order her around, not in her most shitty moment.

  He stared at his watch again, like he was in time control. "Do you plan to stay here?"

  "Yes, I do. Why won't you just leave me alone? Can't you see I want to be left alone?!" She screamed out, "And please, take your stupid umbrella over my head." She didn't want him to see her crying. And the rain would do the job.

  He obliged, pulling the umbrella over his own head and letting the rain drench her.

  "Leave." She looked away.

  "I'm trying to get into the restaurant." He said nonchalantly.

  "Then do."

  "Eaten yet? If not, you need more energy to cry." He said and walked in. Dahlia took a minute to understand he was inviting her. Her stomach rumbled just in time, but the appetite wasn't there. She didn't want to eat. 

  A glance at the woman in the restaurant and she made up her mind, walking into the restaurant. She pulled out a seat opposite him and he stared at her.

  "You eat at restaurants like this?" She asked quietly. It was a low class restaurant, located somewhere at the end of the street, far away from her family's– Chris Vexley's house. They were no longer her family. However, she was in front of the restaurant because she had realized she had no place to go. No friends, nothing. She sat in front since it had a porch and she could probably pass the night there when it got quieter. 

  "No. But I can't walk around in the rain." He said, pulling out a tissue. "Clean your face, you look crazy." 

  "I haven't had a bath in two days. And a clean bath in a year." 

  He stares at her blankly, unsure of what she wanted him to say to that revelation.

  She stared at him, midway of cleaning her face. "Don't you want to know what happened? Or you are just comfortable sitting with an ex convict in public?" She asked.

  He glanced at the food being placed in front of him and back to Dahlia. "You think?" 

  "Yes."  She muttered, picking up her spoon. "Thank you for the food. I have nothing to pay you back." She said and started eating before he could change his mind.

  "A marriage proposal." He suddenly said and Dahlia coughed out the food she'd already eaten. It scattered all over Lucien's suit and he let out a low curse, anger flashing in his eyes.

  "I'm...so sorry." Dahlia shook her head. "What you said was just shocking to me. You shouldn't have said that while I was eating." 

  "Are you blaming me?" He raised a brow.

  "No. I'm apologizing." She shrank back into her seat. 

  Lucien pulled out multiple tissues, cleaning off the stains on his suit. 

  Dahlia went mute, eating as though nothing happened before. He watched her, like a predator monitoring a prey and she felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.

  "Can't you stop watching me and eat?" She asked.

  "I'm not hungry."

  "Then why did you come here?" She asked.

  "I have something for you."  On cue, the secretary who'd come with him in the hospital appeared again.

  "If you want me to sign that stuff–" 

  "You want revenge, Ms Vexley. I can give you that." His secretary pushed a new file towards her. The title was written in large bold fonts 'MARRIAGE AGREEMENT.'

  "Is this a joke?" She asked.

  "The moment you sign this, you become Dahlia Black and you'd leave your husband." 

  "I'm not divorced." She stated as a matter of fact.

  "You'll soon be. If you sign a divorce paper, I'll have them sent to Draven Marrow as soon as possible. Since the world doesn't know about your marriage, it'll be easier."  Lucien said.

  "What is all this? Who said you could take account of my life the way you wish?"

  "I'm only telling you to apply wisdom. You want to take revenge on those who wronged you, your family. To do that, you'll need my help. Which I'm willing to provide to you, on one condition, marriage."

  Dahlia pushed the tray of food from her front and got up. "Thank you for the offer. But I'm not interested." She stated clearly and started to walk away.

  "The moment you get out of that door, you'll probably be dead."

  She halted in her steps. Lucien pushed his chair backwards, getting up and walking towards her.

  "It'll be classified as a hit and run accident. Evelyn made sure of that."  He said.

  Dahlia's face lost color. "How do you know all these?"

  "There are very few things I don't know about you, Ms Vexley." He stared at her, "So what will it be? Marry me and get everything you ever wanted. Fame, money, power, revenge."

  "What do you get in return?" She asked.

  He smirked. "You."

"Me?" Dahlia scoffed lightly as she clamped her hands on her waist. "Are you seriously kidding me?!"

  "I'm not." Lucien glanced at the document. "There are two ways for you, Dahlia. Sign these documents right here and now, or you walk out and simply die the way your family wants you to. Oh," He pocketed his hands, looking up with a smirk, "And Vivi too."

  Dahlia's face went pale at the mention of Vivi's name. "What are you going to do to her?"

  "Nothing much. Probably remove her from the hospital I placed her in." 

  "You took her to the hospital?" Her eyes softened, turning glassy within a second.

  "They wanted her dead, Dahlia. Because she knows the truth. Does that adds something?" His eyes narrowed at her. 

  She bit her lips, raising her head proudly while fighting back her tears. "You have to give me everything I need." She muttered.

  "As long as you sign the contract. I have what it takes to protect and take care of you." He replied.

  She swallowed heavily, shunning the thought that wondered what he needed her for. Her fingers were shaky as she picked up the pen and firstly, signed the divorce agreement.

  She moved it and then stared at the Marriage Agreement, her heart beating fast and heavy with each passing second. This was going to be her choice and she hoped she wouldn't regret it.

  She rushed her signature over the agreement and looked at Lucien. His eyes were sharp as he stared right back at her.  She expected a word from him but he didn't say a thing. Instead, he handed the two documents to his secretary who walked out instantly.

  "Let's leave."

  Dahlia looked at the food. "I'm not done–"

  The sound of the door closing signified that Lucien left already. She took one more spoon of the food, filling her mouth before she rushed after him. 

  She got into the car, her cheeks swollen and Lucien stared at her, shock written all over his face.

  "Hmm...I haven't...eaten much when you decided we should–"

  "Swallow your food first before speaking, Dahlia." He said, obviously irritated and she went mute, as she chewed the remaining one.

  "It's not my fault..I'm just so hungry and you didn't let me eat much." She said after she swallowed.

  "Jayden already informed the cook. So you would have something to eat when you get home. After you bath." The word after was unnecessarily sharp.

  It didn't matter to Dahlia though. She already knew she stunk and she also couldn't wait to bath. "Who's Jayden?" She asked instead.

  "My secretary."

  "Oh, that guy who does whatever you say?" She asked.

  He stared at her blankly.

  "I'm sorry."

  "What happened to you putting your bag underneath?" He glanced at her seat and she bit her lips.

  "I lost my bag. I threw it off yesterday or something." She confessed.

  He didn't say a word in reply and the rest of the journey was quiet as he worked on his laptop, the driver driving quietly.

  Dahlia watched the city unfold before her and she took a deep breath, as the driver moved past the bustling city. It was night time and everywhere was damp from the short but heavy rain, and for some reasons, the weather felt like her life. Gloomy.

  Her eyes suddenly widened when the driver turned into a street. "You live here?! Glass estate?" She gasped.

  Lucien didn't even look at her and she turned her eyes back to the place, watching.

  "Riches definitely have levels. My father tried so hard to get a place here. He saved so recklessly that we'd starve some days. Even the company got some problems cause of that. He'd cut on the necessary finances and try to manage everything." She said, "When he finally got the money, there was something he didn't have." She went mute for a minute and Lucien's hands hovered over the keyboard. He still didn't look up or look at her as she turned.

  "Connections."  She muttered. "You have to be well connected to get a house here." She said.

  "I can't relate with your story. I didn't think anyone would ever starve to live in this place." He muttered.

  "But the payment is so high, how did you–"

  "My grandfather owns the place, Dahlia. You don't even that simple fact?"  He asked.

  "What?" She blurted out.

  "Your parents have a company. They should teach you, number one, to not talk so much. Number two, to memorize the names and faces of people who could potentially change your destiny. Didn't they teach you?" Lucien asked.

  Her face went pale. "My sister was meant to–"

  "Just because your sister was groomed to take over the company doesn't mean you should sit idle. Little wonder they easily coerced you into taking the blame for an embezzlement you know nothing about."

  "I know it was my father who did it." She said quietly, like she was meant to not talk.

  Lucien looked up at her at this moment. "Do you know why he did it?"

  She shook her head and he scoffed lightly. "Get down." 

  She realized the car has stopped and she watched as he came down from the car, getting into the building. 

  Glass estate was given to the place, because almost all the houses were glassy. It was extremely beautiful with tinted glasses which you cannot see the interior of the house. She took a deep breath, her hands shaking as she walked after Lucien into the large mansion.

  Her house with Draven and her father's house put together, could not afford this place. The truth is, in Glass Estate, you could only make a one time payment, but her father didn't get all the money, so he wanted to use connections to pay twice.

  Unfortunately, he didn't have one. He tried to had to look for the money and when he finally did, there was not a space left. Things had gone bad with his attitude that week.

   "Welcome home, Mrs Black." A couple of voices greeted and Dahlia freezed.

  Mrs Black?

  Her?

  Dahlia Vexley?