It would take Sylvie at least two hours to get here—in the middle of the desert—from the city. So, I declined her offer and forced myself to get up.

My legs were trembling, and my stomach was churning with acid.

It was also starting to get dark outside the medical tent.

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the stage in the distance. My brother's band, Max and the Swans, was the last artist to perform at the festival, and they had just finished their last song.

The crowd soon surged toward the exits like a tidal wave.

I dragged my weak body over to the VIP exit. Every step was slow and excruciating. I'd only just stood at the exit for a while before seeing Cornell carrying Ellie out on his back.

She was holding a black tote bag in her hands, which was part of the official merchandise. It seemed as though Cornell had gotten it for her after all.

She was lying sprawled out on his back and smiling very happily. They were very close and intimate with each other.

"This bag is so nice, Corey. Thanks for buying it for me," she said coquettishly.

"There's no need to be shy with me," he replied affectionately.

I inhaled deeply and got in their way, stopping them.

The smile on Cornell's face fell as soon as he saw me. Instead, he began to frown.

"Marie Swanson! What do you think you're doing, blocking us like this! Are you trying to embarrass us? Can't you see that Ellie is hurt? Even a dog would know to get out of the way!"

I ignored his insults and just reached my hand out.

"The money for my VIP ticket. Don't you think it's time to pay up?" I asked coldly.

Ellie immediately stuck her head out from behind him and looked at me timidly.

"I'm sorry, Marie. I'll transfer the money to you at once. But I'm just an intern, and I only make 2,500 dollars a month. You're the one carrying a luxury bag. Surely you wouldn't want to take more money from me, would you?"

It sounded like she was apologizing, but she was actually subtly accusing me of being heartless and abusing my power.

I stared at her innocent face.

"I paid for these bags with the money I earned myself through countless overtime hours at the office. I did not just get it for free.

"The VIP ticket costs 2,000 collars. So, cash or bank transfer? I don't take IOUs."

Cornell immediately set Ellie down and blocked her from me.

"That's enough, Marie Swanson! How could you be so obsessed with money! What does 2,000 dollars even mean to you? Will driving an innocent woman to her wits' end make you happy?"

I stared at Cornell, the person whom I'd loved for three years, and suddenly realized that I didn't know anything about him at all. He was just like a stranger to me.

"She watched the performance. Why should I be the one paying for it? Did you think I was her Mommy or her Daddy?"

Cornell's face turned purple with anger.

"I'll pay you back on her behalf, then! Happy now? Ellie's foot is twisted, and she can't walk anymore, so I'm going to hail a cab to send her back! I don't have the time to be arguing with you here now!"

I sneered.

"You? Send her back? Then, what about me? My car keys are still inside your bag. Were you planning to make me fly back home or something?"

I was the one who drove us here today, and my car keys were zipped up in his backpack the entire time.

Cornell stiffened as if he'd only just recalled that.

He felt for the keys in his bag irritably and tossed them in my face.

"Drive home yourself, then! What's the big deal about this?"

I was still weak from the heatstroke, and I didn't manage to catch the keys. The car keys did a perfect arch in the air before landing in a patch of tall, messy grass.

"I just got heatstroke. I can't drive," I said calmly while looking at him.

However, Cornell just sneered disbelievingly at me.

"Sure, go ahead and continue with your act. Weren't you perfectly fine when you were demanding money from her just now?

"Let's go, Ellie. Ignore that crazy bitch."

He then flagged down a cab and carefully helped Ellie into the back seat. Ellie then stuck her head out of the back window and winked at me.

"If you really can't drive, Marie, I don't mind lending you my bus pass."

The cab then sped away, shrouding me in its exhaust fumes.

By that time, the sky had gone completely dark.

The music festival was in the middle of nowhere, and the official chartered buses were already long gone. There were fewer and fewer people about, leaving behind only piles of litter and a few drunken rock fans shouting by the roadside.

I crouched in the grass, turned on my phone flashlight, and fumbled for a while before finally finding my car keys.

However, I was still feeling dizzy and weak. I couldn't even grab the steering wheel properly, and I didn't dare to, either.

Instead, I leaned against an abandoned cart and tried to regulate my breathing.

Just then, some of the drunken fans began making their way toward me with swaying footsteps. Two of them reeked of alcohol as they greedily eyed my body.

"All by yourself, cupcake? Stranded? Wanna hitch a ride back home with me?"

I felt my chest tighten as I stumbled backward.

"It's fine. My friend is already coming for me," I said, pretending to be calm.

Another tattooed man reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Playing innocent, are we? You know very well that rock fans like you are always asking for it. Come join us for some drinks."

I flung his arm off as hard as I could and turned to run toward a streetlamp. While running, I called Cornell on his phone again and again.

"Sorry. The person you called is unavailable. Please try again later."

The moment I heard the cold, robotic female voice in my ear, the last of my hopes shattered. I hid between two stationary buses, shaking like a leaf.

The drunk men's footsteps kept getting closer and closer to me.

"Where did that bitch go? She sure knows how to run."

I was desperate. I clamped a hand over my mouth, not daring to breathe.

At the most critical moment, a black Toyota Alphard suddenly made its way toward us. Its blinding lights cut through the darkness and shone directly in the drunkards' faces.

The car then stopped right next to the buses, and the door opened wide.

A man in a black mask and a black cap pulled low over his face walked out. He grabbed the tattooed man by the collar without hesitation and tossed him aside like he was a sack of potatoes.

"Fuck off."

The other drunkards wanted to put up a fight, but when they saw more bodyguards getting down from the Toyota, they got so scared that they sobered up almost immediately and fled.

The man then turned around and took off his mask.

The car lights illuminated his face, and I caught sight of the person whom everyone else had just been cheering for a while ago.

It was Maxwell Swanson, my elder brother.

"Marie? How did you end up like this?" Maxwell asked me when he saw my pale face and scraped knees. His eyes burned with rage.

I fell into his arms as all my emotions and tears that I'd been suppressing all day finally broke forth. I then filled him in on everything that had happened today.

I got into the car, and the bodyguards handed me a warm towel and some water.

Maxwell's phone suddenly buzzed. He tapped into the notification and chuckled coldly.

"This idiot still dared to send me a dm," Maxwell said, tossing his phone onto my lap.

The screen showed Cornell's private message he'd sent to Maxwell's official Instagram account.

"Max! I've been a diehard fan of yours for ten years! And today, I brought the person I love the most to watch your performance in the VIP first row! She even twisted her ankle for you!

"I hope you'll give our relationship your blessings. Rock and roll forever!"

Maxwell's eyes were sharp and cold as he cracked his knuckles loudly.

"That idiot abandoned you in this dark, no-man's land, just so that he could bring another bitch to watch my performance?"

I wiped my tears dry and stared at the private message, feeling the sadness in my heart turn into anger.

"Your band's after-party will be held next week at the Grand Hilton Club, right?" I asked, looking up at him with determined eyes.

Maxwell leaned back in his seat and met my gaze.

"Yes. What are you planning to do?"

"I want him to know that there's a price to pay for trying to show off by stepping all over me."