I had just returned from studying design abroad when my grandfather insisted that he had already arranged a childhood betrothal for me.

The moment I got back to the country, he dragged me straight to the Hunt family's residence to discuss the engagement.

The adults talked endlessly, and I quickly grew bored sitting there. Slipping away quietly, I wandered into the Hunt family garden for a walk.

Out of nowhere, a woman rushed toward me and slapped me hard across the face.

"Where did this shameless woman come from? How dare you steal my things!"

I covered my cheek and stared at her in shock.

The woman lifted her chin arrogantly, her tone dripping with condescension, as if she were granting me charity.

"That ruby on your hand was a birthday gift from the young master of the Hunt family. A poor girl like you—how could you possibly afford to wear it?!"

I opened my mouth, about to explain that it was mine. But before I could say a word, she struck me across the face again.

"Do you even know who I am? I'm the Hunt family's future daughter-in-law—the future Mrs. Hunt! The entire Hunt family will listen to me!"

I pulled out my phone and, right in front of her, sent a message to the contact labeled Fiancé.

"Lucas, there's a mad dog in your house. Are you going to do something about it or not?"

To my surprise, the notification "Message Failed to Send" popped up.

I let out an incredulous laugh. The engagement hadn't even been finalized yet, and Lucas Hunt had already blocked me.

"Where did you sneak in from? Hurry up and return Miss Hartley's ring!"

The Hunt family's housekeeper lunged at me aggressively, but I sidestepped her with ease.

"I'm a guest of the Hunt family. Is this how you treat your guests?"

Queenie Hartley let out a mocking laugh. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone and called Lucas—my so-called fiancé.

A warm, gentle voice answered almost immediately.

"What's wrong, Queenie?"

I listened carefully. His voice was pleasant—exactly the kind I liked. It seemed my grandfather had pretty good taste after all.

"Lucas!" she cried sweetly, her voice dripping with affected innocence. "There's this shameless woman who snuck into your house today, claiming she's a guest of the Hunt family. She even stole the ring you gave me!"

I cut through her sugary tone before she could continue. It was best to introduce myself first, in case he had no idea what was going on.

"Lucas, my name is Sabrina Pierce. I'm your fiancée."

There was a brief two-second pause, as if he were searching his memory for my name. When he spoke again, his voice had turned cold.

"Fiancée? What fiancée? Anyone entering the Hunt residence must have an invitation. Otherwise, it's trespassing."

Then his voice softened again.

"Queenie, don't be upset. It's just a ring. When I get back, I'll buy you another one."

The pigeon-blood ruby on my finger was the token of love between my parents. There wasn't another one like it anywhere in the world.

As I silently reconsidered the reliability of this arranged marriage, Queenie had already doubled over laughing. She looked me up and down with blatant contempt.

"You? Look at you—wearing cheap clothes without even a brand label! And you dare claim to be Lucas's fiancée? That's the funniest joke I've heard all day!"

I had studied design overseas for years. The clothes I wore were all designed and tailored by myself, so of course, there were no brand labels.

In fact, my designs had already gained popularity among many wealthy women abroad. The fact that she couldn't recognize them made me question her identity instead.

After all the commotion she'd caused, I no longer had any interest in strolling through the garden. I turned to leave.

But Queenie stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Didn't you hear what Lucas said? Anyone entering the Hunt residence needs an invitation! Didn't you say you were a guest? Then where's your invitation?"

I rolled my eyes and reached into my pocket to look for it—but came up empty.

Only then did I remember my grandfather saying we wouldn't need an invitation to visit the Hunt family.

Seeing that I couldn't produce one, the mockery on her face deepened.

"So you really were lying! Someone come here! Take that ring off her hand and tie her up—throw her out!"

I covered the ring with one hand and took a step back, glaring at her.

Several servants approached me. Their expressions carried a hint of pity as they tried to persuade me.

"Miss, you should just return the ring to Miss Hartley. Otherwise, you might not even know how you died."

"That's right. That ring is the token of love between Master Lucas and Miss Hartley. They've grown up together. If he finds out, he won't let you off."

"I personally saw it happen once. Someone accidentally dirtied Miss Hartley's dress, and the next day… his hand was gone."

Their warnings only seemed to amuse Queenie even more.

"Well? Did you hear them?" she sneered. "Get down on your knees right now. Put the ring on my finger respectfully, then crawl out of here. Otherwise…"

Her eyes turned cold.

"You'll end up just like the man who dirtied my dress."

Growing up, I had only ever seen others kneel and beg for my forgiveness.

The last person who dared speak to me like that… the grass on their grave was already two meters tall.

I stepped forward and slapped Queenie across the face.

Her head snapped to the side, her eyes widening in shock.

"You dare hit me?!"

Clutching her cheek, she immediately pointed at me and ordered several housemaids to charge at me.

A faint smile curved my lips.

When I first left for overseas, my grandfather had worried that I might be bullied as a girl living alone. So, he personally taught me Sanda.

These were just a few stronger housemaids.

A few quick punches later, I had them spinning in confusion.

"Pathetic."

I rubbed my slightly numb knuckles and turned to leave, ignoring Queenie's furious screams behind me.

Suddenly, one of the maids shouted, "Master Lucas is back!"

I looked up.

A man in a sharply tailored suit was striding toward us with a cold expression.

The moment Queenie saw him, the vicious look on her face vanished. In its place appeared a pitiful, delicate expression.

She rushed into Lucas's arms.

"Lucas! You're finally back! I've been bullied so badly!"

To be honest, Lucas was indeed handsome—good-looking enough to carve out a place in the entertainment industry if he wanted.

Unfortunately, despite knowing he had a marriage arrangement with me, he held his childhood sweetheart in his arms, his face full of concern.

I clicked my tongue.

Looks like I'd have to call Grandpa and go home. There was absolutely no way this marriage was happening.

Ignoring their lovey-dovey reunion, I walked straight toward the garden exit.

"Stop right there. You think you can hurt Queenie and just leave?"

Lucas didn't even glance at me. He kept his head lowered, gently wiping the tears from Queenie's face.

Several bodyguards quickly stepped forward from behind him, blocking my path.

I took a deep breath, trying to remain patient, then turned to look at him.

"Lucas, my grandfather is currently in your grandfather's study discussing our engagement. If they find out about this… it won't look very good."

At the mention of Lucas's grandfather, the maids' expressions shifted slightly.

"What? Could she really be Master Lucas's fiancée?"

"Who cares about some fiancée? Look how protective Master Lucas is of Miss Hartley. Who knows if that marriage will even happen?"

"Exactly. We'd better not say anything that might offend Miss Hartley. With her temper, we'll suffer later if we do."

When Lucas heard the words engagement, his expression darkened even more.

"What arranged marriage? I never agreed to that. Besides, my grandfather has always adored me. There's no way he'd make me marry some crazed girl who appeared out of nowhere."

Queenie lifted her head from his arms and looked at me smugly.

"Lucas and I grew up together. And a thief like you still dares to covet the position of Mrs. Hunt?"

I nodded.

Perfect. This scumbag and this scheming woman were made for each other. Let them stay locked together forever—just don't come out and ruin other people's lives.

Still, Grandpa had once told me that among all the families who had proposed marriage back then, the Hunt family had been the most sincere and persistent.

I had met Lucas's grandfather a few times. He was a kind and respectable elder.

If he found out that the marriage alliance he had worked so hard to secure had been ruined by his own grandson… it would probably cause a storm in the Hunt household.

But there was no helping it.

Even the strongest oak can grow a twisted branch.

I shook my head regretfully and was about to leave when Queenie suddenly shrieked, "Don't let her go! The ruby ring Lucas gave me is still on her hand!"

At her words, the bodyguards immediately moved under Lucas's signal and grabbed hold of me. Without another word, they began trying to take the ring off my finger.

But the ring had been specially adjusted to fit my size. No matter how hard they tried, it wouldn't budge.

"Queenie, if it's really your ring, why does it fit my finger perfectly?"

I looked at her with a teasing smile. Instead of answering, she grew even angrier and grabbed Lucas's arm, shaking it petulantly.

"It must be because she's fatter than me! She forced it on, that's why it won't come off!"

"Then use a power drill."

My expression changed instantly.

Damn. I hadn't brought any bodyguards with me today.

Lucas's guards were tall, strong, and far more numerous. I struggled for a while, but they quickly found an opening and forced me to the ground.

Queenie crouched down in front of me excitedly, her red nails digging into my chin.

"Still acting tough? Weren't you pretty arrogant just now?"

Then she slapped me as hard as she could. Grit scraped against my cheek as my face ground into the dirt, and several thin streaks of blood quickly appeared.

Lucas stared at me for two seconds, as if considering something, before curling his lips into a cold smile.

"Queenie, did your hand hurt from hitting her? Want to see something even more entertaining?"

Queenie's eyes lit up instantly.

"Tie her to the boat in the pond!"

My eyes widened as I looked at the faintly excited expression on Lucas's face.

Could it be… he knew something?

"No! You'll regret this!"

Queenie looked both scornful and thrilled.

"Regret? That word doesn't exist in my dictionary."

"On the contrary, today I'm going to make you regret ever taking my ring!"

The bodyguards dragged me toward the pond in the center of the garden.

They tied me up with thick rope and threw me onto a dilapidated old canopy boat rocking at the water's edge.

Before I could even open my eyes properly, they flipped me over.

Then a buzzing electric saw whirred to life and came straight for my finger.

The searing pain made me scream.

Soon, my blood began to stain the pigeon-blood ruby, giving it an eerie, sinister glow.

"Tsk, looks like another fool is about to die."

"She's such a pretty young girl, but she just had to be stubborn. Now look—Master Lucas won't let her off. At the very least, she'll lose a finger."

"This is too cruel. I can't even bear to watch."

The maids and servants chattered among themselves by the pond, whispering and gossiping.

But I could barely hear them anymore. The intense pain in my hand made me struggle wildly.

The small canopy boat was old and poorly maintained. Under my frantic movements, it rocked violently, bumping against the water with hollow thuds.

The scene suddenly mirrored the accident my parents had suffered at sea years ago.

The deep-seated fear buried in my heart was instantly dragged to the surface.

My face turned deathly pale. My hands moved uncontrollably, clutching my head as fresh blood ran down my cheeks.

"No! Stop! Let me get off—please!"

But Queenie and Lucas merely stood on the shore as if they were watching a show.

At one point, they even stretched out a foot and kicked the boat farther toward the center of the pond.

I forced my eyes open with difficulty and saw Queenie holding the ring triumphantly in her hand.

Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said gently, "This ring's stained with that filthy woman's blood. Just throw it away. I'll buy you a new one."

Then, amid my screams, they casually tossed the ring into the lake.

"Lucas! Aren't you afraid my grandfather will come after you for this?!"