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?!"

Lucas let out a light laugh, his eyes filled with contempt, as if he were looking at a piece of trash.

"Who does your grandfather think he is? What right does he have to come after me?

"The Pierce family only has you and that old man left, doesn't it?

"You even managed to bring death to your own parents, and he still wants me to marry a woman as unlucky as you? What a joke."

My pupils shrank suddenly.

The words "brought death to your parents" stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

On my eighth birthday, my parents had planned to take a cruise back from overseas to celebrate with me.

But fate had other plans. That day, fierce winds suddenly rose over the sea. The captain of our family ship advised them to stay docked for a day before setting sail again.

But I called them.

Crying into the phone, I told them I missed them.

So my parents gritted their teeth and decided to take a small boat back themselves.

Just as they were about to reach the shore, a violent storm suddenly swept across the sea. A massive wave—five meters high—crashed over them.

Right before my eyes, their boat overturned and disappeared into the water.

Now, as Lucas's words echoed in my ears, that scene replayed again and again in my mind.

I curled up in the boat, trembling in agony. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

The only words I could manage were broken whispers.

"Dad… Mom… I'm sorry… I don't want you to come back for my birthday anymore…"

Watching my miserable state in the boat, Queenie clapped her hands with delight.

"So you're a jinx! No wonder you're so unlucky! Lucas, we should stay far away from her—what if her bad luck rubs off on us?"

When I was abroad, no one knew about this past, so I had never mentioned it.

Back at the Pierce family estate, my grandfather had forbidden every servant from bringing it up, afraid it would hurt me again. He had even ordered the lake on the grounds to be filled in.

This guilt had been buried deep inside me for years.

Now, it erupted completely, leaving me with a sudden urge to jump straight into the pond and join my parents in apology.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

It was the special ringtone I had set for my grandfather.

For a brief moment, clarity returned to my mind.

In the entire Pierce family, only Grandpa and I were left to rely on each other.

When my parents died, Grandpa had endured the pain of a white-haired man burying his own children. The grief he carried was no less than mine.

If I were to leave him too… I didn't dare imagine the consequences.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil inside me as I struggled to reach for my phone.

But Queenie immediately ordered someone to throw a stone at me.

The sudden flare of depression sent tremors through my body. My hands shook uncontrollably.

The stone struck my phone, knocking it straight into the pond. The screen flickered twice before going completely dark.

Two large holes were also smashed into the old canopy boat.

Freezing water began seeping through my clothes, and the icy chill made me shudder.

"Sabrina, didn't you once say you wanted to die and go down there to be with your parents?" Queenie sneered. "Now I'm giving you that chance. You should be thanking me!"

Lucas crossed his arms and watched coldly as I slowly sank into the water.

"And that old man you call a grandfather—when he gets here, I'll send your whole family down there to reunite."

I struggled weakly, but it was useless.

In my heart, I could only whisper, 'Grandpa… I'm sorry…'

Just as the water rose past my nose, familiar footsteps sounded from ahead.

A sandalwood cane swung through the air.

"I'd like to see who thinks they can send my whole family down to reunite!"