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!"