"Exactly!" Yannick echoed just then. "Even I have trouble keeping up with what you're thinking here. You're the one who said that splashing Fiona in the face wouldn't take her down a peg, and that we need to seriously crush his pride so that she would show some respect!"

"Exactly." Noris nodded. "It's just a staged act, and we weren't really going to hurt her, but you had to stop it at the very last moment! Didn't you see how scared she was on the cameras? I was almost dying from laughter!"

Boris sighed just then. "Mark, don't tell me you're regretting this? You care about Fiona now? Did you forget what she did to Sue?"

Mark leaned against the wall, flicking ash off his cigarette as he narrowed his eyes darkly. "I regret nothing, and I'd never care about Fiona Starr. I just think we shouldn't go too far—the geezer is abroad, not dead."

Noris blew a raspberry. "What are you worried about? His phone's dead—he's completely out of reach."

Behind the door, Fiona clenched her knuckles and shuddered as she did her best to calm down.

She reached for her phone and called her father, but there was no response!

Never could she have expected that Mark would go that far for Sue's sake!

Mark simply understood Fiona and her temper too well, but he used that understanding like a blade, stabbing her in the heart!

Her legs trembling, she heard footsteps approaching and quickly returned to bed and played dead.

The door opened audibly, but only Mark entered.

He sat on the edge of her bed, listening to her rhythmic breaths and staring at her sickly pale face with a look of mixed emotions.

Eventually, he sighed. "You can't blame me for this. You hurt Sue first—just stay away from her, and I can give you everything you ever wanted."

He soon left, and Fiona opened her eyes.

Everything she ever wanted? Would he and his cronies die if she asked?!

She quickly rushed to the bathroom for a cold shower and only stepped out hours later, shuddering as she made a call.

"We're going to need some time, Ms. Starr…"

"Just reach him soon!" she snapped.

She was keeping her eyes closed, her lips eerily purple from the cold, even as her resentment grew rapidly like a fertilized plant.

-

Later, Fiona decided to work from home for the day, and Mark arrived to see her looking serious.

He had never seen her like that—she was always trying to be cute, unable to do a thing and was always asking for his help, even when it came to opening water bottles.

He frowned, different thoughts weighing down on his mind as he really couldn't understand Fiona now.

As for Fiona, she had heard him enter for a while, but it wasn't until a while later when she finally looked up at him coolly. "What?"

Mark did a double take, but soon recovered and said quietly. "The cops have arrested that homeless bum. Just leave the rest to me—don't worry."

Don't worry?

Fiona could laugh right then, but she still replied flatly, "Yeah."

More time passed, but Mark still wasn't leaving.

Still, he spoke before she could, "It's going to be your birthday in a couple of days. I've had my assistant book a place and send out invites…"

Just as he finished, his phone rang, and he didn't hesitate to answer when he saw who it was, while hurrying outside without closing the door.

Fiona had seen him leave so many times throughout the years, but she had never noticed that she no longer felt disappointment.

But that was just how things were when one gave up on a person—it just happened without warning.

The day before the party, she had a meeting with a client.

She went to her wardrobe to look for a dress and a matching set of jewelry that her father had recently sent her from abroad, only to find that everything had gone messing.

She had to change into another dress and went to the hotel with her assistant where they were supposed to meet the client.

However, they never showed up, just as Fiona overheard several waitresses gossiping.

"Hey, so who's birthday are they celebrating in the banquet hall? It's quite the big deal—you can see rows upon rows of luxury cars parked outside!"

"I have no idea. But I'm guessing one of the shareholder's daughters? I heard that she celebrates her birthday every year."

"It's just so frustrating. Some people are really born rich, unlike the rest of us!"

"Oh, don't even start. Do you know how stingy they are? I heard that they're going to celebrate another birthday tomorrow in the same hall as well, so all the decorations are to stay as is, while any leftover food will be kept for tomorrow too! Aren't they supposed to be rich? How could they be so stingy?"

Tomorrow?

That was Fiona's birthday, and the banquet hall was supposed to be kept closed until tomorrow.

She didn't call for her assistant as she started toward the banquet hall.

To no surprise, it was already crowded, with Noris, Boris and Yannick dressed sharply in suits and greeting the guests.

Most of the guests were former partners and big shots in Jampton too…

The bell rang, and a grinning Noris ran up stage to play emcee, announcing the grand entrance of Sue Levine, whose birthday they were celebrating.

As everyone looked up, she appeared by the stairs, slowly descending while hugging Mark's arm.

And she was wearing the dress and jewelry that Fiona's father had bought for her!

At that very moment, Fiona felt her blood rushing up to her brain.

Even as Fiona stood by the door, more guests were hurrying inside the banquet hall.

"That's strange—who's that woman? Who is she to Mr. Zimmer that we're all invited to her birthday party?"

"Who cares? Norman has no sons and only one daughter. And we all know said daughter is hopelessly in love with Mr. Zimmer. He'll take over the company before long—or what, are we supposed to suck up to Fiona Starr instead of him?"

"True, but do you think Fiona knows about this party?"

"Hah! So what if she does? She's been chasing after Mr. Zimmer for too long that she'd disembowel herself if he so much as frowns. Look to the future—the Starr family is no more! Just look at what that woman is wearing—Mr. Zimmer has spared no expense on her at all!"

Fiona frowned as she listened to the insolent talk and noticed that even the client who she was supposed to meet had joined the crowd too.

She was furious, but she was not about to make her family a laughing stock.

Still, she quietly went upstairs without anyone noticing.

She waited, intent on interrogating Mark when he came upstairs, but only for Sue to show up instead, smiling smugly and fearlessly as she planted herself on the couch.

Fiona glared at her coolly for a moment but simply whipped out her phone and used it instead.

Sue had expected Fiona to attack her physically and was disappointed for a second that she didn't.

As such, she started to take off all of Fiona's jewelry and threw it in front of Fiona, gloating. "All I had to do was ask, and Mark sent me all these clothes and jewelry. Here you go, since you've come all this way to get them back!

"And by the way, how was that homeless bum? Did you like him? I mean, I can get you someone more exciting if you like… such a shame I couldn't be there to see it when it happened. Mark was just going to lock you up in the basement, so I had to pay off that bum to screw you. I mean, you're hot—it would be a shame for him if he didn't, right?"

Fiona stiffened, her eyes narrowing darkly as she clenched her knuckles. "You're really crazy for Mark Zimmer, aren't you?"

She should've known—Sue was a complete nutjob, considering how she had killed herself on the day Fiona married Mark in her past life.

Sue giggled in turn, clearly not offended at all. "Oh, but I can go even crazier, Ms. Starr. In fact, I'll show you right now, so your response had better not be disappointing!"

Fiona frowned, but before she realized what was happening, Sue had pulled out a pair of scissors and cut herself.

Even as Sue bled rapidly all over Fiona's tailored dress, she didn't hesitate to run and straddle on the handrail!

As Fiona's eyes widened in shock, she ran toward Sue to pull her back, only for Sue to push her away and fall.

"Sue!!!" Mark was yelling as he saw what happened and came running, with Noris, Boris, and Yannick right behind him.

And when Mark scooped her up in his arms, he suddenly looked up, glaring at Fiona murderously and sending her stumbling backward.

It was the same anguish and despair she had felt before!

Still, Mark didn't pause to ask questions as he rushed outside with Sue still in his arms.

-

The next day, during Fiona's actual birthday party, Mark, Noris, Boris, and Yannick never showed up.

And since they didn't, the business partners whom they were close with didn't show up either, only sending some subordinates to bring Fiona presents.

Even the others whom Fiona's father sponsored only stopped by briefly before bailing, leaving the banquet hall laughably empty.

That was not the worst, as Fiona's assistant suddenly came running to her, yelling, "Ms. Starr! We have a problem—quick, check your phone!"

Fiona quickly did so and soon saw videos and photos of that homeless bum assaulting her plastered all over the internet.

Her phone dropped from her grasp with an audible thud, while her cheeks were drained of all color.

And that was when the doors were kicked open, with countless journalists swarming toward her, their blinding camera flashes seemingly stripping her naked and bringing her back to that dark moment.

"Ms. Starr! As a victim of such a scandal, how were you able to recover?"

"Ms. Starr! No offense, but do you think Mr. Zimmer will still marry you?"

"Ms. Starr! You're supposed to marry Mr. Zimmer soon, but after what happened, is your father going to force him to marry you anyway? Isn't that basically blackmail?"

"Ms. Starr, please respond!"

"Yeah, say something!"

They cornered Fiona and shoved their mics at her face, hungry like a demon.

All she could see just then was the memory of her father dying horribly, while she was dragged up and down a mountain road repeatedly while pregnant… until all that was left of her legs were bloody stumps.

But just as Fiona was about to step, a strong arm pulled her firmly to safety, and she felt her face pressed against a muscular chest while the man hid her distraught face.

At the same time, Yves Warren's voice boomed, "I'm afraid there's been a mistake here—Fiona isn't marrying Mark Zimmer. She's marrying me!"