###Chapter 6
Oliver’s brows tightened. “It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, letting you forget your place. Kneel, Leah!”
Vespera clung to his sleeve, feigning gentleness as she whispered, “Oliver, let it go. Nothing serious happened to me. With so many guests here, give sister a little face.”
His expression softened slightly, but his tone stayed cold. “Leah, face is something you earn for yourself. If you had even half of Vespera’s kindness, how could I ever make things difficult for you?”
But why should I show kindness to the two of you—shameless dogs?
“Oliver, I did nothing to her. Why should I apologize?”
“Leah, don’t test my patience!”
Around us, the guests cast curious looks, their whispers cutting like blades.
“So this is the young lady from the capital? To harm Miss Pittman out of jealousy, no wonder Mr. Garrison dislikes her.”
“No wonder her family ended up this way. With a daughter like her, how good could the parents be? Serves them right.”
“Miss Pittman is so beautiful and kind. Mr. Garrison should cast this woman aside and marry Miss Pittman instead. They’re the true match made in heaven.”
I swept my gaze over the crowd, committing every face to memory, then turned back and fixed my eyes on Oliver. “Oliver, either you break my legs, or you let me go.”
His hand faltered, a trace of hesitation flickering in his eyes. Never before had I stood against him. What had changed now?
At last, his temper snapped. “Since you’ve chosen this path, don’t blame me. Someone drag her away and teach her a lesson!”
That cold look in his eyes pulled me back to two months earlier, when he had gone to the capital. That night, he had been wild, relentless, whispering in the dark, “little silly” and “baby.”
I had thought it was passion, the love I had longed for, finally showing itself. But when I later learned he had given Vespera the nickname “little silly,” I knew then, in his drunken haze, he had never seen me at all.
That was the night he forgot to drug me, the night that left me accidentally pregnant. But none of it mattered anymore.
At his command, the bodyguards dragged me aside, fists and kicks raining down like a storm.
I lifted my head and caught sight of the brightly lit Garrison estate, a place etched deep in my memory.
When Oliver returned on weekends to be with his parents, they would sit chatting on the terrace while I quietly brought out the pastries I had baked.
When he sat in the yard reading financial news, I would brew coffee just the way he liked. He disliked noise, so I would sit silently by his side until nightfall.
I had run endlessly between two cities, giving everything outside of work to Oliver, yet in return, all I received was his merciless contempt and cruelty.
At last, the blows stopped. My body felt as though it had been torn apart, blood mixing with cold sweat as it slid down my face.
Vespera’s high heels clicked to a stop in front of me. “Why are you so shameless? Everyone knows I’m the better match for Oliver. If love can’t be forced, Leah, why don’t you just step aside quietly?”
Her smile glittered, but her eyes were full of venom. “Otherwise, I have ten thousand ways to make your life worse than death.”
I knew Vespera was rotten to the core. Without Oliver’s blind indulgence, how could she be so arrogant and overbearing? In the end, her boldness came only from being spoiled.
Oliver’s shadow fell over me, blocking out the light. His leather shoe crushed my right hand into the dirt. “This time, I’ll let you go. But remember, if there’s ever a next time, whichever hand you use to bully Vespera, I’ll break that hand.”
With that, he clasped Vespera’s hand and turned to leave.
I bit down hard, my bloodied lips slowly curving into a merciless, cold smile. “Oliver, I’ve prepared a big gift for you.”
“What?”
As Oliver and Vespera turned back in shock, I pressed the earring at my ear, cleverly disguised but in truth a communicator. “Come in. Arrest him.”
A faint smile touched my lips. “Happy tenth anniversary, Oliver.”
