"What are you crying for on New Year's? So unlucky," Quinn frowned and muttered.
Juno’s expression darkened even more. "Who are you trying to curse? Stop making a fool of yourself here!"
Quinn quickly called over a bodyguard. "Get this woman out of here!"
Juno opened his mouth as if to stop it, but seeing Sasha’s defiant expression, he swallowed his words.
She was so out of control, so she needed to face some consequences and learn a lesson.
Sasha was tossed out by the bodyguards.
The room had the heater on, but outside was freezing cold. She only had a wet and drafty dress on, making her shiver so hard that her teeth chattered.
She hugged herself tightly and ran outside.
Suddenly, a firework exploded in the sky, dazzlingly beautiful.
Sasha couldn’t help but look back, only to see Juno and Quinn cuddling on the villa’s terrace under the fireworks.
They both looked up at the sky and Quinn smiled so happily.
Sasha vaguely remembered the past three years when Juno would always take her to watch fireworks.
He gently said, "You love fireworks the most, so every year, I’ll be with you to watch them."
Sasha was surprised at the time. She had never said she liked fireworks, yet he knew.
She had thought it was a shared understanding, but it turned out that it was actually Quinn who loved them.
The biting cold wind pierced through her body, creeping deep into her heart.
The fireworks this year were so beautiful, yet Sasha suddenly found she didn’t like them anymore.
She would never love either fireworks and this man again.
When Sasha walked back to the factory, the clock struck twelve.
The new year had arrived.
At a time meant for family reunion and celebration, she was alone in her dorm, hugging herself and crying in frustration.
She felt so lonely and homesick.
After changing into some clothes, Sasha lay down, but the cold had already gotten to her and she came down with a fever.
She had hoped to rest and recover on the first day of the new year, but early in the morning, as she slept deeply, the blanket was suddenly ripped away and a biting chill rushed in.
Sasha struggled to open her heavy eyelids, only to see Juno's dark face staring down at her.
“Quinn said you’re pretending to be sick. I didn’t believe it at first, but now I see it’s true! Even though it's a holiday, the construction can’t stop. I already told you about the shift schedule. You’re skipping work!”
Sasha felt a chill all over her body and she weakly spoke, "What shift schedule?"
Seeing her clueless expression, Juno glanced at Quinn.
Quinn’s eyes instantly reddened. "Sasha, even if you have a problem with me, you can't twist the facts! I clearly confirmed with you. You have no family here, so I asked you to work during the holiday. You'll get overtime pay for it."
Sasha realized she had been set up once again, but her dizziness left her with no strength to argue.
"I’m really sick... I can’t work. I’m just so tired..."
Unable to hold on any longer, she lay back down.
Juno hesitated for only a second before the anger in his eyes flared, fueled by memories of her past actions.
He grabbed the nearby thermos and poured the water over her.
"Still refusing to learn? Addicted to lying, huh? Does this wake you up?"
Caught off guard, Sasha couldn't dodge in time. Her upper body was completely soaked and the bed was drenched as well.
Thankfully, she hadn’t gone to fetch hot water yesterday after being dragged away by Juno. The water in the thermos was now lukewarm, not scalding.
Otherwise, she would have been burned.
Sasha felt both relieved and deeply saddened.
Was it because he didn’t love her? Was it because she was just a stand-in? Did that give him the right to treat her so cruelly, with no regard for her well-being?
But Juno was the factory manager, holding all the power here. She knew that resisting further would only provoke him to greater extremes.
Left with no choice, she forced herself to head to the workshop despite her fever and weakness.
