“Still dreaming of climbing the social ladder?”
“Do you even know who Shawn is? In New York’s elite circle, even the top families have to bow to him.”
I stared at the screen, my heart thudding like it had just been smashed by a sledgehammer.
A dull ache bloomed in my chest—but more than that, it was an indescribable sense of absurdity.
I wasn’t trying to climb to his bed.
I had already slept with him.
“The Perez family is top-tier. A man like Shawn, even proper heiresses don’t dare to provoke. And you?”
“You’re just used goods, ruined by some stray man, and you still have the nerve to fantasize?”
Sariyah’s sharp nails raked across my cheek. I tried to pull away, but the maids behind me pinned me down with iron force.
“You’re really something, Sis,” she sneered.
“You're cheap and stupid.”
I looked up at her, fury burning in my eyes.
The phone in my hand was still recording. The soft beeping continued steadily.
Luckily, Sariyah finally left.
The door slammed shut and locked from the outside.
The Perkins family’s maids didn’t even bother to glance my way.
I slumped against the icy wall, pulling out my phone.
At the top of the screen was a single unread message.
[Hey! I'm a virgin. You better take responsibility!] —Shawn
My heart gave a violent jolt.
I didn’t reply, and just stared at the message for a long time.
The wind slipped through the cracks of the window.
Outside, the night deepened like a storm was brewing.
—
The next day, the Perkins household buzzed with wedding preparations.
Father was on the phone, face cold as stone, confirming the wedding schedule.
Mother fussed over the dowry list.
On the other hand, Sariyah lounged on the sofa scrolling through social media, contempt written all over her face.
“She’s already filthy. Might as well send her off sooner. The longer she stays here, the more disgusting it gets.”
I stood on the second-floor landing, quietly watching it all unfold.
By the third day, the wedding arrangements with the Larson family were officially underway.
Half of the promised investment funds had arrived. The Perkins family clung to it like a drowning man clutching driftwood.
“She’s already been slept with once. What difference does one more time make?”
“The sooner the wedding, the better. Every day we delay, we lose more face.”
Father said those words while I was being shoved against the second-floor bathroom sink.
Sariyah stood nearby, flanked by bodyguards, her mocking laughter spilling out through the half-open door.
