I nodded at the bodyguard.
The bodyguard picked up the stamp, dipped it in ink, and pressed it onto Jason’s calf.
Jason screamed.
One stamp after another fell, bright red marks spreading across his arms, neck, and face.
He cried, begged, and in the end could only sob.
One hundred stamps. Not a single one is missing.
When the last stamp landed, Jason collapsed to the floor, his body covered in twisted red words.
I wiped my hands, and my voice calmed.
“I forgot to tell you. This ink is special. It can’t be washed off. It’ll stay with you for life.”
“I was just joking with you, Mr. Summer. You’re not angry, are you?”
Crying and screaming, Jason was dragged away by the bodyguards.
Soon, the familiar sound of a car engine came from outside.
Victoria had returned.
She wore the gentle smile she always used when soothing me.
“I rushed back as soon as the auction ended. Look what I brought you.”
Inside the jewelry box was an emerald brooch, priceless.
Victoria leaned close, wanting to pin it on me herself.
“You said you liked this style.”
“I knew it suited you the moment I saw it. Come, try it.”
As she moved, a clear scent drifted over.
It was Jason’s smell.
A wave of nausea rose in me, and I pushed Victoria away.
At that moment, Jason rushed in and grabbed her hand.
“Victoria!”
“Henry is insane! He had people stamp my whole body with ink!”
“Didn’t you say you’d always protect me?”
Victoria’s breathing became uneven.
Seeing Jason’s miserable state, her tone turned cold.
“Henry, how did you become like this?”
“So cruel?”
“Jason is still young. How can he face people after this?”
Her voice grew sharper. “Do you really want to ruin Jason?”
I looked at how she shielded Jason.
Suddenly, I remembered Victoria at eighteen.
She was careful then, barely daring to hold my hand too tightly.
We stood before the Buddha, hands clasped, making a pure, youthful vow.
Later, I asked what she wished for.
She said she wanted to earn a lot of money, to become someone worthy of Henry.
I swallowed the bitterness in my chest and forced my shaking voice steady.
“Have you ever thought about the marks you left on my face?”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
Victoria opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Seeing her silence,
Jason suddenly pulled out a medical report and shouted,
“Victoria! You’re pregnant with my child!”
“By the timing, this child is mine!”
“You can’t let him treat me like this! Take me away! Please take me away!”
I stood frozen, stunned, watching the brief flash of joy in Victoria’s eyes.
She grabbed the report and read it again and again.
Her happiness was clear.
“Don’t be afraid. We’re going to the hospital now.”
Victoria led Jason away, her steps steady as she passed me.
She left behind only one sentence:
“Henry, calm down and learn how to be a good husband.”
As Victoria held Jason’s hand and prepared to leave, a dozen lawyers in suits walked in and blocked their way.
The middle-aged man leading them placed a notice of share freeze in front of Victoria.
“Miss Sins.”
“According to the agreement you signed with the eldest young master before marriage…”
The man slid the document in front of her. “All your shares in Sins' have been frozen.”
