Her father—a man in his fifties with graying hair, was being forced to his knees by a group of bodyguards.
And on his back sat Milena, cracking a whip against him as if training a dog.
“C’mon, old man, crawl! You can’t even crawl, then what good are you?”
Hazel’s blood boiled. Without hesitation, she rushed over and pulled Milena down.
Then she slapped her hard.
"How dare you hit me? Do you know what you're doing?"
Milena was stunned, staring at Hazel in disbelief.
But Hazel ignored her and distressed, helped her father to his feet, “I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve come sooner.”
Just then, the door opened. Vincent walked in, carrying breakfast he’d personally made for Milena.
The moment Milena saw him, she ran to him like a wounded child. “Vincent! Look what that horrible woman did to me! My face hurts so much.”
Milena’s skin was fair — too fair. The slap Hazel had given her wasn’t even that hard, yet it was still extremely red and swollen.
Vincent’s face darkened instantly.
He ordered someone to hold Hazel down, then turned and had Milena return the slap herself.
He ignored Hazel’s explanations and said coldly, "No one can bully Milena in my territory."
Hearing this, Milena approached Hazel with even greater pride.
One slap, two slaps... She slapped her ten times before finally stopping, satisfied.
Hazel who had initially struggled, finally became numb.
Her entire face was red and swollen and blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.
But Vincent didn’t even flinch.
Instead, he took Milena’s hand and gently massaged it. “You hit her so hard,” he murmured. “Don't you feel any pain?"
Seeing this, Hazel's already broken heart began to ache uncontrollably again.
So did her father. He struggled against the guards, desperate to reach her, but it was useless.
Milena wasn’t done. She demanded an even harsher punishment. But Vincent was unable to persuade her, so he had no choice but to cruelly order Hazel to be thrown into the basement.
“If she wants to be Mrs. Clarke, she’d better learn to act like one. Keep her there for two days so she can reflect on her behavior.”
Hazel was thrown like she was trash into the cold, damp basement.
For an entire day, no one brought her food or water.
When she thought she might actually starve to death, the door creaked open.
Milena stepped inside, crouching down with a tray of spoiled leftovers.
“Hi, Hazel, I brought you dinner. You must be starving,” Milena said in a sing-song tone. “Want me to feed you?”
Humiliation flooded Hazel’s chest. She used her last bit of strength to refuse. “I’d rather die than eat garbage.”
Milena’s expression twisted into something cruel. She grabbed Hazel’s chin, pried her mouth open by force and shoved the rotten food in.
Hazel who was furious, pushed Milena away. Then she grabbed the plate and smashed it over that woman’s head. Not only that, she also picked up a shard of glass and stepped toward her.
Blood trickled down Milena’s forehead. Terrified, she screamed — staring at Hazel like she had seen a devil.
Vincent rushed over once he heard the noise. By the time he burst into the room, he saw Hazel dragging the shard of glass toward Milena’s face.
His expression darkened instantly. Without hesitation, he kicked Hazel hard in the gut, sending her flying across the room.
“Call the hospital. Tell them to stop all treatment for her sister.”
“While for Hazel, keep locking her down here. No food. No water. No one opens that door unless I say so.”
Hazel froze. “No—Vincent, please!” she cried weakly. “You can punish me however you want, but don’t stop my sister’s treatment! Please!”
He didn’t even look at her.
Still holding Milena, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
The heavy door slammed shut, cutting off all light.
In the darkness, Hazel felt the warm blood spreading beneath her. Her vision blurred, her strength fading away — until everything went black.
