Chapter 5

Tiffany thought I was about to break, and her eyes lit up.

“Ethan, is she about to cry?”

“I knew she couldn’t pretend for long.”

She took out her phone and pointed it at me.

“Come on, Aria, look at the camera and say you were wrong.”

“Just admit you’re not worthy of Ethan, and I’ll open the door.”

I looked up at her.

“Tiffany, are you sure you want to continue?”

She froze for a moment, then scoffed.

“It’s come to this, and you’re still threatening me?”

“Aria, you don’t really think you’re still Miss Hayes, the one everyone at Vance Group reveres, do you?”

“Your position was given by Ethan. He can give it to you, and he can take it back.”

I slowly straightened up.

“Then ask him if the Vance Group can still take back my position now.”

A dark flicker crossed Ethan’s eyes.

“Aria, what do you mean?”

I looked at him through the rain.

“It means you’d better pray I’m okay tonight.”

“Otherwise, tomorrow, the Vance Group won’t have an engagement party, only a liquidation meeting.”

The crowd laughed again, thinking I was just bluffing.

Tiffany Blackwood bent over laughing.

“Liquidation meeting? Who are you going to liquidate? The Vance family?”

“Aria, are you frozen stupid?”

Ethan’s face darkened. “Enough.”

He looked up at me, his voice lowered.

“Aria, don’t overestimate your importance.”

“The projects you’re working on are ultimately the Vance Group’s.”

“Your connections were also made on the Vance Group platform.”

“Without the Vance Group, you are nothing.”

I looked at him, and the last shred of pain in my heart burned to ash at that moment.

“Alright. Ethan, then we’ll see tomorrow.”

“We’ll see who truly becomes nothing without whom.”

Tiffany didn’t like that look in my eyes.

She wanted to see me cry, wanted to see me beg, wanted to see me lose all dignity in front of everyone.

But I didn't, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

“Aria, you’re really tough.”

She handed her umbrella to someone nearby and walked to the electronic lock herself.

“Since you won’t admit you’re wrong, let’s make it harder.”

She pressed another button.

The automatic blackout blinds around the conservatory suddenly dropped, thick black curtains slowly covering the transparent glass.

Light was cut off, and my breathing instantly became ragged.

Confinement, darkness, and the sound of water pressed down on me simultaneously. My vision blurred.

Tiffany stood outside the door, watching me through the last remaining gap.

“You said you wanted to liquidate them?”

“Come on, walk out of here first, then talk.”

The curtains completely fell, plunging the conservatory into a dim twilight.

Only the white lights above flickered like a malfunction, on and off.

The water kept falling, each drop like the rain leaking into that old warehouse.

I heard my mother calling me, “Aria, crawl out. Don’t look back.”

I bit down hard on my lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth.

I couldn’t collapse, at least not now.

There were still people outside waiting to laugh at me.

Ethan was still standing there, waiting for me to bow my head and surrender.

I fumbled my way to a corner.

There was a decorative iron flower stand in the conservatory.

I used all my strength to lift the flower stand and slammed it hard against the glass door.

The first strike only left a crack in the glass.

The people outside were startled.

Someone shouted, “Is she crazy?”

“That’s bulletproof glass; she can’t break it.”

“Aria, stop struggling. It’s better to just admit you’re wrong.”

I didn't stop. The second strike, the third.

My wrists were numb from the impact, the web between my thumb and forefinger split open, and blood mixed with rainwater dripped onto the floor.

The cracks in the glass grew denser.

Tiffany finally panicked.

She banged on the door, shouting, “Aria, don’t do anything reckless!”

“If that glass breaks, you’ll get hurt!”

I scoffed. “Now you’re afraid I’ll get hurt?”

Tiffany’s face went pale. She looked back at Ethan.

“Ethan, she’s really going to smash the door!”

Ethan frowned deeply.

“Aria, stop.”

“You’re just making things worse.”

I swung the flower stand again, smashing it down.

With a loud crash, a corner of the glass door finally shattered.

Cold wind rushed in.

I kicked hard at that.