Chapter 7
“Impossible! She can’t possibly be…” Her hysterical screaming was cut short by a staff
member. “Excuse me, ma’am, may I see your invitation?”
“Do you know who I am? I’m Rachel Bennett! How dare you!” she sputtered indignantly.
The staff member remained unfazed. “Sorry, but there’s no Bennett family on our guest list.
This gala is exclusively for invited corporate representatives.”
As Rachel was being escorted out, I was confidently addressing the audience from the podium.
After the gala, I was preparing to leave when-
“Scarlett!” A familiar voice cut through the crowd, trembling with emotion.
Parker stood a few steps away, his once–immaculate suit now hanging loosely on his frame.
His entire body had deteriorated dramatically–gaunt to the point of emaciation, with the
hollow–eyed look of someone intimate with sleepless nights.
I gave him an ice–cold glance and turned to leave.
“Scarlett!” He suddenly lunged forward, gripping my wrist so tightly it hurt.
“Don’t go! Please!”
I curved my lips into a mocking smile, looking directly at him. “What’s it? The great Parker
Reynolds needs something?”
His eyes instantly reddened, his Adam’s apple bobbing several times as if something was stuck in his throat. Finally, he choked out, “Scarlett, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” I let out a cold laugh, violently yanking my hand away. “What could the mighty
Parker possibly be sorry for? Was slumming it with a poor girl such a terrible inconvenience for you?”
“No!” He shook his head frantically, his voice barely recognizable. “Scarlett! I was wrong,
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completely wrong! Everything–it was all my fault!”
I stepped back, my gaze frozen. “Get lost, Parker. You make me sick.”
His body swayed visibly, his face turning ashen.
“Mr. Reynolds,” I stared directly into his eyes, each word a precision–guided missile. “Did you forget that I sold my body to a stranger to pay for your fake surgery?”
“That should have been… something I did with someone I loved.‘
“And you? Just planning to destroy me with that video!”
His pupils constricted sharply as he stood frozen like he’d been struck by lightning, his lips
trembling but no words coming out.
“Scarlett.” His voice cracked as tears fell. “What can I do to earn your forgiveness?”
I looked at him quietly, then suddenly smiled.
“Forgiveness?” I said softly. “Parker, do you even deserve it?”
“I don’t! I know I don’t!” His voice shattered completely. “But Scarlett, please! Give me a
chance to atone!”
I looked down at him, feeling nothing but emptiness inside.
Too late.
Some wounds cut too deep. No amount of tears or regret could wash them clean.
I ignored him and walked outside the venue.
Suddenly, several dark figures/lunged from the shadows. Before I could scream, a cloth
covered my mouth and nose.
When consciousness returned, I found myself sprawled across an unfamiliar bed in a dimly
lit room.
I overheard someone on the phone: “Parker, just rescue her like a knight in shining armor
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like before. She’ll definitely forgive you.”
Rachel’s voice trembled with tears. “Parker, I’m helping you win her back, so please don’t
bankrupt my family. These past years, you’ve driven us to the brink of financial ruin. My
parents have gone completely gray from stress…”
Gathering my strength, I dragged myself to the window.
Second floor–jumping would mean broken bones at worst, not death.
When Parker arrived, he looked up to see me perched on the windowsill, ready to jump.
“NO!” he screamed in terror.
I stared at him coldly and leaped.
“SCARLETT!”
He rushed forward like a madman, catching me at the last possible moment. I heard a sharp crack–the sound of his arm breaking.
“Let go,” I said icily.
His lips trembled, but he held me even tighter. “This time… I’d rather die… than let you go…”
The next second, he fainted.
Chapter 8
