Chapter 2

The moment Cynthia's text message was sent, a 'typing…' indicator appeared on the corner of her phone screen. It was as if the recipient of her message had been waiting on her reply all this while. Soon, the reply came. "As you wish. I'll be waiting for you at Amarette Coast. Don't disappoint me." A brief smile tugged at Cynthia's lips as she read the swift but impactful text response. Bitterness welled up in her chest. How pathetic. The only person who came to Cynthia's aid when she was at her lowest after being betrayed by her loved ones ended up being her lifelong rival, Marcus White. The man that Cynthia had once pointed at and called an 'evil, scheming snake' had turned out to be her only accomplice in her plans for revenge. Cynthia turned her phone off, and a great wave of exhaustion flooded her in an instant. The spot where Damian had forced himself in was now burning with pain. ... Cynthia had an incredibly restless sleep that night. The sounds of commotion from her wedding day flit in and out of her kaleidoscope-like dreams. When she woke up, the sky was pale and foggy. Cynthia wiped the remnants of tears from her eyes as her gaze hardened. She got out of bed and washed up, then she put on a turtleneck sweater to cover up evidence of last night's tousle with Damian before leaving the house, her face pale and cold. It was her mother's death anniversary today. The cemetery was perpetually shrouded in a damp chill. Cynthia placed a bouquet of white lilies before her mother's headstone. They had been Rhea's favorite flowers when she was still alive. Cynthia crouched down and gently caressed the photograph of her mother's smiling face on the headstone. She said, "I've come to see you, Mom. Don't worry, I'm alright… I promise. I swear I'll uncover the truth of what happened with Dad so that he can finally be released from prison free of all charges. I won't let any debt owed to our family go unpaid. Please watch after us from above, okay?" The faint sound of footsteps rang out from behind her the moment she finished speaking. She turned around to see Damian walking over, still wearing his prosecutor's office uniform. Alice was standing beside him, also clad in her uniform. Cynthia felt disgusted seeing them huddled so closely together. She hissed at them, "Screw off." Damian stopped walking. Then, he wordlessly lowered his head before Rhea's grave, paying his respects. Right as he lowered his head, Cynthia swiftly got to her feet and smacked the bouquet of flowers from his hands. The beautifully-wrapped bouquet immediately fell from the impact, scattering all across the ground. Cynthia's eyes were like shards of ice as she glared at Damian and Alice. "What is the meaning of this, Damian Gray? Bringing the flowers and the woman my mother hates the most to come and see her? Are you so desperate to see my mother turn in her grave?" Damian's brows furrowed together as he replied quietly, "Alice was the one who bought the flowers for Mrs. Stutton as an act of respect. It's just flowers, Cynthia. Why do you have to—" "Just flowers?" Cynthia cut him off, disbelief and sarcasm in her tone. A memory instantly surfaced in Cynthia's mind. Damian had always kept tabs on everyone's preferences in the Stutton family. He never forgot that Rhea, with her pollen allergy, could only have lilies because it had a lighter fragrance. Hence he would always make sure the florist tended accordingly to the flowers beforehand. Damian's level of care and attention always made Rhea chuckle whenever she received flowers from him. She used to say, "Damian's such a caring and thoughtful young man. Who knows how spoiled our darling Cynthia will be once she marries him?" Cynthia thought she'd be the sole recipient of Damian's tender love and care for the rest of their lives. But in reality, that was not the case. Not only had Damian ruined Cynthia's entire family, he'd even said something as careless as 'It's just flowers' when it came to flowers for Rhea. Alice forced the malicious glee down in her eyes before saying cautiously, "I'm sorry, Ms. Stutton. I just… I just wanted to pay my sincerest respects to Mrs. Stutton." Cynthia instantly returned to her senses upon seeing Alice's fake little act. Upon recalling Alice's claims in court during Edward's trial, Cynthia rose to her feet. "Alright," Cynthia said. She then grabbed Alice by the shoulders and shoved her down on the ground without hesitation. Alice shrieked and cried in fear, her knees hitting the cold, hard ground. "Stop it!" Damian's expression swiftly shifted. He helped Alice to her feet and checked her for any injuries. When he next looked up at Cynthia, he said in an accusatory tone, "Can you not throw such a childish tantrum? Alice just wanted to come and apologize." Cynthia was shoved aside and stumbled a little, but quickly regained her footing. She smoothed out her slightly-tousled hair, looking a little laid back. "Didn't you hear Ms. Holland here loud and clear, Mr. Gray? She was the one who wanted to apologize to my mother. I was just helping her get into a more 'sincere' state of mind. Is that so wrong?" Cynthia drawled. "You…" A vein in Damian's temple throbbed upon hearing Cynthia's distorted claim. His brows furrowed tightly together. He leaned down to lift a frightened and trembling Alice bridal-style into his arms. Then, he warned Cynthia before leaving, "It's time to stop with this foolishness, Cynthia Stutton." Cynthia didn't turn around. She slowly crouched down and caressed the ground, feeling the residual warmth on it. A smile surfaced on her pale face. She said, "Did you see that, Mom? That was just the beginning. I'm going to make everyone who's ever wronged us pay for what they did."