Chapter 2

This time, Frederick was scared out of his wits. He stammered as he asked if I was alright. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and replied indifferently, "I'm fine, Mr. Waterhouse. Thanks for your concern." William had already left. By the time I arrived at the parking lot, his Maybach was already gone. The breeze picked up, and I stopped in my tracks, crouching with my arms wrapped around my stomach. I hadn't had a proper meal in seven days, and my stomach now churned painfully. Shaking uncontrollably, I curled up into a ball. Just as I nearly passed out from the pain, I instinctively reached for the sun tattoo on my right wrist, my fingers grazing it as I muttered repeatedly under my breath, "Ty… Ty…" Only then did I recover the strength to get back on my feet and trudge back to the Carter residence. The sky had only just begun to break with first light. I didn't know if William had stayed up through the night or just gotten out of bed. He leaned against the door by the yard, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he eyed me impassively. "Was Mr. Waterhouse pleased with your services?" I fell silent as the memory of Frederick's stunned expression resurfaced. William's mouth twisted into a sneer. "How dare you come back here without giving your all to please the man?" He left me out in the cold breeze for half an hour as punishment, and it wasn't until Sophie had woken up and asked for breakfast that he let me into the house. As the door swung open, my legs caved under my weight, and I collapsed. William instinctively reached for me to hold me upright. His dark eyes narrowed, and his lips parted as if he wanted to say something to me. However, Sophie interjected with a lighthearted giggle. "Trust me, I always have a hard time walking after William gives it to me good. My legs will be as weak as jelly! I'm assuming you had a great time last night, Giselle." William grimaced in disgust when he heard this and let go of me. I collapsed the moment I lost his support, and my knees hit the floor. The place where I'd had a screw hammered into my bone caused me to bleat in pain. I bit my lower lip as I dragged myself into the kitchen with superhuman effort, then made breakfast for William and Sophie just the way they liked it. Upon returning to my room, I swallowed painkillers and antidepressants. I barely got any rest before William barged in and dragged me out of bed. "Sophie got sick after she ate your cooking! Come with me to the hospital right now!" He made quite a scene over the incident, summoning all the specialists in the hospital to examine Sophie, lest he miss something. No one dared to defy or question him, for he was the scion of the Carter family, the economic backbone of Ostenea. "Anything you'd like to explain, Giselle?" I met William's confrontation with a dispassionate look. "It was my fault. Punish me if you must." William sneered, closing the distance between us in slow, predatory steps. "You don't have to spell it out for me. I know you're jealous of Sophie because she's the one I'm marrying, not you. You must be disappointed that your years of hard work and scheming are all for naught." I leaned against the wall and met his gaze, my tone full of sincerity as I replied, "No, I'm thrilled for you. All I want is for you to be happy." It was Tyler's wish for William to be happy. As William and I locked eyes, I noticed the surprise flickering through his. He looked as if a part of his heart had caved in to emotions, and the feeling left him helpless. He didn't snap out of his daze until he heard a high-pitched, "Liam?" "Ms. Harlow might not have meant for the food poisoning to happen. Let her off on a light punishment. Don't be too hard on her," Sophie said. William gently stroked her hair, but his gaze darted over to where I stood outside the door. "Alright. We'll forget about this, then." For a second, Sophie's expression froze. What did William mean by that? Was he planning to let me off without a punishment? Nonetheless, she forced a smile. "Okay!" … When I showed up at the company the next day, word of my rendezvous with Frederick the other night had already spread like wildfire among the staff. As I walked past the interns, Sophie shot me a gloating look. My co-workers whispered among themselves, "Ms. Harlow has been with Mr. Carter for almost eight years, right? I heard she's not even getting a paycheck! She's practically free labor. There are prostitutes who make more than she does." "She can grovel at Mr. Carter's feet and cling to him for all I care. She's still no match for Sophie. Mr. Carter probably orders Ms. Harlow around like a dog. To him, she's just a toy he can share with others." I ignored the vicious gossip. While I was handing in the signed letter of termination along with the handover paperwork, I spotted the wedding invitation on William's office desk. However, the address of the wedding venue was what had me dumbstruck. William and Sophie planned to tie the knot in Briarwood. But why Briarwood, of all places? It was where I'd first met Tyler. More importantly, it was where Tyler had been buried, and his tombstone was still there.