Chapter 2

After sending out the parcels, Cheryl then threw everything else related to Leon, Zane, and Steve into the trash bin. These items included jewelry sets, bags, and purses they'd bought for her, their video recordings, photos, and even their tailored suit designs that she had personally designed herself. Everything that reminded Cheryl of them was thrown away. They were in the past now, and only deserved to be buried six feet under forever. Cheryl wasn't going to make the same mistake again in this life. She focused on preparing for the wedding, not even bothering about the rest of the world outside her bubble. After busying herself for days and picking out her wedding gown and veil, Cheryl went back home and saw Leon, Zane, and Steve all huddling around Giselle on the couch. Leon was busy fiddling with the thermostat, Zane was occupied with feeding Giselle some broth, and Steve was engaged in wrapping her up in a blanket so she wouldn't feel the cold. They all looked extremely concerned about her. Cheryl couldn't help the flash of self-mockery that appeared in her eyes when she saw how preciously the trio were treating Giselle like a princess. It was so obvious that they were in love with her. How could she not have picked up a clue in her past life? Suddenly, Cheryl was awash with all sorts of emotions, with the wave of bitterness being the dominant one, making it hard for her to breathe again. Giselle caught sight of Cheryl while she was still spacing out. She immediately jumped to her feet and looked both scared and respectful of her at the same time. "Y-You're back, Ms. Jenner. I'll go and fetch you a glass of warm water at once and prepare dinner for you. Please wait for a while." She then turned to leave, but Leon quickly pulled her back onto the couch. "Gigi hasn't fully recovered yet. It's not like you don't have other maids around the house. Cheryl, next time, let someone else handle small tasks like these." Zane and Steve also chimed in, "Gigi badly hurt this time. Cheryl, you should just let her rest next time." "Yes. If you don't have enough maids at home, just tell us. We can always lend you some of our maids. Don't order Gigi around anymore." Cheryl had not even said a single word ever since coming home, and yet, she was already blamed for so many things. She sighed softly, her eyes dimming slightly. "I know that she's just my butler's daughter and not my maid. I have never forced her to do anything. "Since you're all so concerned about her, why don't you bring her to your home so that you can take better care of her? You wouldn't have to worry about losing sight of her then, and she wouldn't have to be afraid." Giselle immediately widened her eyes and fell to the ground on her knees, begging, "I'm sorry, Ms. Jenner! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have become so lazy after falling sick! Can you please not chase me or my dad away? I'll go and finish up the chores at once!" She cried so hard that her face was a wet and snotty mess, as if she'd just been told that her favorite pet dog had died. As soon as they saw the tears in Giselle's eyes, Leon, Zane, and Steve immediately grew grim. They hurriedly picked Giselle up from the ground and shielded her behind them. Then, they glared at Cheryl and spoke angrily to her. "Gigi did nothing wrong! How could you just chase her away for nothing? Must you bully a young and defenseless little girl like this?" "She's already so badly injured, and you seriously still want her to wait on you hand and foot? It's bad enough that you're not even concerned about her health—now you want to chase her out of the house too? Can't you show her some empathy?" "Her injuries are getting worse because of you! If she forces herself to work even though she doesn't feel well next time, you'll drive her into despair! Are you finally going to be happy if something terrible happens to her?" When Cheryl saw how much the trio was protecting Giselle, her face also hardened. "I did absolutely nothing but mention that you're free to bring her home with you. And you call that bullying? So, I'm just a bossy, arrogant, and self-centered bitch in your eyes? Are you going to pin the blame on me every single time she feels unhappy? Is that it?" The living room turned quiet at Cheryl's heated questions. She felt helpless and at a loss for what to do when she saw the stunned looks on the trio's faces. Not wanting to speak anymore, she just turned and went back to her bedroom. Just as she'd managed to calm herself down, Giselle came knocking at her door with a cup of coffee. She wore a scared, sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry, Ms. Jenner. Don't get mad at those three anymore. They only said such things at that time because they were so concerned about me. It's my fault that you guys argued. If you must blame someone, then you should blame me." After her experience in her past life, Cheryl knew that Giselle was just pretending to make peace with her when she was trying to rile up the situation even further. So, Cheryl didn't respond to her. "Put the coffee down and get out of my room." Giselle felt even more wronged when she heard Cheryl's icy tone. However, she didn't dare say anything else. She then purposely spilled the coffee all over Cheryl's arm and pretended that it was an accident. The hot coffee scalded the entirety of Cheryl's body, giving her first degree burns as blisters quickly surfaced on her skin. Cheryl let out a low grunt and pushed Giselle away, who had grabbed some napkins and rushed forward to "help". However, Giselle took advantage of the situation and fell backward, knocking her head against the table behind her. Blood began to pour from the wound at once. Giselle started screaming in pain, her shrill voice piercing through the entire mansion. Before Cheryl had even realized what had happened, Leon, Zane, and Steve had all kicked her room door open and barged right in. They panicked when they saw Giselle out cold on the floor, her head dripping with blood. Zane immediately roughly shoved Cheryl aside, who was in the way, while Leon rushed up to Giselle and picked her up from the floor. Steve quickly came up and pressed his hand against the wound on her head. The three of them then ran out of the room with Giselle in their arms. Nobody stayed to check on Cheryl, who had been shoved so hard that she hit her body against the glass display case. It shattered and rained showers of glass all over her body, leaving painful cuts everywhere on her skin. Blood seeped through Cheryl's clothes. She was in so much pain that she curled into a ball on the ground, unable to stop herself from shaking. As the trio's silhouettes gradually disappeared, Cheryl couldn't hold it back anymore as tears began streaming down her face. Her heart ached so much that she couldn't even bear it anymore. She bit down harshly on her lips, determined not to let a single sob escape her. There was only one thought left in her mind. She wanted to break away from the world that the three of them lived. She never wanted to have anything to do with them ever again.