Chapter 2

Julian froze when he heard my words. The next second, his face twisted with anger. He stepped forward, his voice sharp and shrill. "Vivian Brooke! Have you lost your mind? You're calling off the engagement over something this trivial? Do you even know what you're saying?" "Trivial?" I forced the sound out of my lungs. "You swapped out my life-saving oxygen, and you call that trivial?" Bianca immediately stepped in, her voice timid and apologetic. "Julian, please don't be angry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't be so weak… Vivi must just be saying this because she hates me…" She looked at me with a faint but unmistakable trace of smugness hidden deep in her eyes. Our mountain guide, Jonah Hart, couldn't stand it anymore. He frowned and tried to make things right. "Mr. Gray, Ms. Brooke really doesn't look well. Altitude sickness isn't something to joke about. How about we first—" "You don't understand, Jonah!" Julian cut him off rudely, his tone firm and absolute. "She's just out of shape and loves to put on an act. Which photoshoot has she not made a fuss over? Last time in the Gebo Desert, she got heatstroke and held up the entire team. Now she's pulling the same stunt again!" His words stabbed into me like ice picks. That time in the Gebo Desert, I had nearly gone into heatstroke just to catch the best possible light for the photos. But to him, it was nothing more than making a mountain out of a molehill. "Exactly," another assistant who was close to Julian chimed in quietly. "Julian is thinking about the big picture, Vivian. Bianca is new, and it's her first time on such a high-difficulty project. Taking extra care of her is only natural. "You're experienced. Just endure it, and it'll pass." I looked at him, my vision growing blurrier as tears welled up involuntarily. "Endure? How do you expect me… to endure this…" My lungs felt like they were being sealed shut with concrete. My heart hammered wildly, slamming against my chest. The blood vessels at my temples throbbed violently, as if they were about to burst at any second. These were clear warning signs of cerebral edema and pulmonary edema. I knew it better than anyone. Seeing this, Bianca looked as if she had suffered an enormous grievance. Her voice trembled with tears. "Vivi, please don't be like this. I'm really scared of you guys fighting because of me… Why don't I give the oxygen back to you? I… I should be fine…" She made a show of reaching for her mask. Julian grabbed her hand at once, both distressed and furious. "Bia, don't be stupid! She's pressuring you! Anyone can pretend to be pitiful!" He whipped his head around to face me, his gaze cold and full of disgust. "Vivian, I really misjudged you! I never thought you'd be this selfish and narrow-minded to the point that you're unable to tolerate even a newcomer! "Do you have to make everyone revolve around you to be satisfied?" He then continued to bring up the past. "And back then, when you ran into danger during that shoot, who was it that begged everywhere to get someone to rescue you? And now, just because you're a little uncomfortable, you want to ruin everyone's hard work?" That incident had happened because I was shooting a promotional project for his father's company. Now, he was using it as ammunition against me. The excruciating headache made it impossible for me to form a coherent rebuttal. I could only gape helplessly as broken, wheezing sounds spilled from my throat. Hiding behind Julian, Bianca's lips curled up for a split second before she spoke with concern. "Julian, Vivi's complexion looks terrifying. Is she really—" "Fake! It's all an act!" he snapped decisively. "She's a great actress! She just wants to force me to give in so she can control me even more in the future. I won't fall for it!" With that, he took out his bottle, twisted it open, and brought it to Bianca's lips. "Here, drink some hot water. Don't mind her. Let her calm down on her own." Warm steam rose from the bottle, a cruel contrast to the cold steadily claiming my body. Despair was like the eternal ice beneath my feet, freezing upward layer by layer. Leaning against the ice-covered rock, my body slid down uncontrollably. My consciousness began to drift. In my fading vision, Julian, who was shielding Bianca, and the others whispering among themselves, all turned into blurred, wavering phantoms. That bottle of life-saving, special altitude sickness medication lay right by Bianca's feet. It was only three or four yards away, yet it felt as unreachable as the other side of an abyss. Just then, Bianca silently crouched in front of me. She removed her oxygen mask, revealing her rosy and healthy complexion. Lowering her head, she spoke in a voice only I could hear. "Vivian, does the lack of oxygen feel good?" Her lips stretched into a cruel curve. "Actually, Julian has been sick of your controlling nature for a long time. He says you're rigid and dull like a rock. "When you die in an accident, your reputation, your work, and Julian himself… I'll be sure to help you take care of them all." She lightly patted my face, her tone icy to the bone. "Don't worry. The memorial will definitely be very grand."