Chapter 4

I wanted to take all my belongings away, but when I actually arrived, I discovered this house was connected to me everywhere.

The furniture was selected by Sebastian and me together. Even the wall colors were my favorites.

Back then, we'd nestled together, envisioning our future, adding to this space bit by bit according to our preferences.

Before I knew it, I'd walked to the bedroom door.

The man's panting, the woman's moaning—everything told me I shouldn't linger here. Yet somehow I pushed the door open.

The answer was exactly as expected.

The air was thick with chaotic scents. Men's suits and women's lace were tangled together.

Vivian screamed in panic. Sebastian quickly grabbed the blanket and covered her.

His shoulders heaved violently. He was like a powder keg about to explode.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Only a door separated us. Outside was my world, but inside I felt like an intruder who shouldn't be there.

I realized I really had gone mad.

I didn't question them. I just smiled faintly.

"Sebastian, if this is how you feel about your adopted sister, why did you deceive me in the first place?"

Veins bulged on Sebastian's forehead. His voice kept rising: "Who gave you permission to come here? Get out!"

As he commanded, I left the villa in a daze, taking nothing with me in the end.

Under the influence of alcohol, a person's senses become abnormally slow.

In my daze, I heard Vivian's soft voice behind me.

"Sebastian, I'll follow Mila. Can't have anything happen to her this late at night."

Then, in a blur, she slapped me hard across the face.

She'd completely abandoned her sweet demeanor, now looking hideous.

"This is for the slap you gave me during the day. Now I'm returning it."

My face swelled quickly, burning with pain.

She grabbed my hair and sneered in my ear.

"Mila Rivers, do you know how much I've envied you? You have so much money, and I have nothing."

Her lips curved slightly upward. "What a shame. Sebastian loves me most. This time, I won."

Something dripped down from the corner of my eye. I touched it—tears.

"So you stole him from me just because you were jealous?"

"That's right. Why do you always act so high and mighty? Seeing you this pathetic makes me happy."

I turned my head away, unwilling to argue with her.

But she forced me to face her.

"Let me tell you a secret. I've already begged Sebastian to buy the cemetery plot where your grandfather is buried. I'm going to turn it into an amusement park so it'll be noisy all the time and your grandfather will never rest in peace."

My brain exploded with a "boom."

My parents died when I was young. Grandfather raised me.

Grandfather built his fortune from nothing. His dying wish was to return to his roots, so after a simple funeral, I buried him in the vegetable garden on the hillside.

My entire body trembled violently. I lunged at her without thinking and grabbed her by the throat.

"I won't allow it! I won't allow you to desecrate my grandfather like this!"

I didn't come to my senses until someone punched me to the ground.

Several bodyguards who'd rushed over looked at me with malicious intent.

"This doesn't seem right. She's still the Rivers family heiress."

"A fallen phoenix is worse than a chicken! With Mr. Rivers dead, Rivers Corporation is leaderless now. In a few days, Mr. Foster will probably acquire it anyway."

"Didn't Miss Foster say this woman is ours to do with as we please?"