Chapter 3

The five-story villa was brightly lit at night. This was where Winston and Asher were staying now. A sense of relief washed over me. At least Asher and Winston were living the good life Winston had once promised me. The housekeeper led me into the villa. Winston stood waiting for me at the door. He handed me a set of clothes and said, "Go get a bath—you're filthy." He slowly wiped his hands, as if I was some kind of contagious disease. I didn't bother arguing and took the clothes. In the steam-filled bathroom, I stared at my pale body, covered in tiny pinpricks. The two four-inch surgical scars on the sides of my waist were burning. After some time, the door to the bathroom burst open suddenly. Winston coldly chuckled as he leaned against the door. "You've been taking a 40-minute-long bath—are you waiting for me to tend to you?" His contemptuous gaze swept over my body, finally stopping at the scars on my waist. His gaze widened. "This is—" "Appendix surgery," I replied quickly, as water droplets dripped onto Winston's suit shoulder. I reached out to grab his arm, deliberately leaning in as I asked, "Are you going to exercise your power as a patron, Mr. Jones?" Winston recoiled, as if my touch burned him. "Hurry and come out if you're done!" His voice was sharp. However, it shifted to a mocking tone shortly after. "Many are waiting for you." … After getting changed and stepping into the living room, I finally understood what Winston meant when he said many were waiting for me. Standing under the crystal chandelier were the impeccably dressed family members of the Jones. They were all looking at me with keen interest. Mrs. Jones was the only person whose expression fell when she saw me. "Is that you, Seraphina?" She staggered over to me and gave me a slap on the face. "Aren't you causing enough problems for Winston and Asher already? What exactly do you want, coming back now?" Mrs. Jones grabbed my hair and shoved me to the ground. Winston's cousin, Emily Jones, made her way over holding a glass of red wine. She looked at me condescendingly. "I heard she offered to be Winston's secret lover, Aunt Laura. "He's too kind—how is she even worth 500,000 dollars? I wouldn't even want to pay her 50 dollars—she's just too filthy! She'd rather be someone else's secret lover than live an easy and reputable life. How cheap could she be?" The sound of constant mockery echoed. Emily lifted her wine glass up and slowly poured wine over my head. The smell of alcohol filled my nostrils, and my stomach got twisted in knots as I gagged. Yet, she only exclaimed, "Oh, these shoes are the latest work of an exclusive LV designer. They're worth two million dollars." Emily's slender heels dug into my hand as she exerted some strength and leaned in. "How are you going to pay for it?" Winston and Asher wore similar cold expressions as they stood among the crowd. However, they seemed to be smiling, as if satisfied with this whole public shaming act. I struggled to retrieve my hand, staggering to my feet. "I don't have money." "You don't have money?" Emily's tone went sharp as a bottle of red wine was smashed onto the ground by my feet. Shards of shattered glass cut my calves, causing blood to trickle down, mixing with the spilled red wine. Emily said, "Fine. You can get on your knees and lick up every drop of wine, then. I might be kind enough to forgive you then." All eyes turned toward me, eagerly watching everything that was happening. Winston and Asher walked over to me. Winston glanced at my bleeding calf and mocked, "It must've hurt, right?" Of course it hurt. Ever since I was a child, pain had always been my biggest fear. Back then, even getting a shot would make me cry for hours. However, someone like me had had my body cut open in order to donate both my kidneys to them. Over the course of five years, I allowed countless needles to enter my body and endured the pain of dialysis every single time. I smiled bitterly and said, "You arranged for this and asked me to come. Was it all just so you could take your revenge on me, Winston?" Winston smiled disdainfully. "I've told you you're not even worth my time. It was Ash's idea for you to come over." My eyes widened as I looked at Asher in disbelief. He looked cold as he handed a bottle of red wine to me. "I only wanted to let everyone know that my mommy had died five years ago." Winston took Asher's hand and said. "You've always wanted money, right? Drink it, and I'll cover the 200,000 dollars for you." Everyone in the living room wore cold, mocking expressions as they waited for the drama to unfold. Without my kidneys, my body had long been pushed beyond its limits. My doctor had repeatedly warned me against drinking alcohol. However, as I looked at Winston's and Asher's hate-filled gazes, I grabbed the still-full wine bottle. It wasn't heavy, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that my hand might slip. I looked up at the two of them and smiled. Finally, I said, "That doesn't include the 500,000 dollars I was promised as your secret lover, right?" Shocked, Winston was soon overwhelmed by fury. "I wouldn't stoop so low as to cheat off a hooker's money!" He threw a handful of bills onto the ground, their colors striking against the spilled wine. After hearing Winston's answer, I smiled, grabbed the wine bottle, and started pouring wine into my mouth. The sharp burn of alcohol raced down my throat and into my stomach, and the spot where my kidneys used to be throbbed with intense pain. Halfway through the bottle, I could feel blood rising from my throat. I ignored the discomfort and forced the blood down with alcohol. My chest heaved as I doubled down to catch my breath. Everyone else had treated this as a spectacle. However, Winston's and Asher's expressions grew darker as time passed. As I continued to drink, Winston finally grabbed my arm. "Will you die without money, Seraphina?" I looked at his reddening eyes and nodded. "That's right. I'll die without money." Asher paled, and Winston pushed me away angrily. "How despicable! Since you loved money so much, you should've died five years ago! Why are you still alive now?" Although he didn't push me away hard enough, my body could no longer take it anymore. I collapsed onto the ground. Tiny shards of glass pierced my skin, and my blood seeped out onto the floor. The first thing Selene saw when she barged in was me lying among glass shards, coughing out blood. She anxiously collected me into her arms and shouted at Winston and Asher, "Sera donated both her kidneys to you! She can't be drinking alcohol when she has no kidney now! Do you know she might actually die from this?"