Chapter 4

As Stanley watched the doctor tend to Tina's wounds, he realized he didn't feel the heartache he had expected. That was strange.

He was obviously in love with the bright and dazzling Tina now, but what surfaced in his mind instinctively was my face, pale as a ghost.

As the daughter of a housekeeper, I had always lived frugally. My frame was as fragile and thin as a sheet of paper.

After he kicked me and I vomited blood, I seemed even more fragile. It was as if I could disappear at any moment…

Stanley felt as if a small thorn had pierced his heart, sending a brief, sharp pang of pain through him.

As she lay in the hospital bed, Tina catalogued Stanley's dazed expression. Her gaze slowly darkened.

After the doctor left, she quietly tore at her wounds to make them worse. With tears in her eyes, she called out to Stanley, "Stanley… It hurts…"

Stanley watched the blood slowly spreading across the white sheets. His eyes widened in shock as he quickly grabbed Tina's hand.

"How did it suddenly get so bad?"

Tina pulled her hand away, turning her face as tears fell. She looked like a stubborn, delicate flower.

In that instant, Stanley's heart ached unbearably for her. He pulled Tina firmly into his arms and promised, "Tina, you've been wronged. If you stop crying, I'll grant you anything you want."

This was exactly what Tina had been waiting for. She spoke softly, and her gaze brimmed with a bitterness she didn't realize she had.

"Is that right? What if I said I wanted Dawn dead?"

Stanley abruptly pulled his hand back with a look of disbelief on his face. "Tina, I've already sent her to the psychiatric hospital. She won't be a threat to you anymore."

Yet Tina wouldn't let it go. She grabbed Stanley's hand tightly and pleaded, "Stanley, I've never asked you for anything. This is the first time…"

Stanley's expression gradually turned cold as he said flatly, "Enough, Tina."

Tina froze, and her expression turned dark and unreadable. Slowly, she said, "I'm sorry, Stanley."

She forced a fragile smile and sniffled. She said pitifully, "I'm just a little envious of Dawn. Despite her humble background, she’s so confident and beautiful.

"It's like anyone standing next to her becomes the leading man, and she's the only heroine…"

Something about these words touched a nerve in Stanley. He pinched the bridge of his brow, growing impatient.

"Stop. You know I don't believe in that kind of talk."

Tina sensed the unease hidden under his irritation. She smirked and continued. Her words were a veiled jab.

"After all, it's because I'm just the illegitimate daughter of the Wests. People call me a fake, saying I could never compare to the true heirs of noble families. That's why I can't let things go—"

Stanley punched the wall and roared, "I told you to stop!"

The fact that Stanley wasn't truly the rightful heir of the Meyers was an unspoken secret in Eastvale's elite circles.

It was a notorious joke in the social circle that, back then, his mother had flaunted her pregnancy in front of Mr. Meyer's wife. Then, after Mrs. Meyer died of anger, Stanley's mother took him along with her and shamelessly seized her chance to rise to the top.

This had always been an untouchable sore spot for Stanley.

It might have been one thing if he actually had talent and virtue to match his position. Yet, he couldn't even measure up to me, a housekeeper's daughter.

By my junior year of college, I was already navigating the business world—drinking on his behalf, making connections, and brokering deals.

After graduating and officially entering the workforce, I shone like a rising star. My worth far surpassed Stanley's.

Over the past few years, people had outwardly praised Stanley as young and accomplished. In reality, everyone knew he was a weakling who relied on a woman to climb the ranks.

As a child, he relied on his mother. As an adult, he relied on his girlfriend.

Stanley couldn't help but feel jealous, even resentful, toward me.

The thought only fueled Stanley's rage. His face twitched in a grimace, and he forced himself to speak calmly.

"Get some rest. I need to go to the office to handle some things."

The moment he stepped out of the hospital, he immediately dialed a number, unable to wait any longer.

"Hey, I'm coming to see Dawn. Make sure she doesn't get off easy!"

Before he could finish, his subordinate nervously interrupted him, saying, "Mr. Meyer, Ms. Perkins has disappeared…"

Stanley roared in fury, "What are you talking about? She was half-dead. Where else could she go besides the psychiatric hospital?"

His subordinate swallowed hard. "Mr. Meyer, you'd better come back and see for yourself. The car that took Ms. Perkins… had plates from Haldon."