Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Beginning

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Still at Alexander Kingston’s mansion,

Elena felt quite puzzled when she was led walking quite far toward the back of the mansion, where there was something like a small house near the garden. Its location was almost close to the small forest that indeed stood behind the mansion.

When she turned to look behind her, Elena could clearly see from a distance that Alexander was still standing behind the glass wall of the study, as if wanting to make sure that Elena would enter the room that would become her place in that mansion.

“Miss, this is your place. Mr. Kingston said that you are not allowed to enter the main mansion carelessly, unless you are called by him.”

Dorothy spoke in a slightly sharp tone, then she simply walked away, leaving Elena who was still holding her torn gown so it would not reveal her body.

Elena stared at the small building which apparently used to be a place for the gardeners there. She stood for a moment in front of it, but then she stepped inside.

“That cruel man really wants to make me uncomfortable here!”

She whispered softly.

When she entered the small room, she saw her small suitcase containing several clothes and her important belongings. Besides that, the room was not clean; there was a lot of dust and ash, and she had to clean it first before it could be lived in.

“Haaah…”

She let out a long sigh.

Even though she was already very exhausted and still in pain, Elena took her clothes from the suitcase and changed. Then she hurried to clean the dusty room until midnight.

After she looked carefully, the small room resembled a small apartment. There was a bathroom and a small kitchen, and once everything was clean, the room did not look too bad.

Elena, already sweaty and extremely tired, quickly cleaned herself and lay down on the modest bed. Her eyes stared deeply toward the glass window that showed the bright moon above.

“Hm, at least here I can be a little calm. I can even see the moon from this small place.”

She whispered softly, and without realizing it, tears flowed again.

Her busyness earlier while cleaning the room had made Elena forget her pain for a moment. But when she became quiet like this, she remembered everything, especially the moment one month ago that became the beginning of why she ended up pregnant and had to marry Alexander Kingston.

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Flashback,

One month ago before New Year’s Eve,

“Elen! Today we’re going to your father’s house.”

“He wants to arrange your marriage to advance his business. He said you are the right candidate.”

“This is the information about the man who will become your husband.”

Dahlia Edna, Elena’s biological mother who was extremely materialistic and would do anything for money, threw a photograph onto the table where Elena was sitting.

“Stop calling him my father, Mom. Aren’t you aware that you are only Mr. Henry Lewis’s mistress?”

“My father died years ago and—”

When Elena was about to state the fact about her mother’s position as a homewrecker, Dahlia became furious and immediately slapped her daughter hard.

Dahlia Edna was indeed very harsh and would not hesitate to use her hands if Elena contradicted her.

“Shut your mouth, Elen! You should be grateful that I saved our lives from ending up on the streets!”

“When your father died, he left behind so many debts and nothing for us! He only left pain! We had to take care of his sick father who needed a lot of money!”

“This is the only way to survive, so shut your mouth and stop arguing!”

“Quickly get ready and let’s go to your father’s house!”

Dahlia snapped, and at that moment Elena had not even had the chance to look at the photo of the man who would become her future husband.

Her mother’s slap had already hurt her badly. She did not understand why her mother always vented her anger at her, as if all her suffering was caused by Elena.

Actually, Elena had wanted to run away for a long time. But if she ran away, her grandfather would surely be abandoned by her mother. Elena loved her grandfather dearly. After her father died, it was her grandfather who had always helped and raised Elen to be a good child.

It could not be denied that her mother’s secret marriage with Henry Lewis, a very wealthy businessman, had helped with her grandfather’s treatment, who now completely depended on intensive hospital care due to complications from his illness.

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In only a short time, they arrived at her stepfather’s grand house. Even though Henry Lewis’s first wife lived there, Dahlia did not care at all and felt no shame.

“What is this cheap woman doing in my house!”

“I refuse to let her be here!”

Luciana Haven, the first wife who was publicly acknowledged as Henry Lewis’s only wife, snapped angrily.

“Enough, Luci. She only comes occasionally. Besides, she’s here to bring Elena to meet her future husband…”

“You know we need business cooperation from the Fermon family. The only way is to marry Elena to him. It’s impossible for us to marry our daughter Jennifer in this matter.”

Henry Lewis replied, and those words calmed Luciana somewhat. However, her gaze was still cynical and degrading toward Dahlia and Elena who stood before them.

Elena was slightly confused by her stepfather’s words—why was it not Jennifer who was being arranged, but herself, who was only a hidden stepchild?

Elena had not even seen the biodata of the man because earlier she had been slapped by her mother. That made Elena even more worried and frightened.

“Elen, come inside, dear. You’ve heard from your mother, right? Today Father will introduce you to your future husband.”

Henry spoke very gently, something that had never happened before.

Usually, Henry always ignored her and never considered her his daughter.

Suspicion grew even stronger, especially when Elena saw Jennifer Lewis, her stepsister, smiling happily, which meant Elena was in serious trouble.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

With fear and vigilance, she followed Henry Lewis and her mother into a room. At that moment her eyes widened because her fear had become real.

There sat an old man—the man who was meant to be arranged for Elena.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Greg Fermon. This is my daughter Elena whom I mentioned…”

“Come, Elen, introduce yourself to Mr. Greg.”

Henry Lewis invited Elena to step forward and introduce herself to Greg Fermon, an old man who already had three wives. If Elena became his wife, she would become the fourth.

Greg Fermon, upon seeing Elena who was truly very beautiful and charming, immediately became interested and wanted to marry her as soon as possible. His flirtatious gaze made Elena want to vomit and run away immediately.

Elen could no longer hide her expression. She almost cried but held it in by clenching her fists.

‘I have to leave immediately!’

She gritted inwardly, trying to control herself and find a way to leave that place.

“Elena… COME HERE, dear…”

Henry called her insistently while still trying to appear like a good father in front of Greg Fermon.

That made Elena startled, and she swallowed hard.

“Elen, go over there quickly and don’t make this harder!”

Dahlia snapped beside her.

“Uh…”

“I… I suddenly have a stomachache. Please allow me to go to the bathroom first.”

Trembling, Elena quickly left the room pretending to have a stomachache. She walked fast, her face already pale.

Meanwhile, Henry subtly signaled his mistress to drag Elena back to them.

That made Dahlia chase after Elena who had already run off somewhere.

“How could Mother do this to me? Just for money she’s practically selling me!”

“I don’t want to! Even if I die, I don’t want to marry that old man!”

Elena ran nervously and fearfully toward the back of the grand house. There she saw black-and-white servant uniforms that were typical for servants.

Quickly, no longer thinking clearly, Elena changed her clothes into one of those uniforms and desperately followed several servants who were going to deliver gifts ordered by their master, Henry Lewis, to someone’s residence.

After all, tonight would be New Year’s Eve. Businessmen, nobles, and all upper-class circles usually sent gifts to one another.

This time, Henry’s intention in sending gifts to Alexander Kingston was so that Alexander would notice his company and agree to cooperate with Lewis Company.

“WHERE IS THAT GIRL!”

“She would be happy if she married Greg Fermon. She would have so much money and wouldn’t live in hardship!”

Dahlia raged, having such shallow thoughts. She searched everywhere for Elena, while Elena had already blended in with several servants inside the car delivering a rather large New Year’s gift.

Elena did not know that they were heading to the residence of Alexander Kingston, the cruelest and coldest man ever.

When her mother was busy searching for her, Elena and several other servants had arrived at Alexander Kingston’s residence.

While the servants carried the gifts, Elena, who did not want to be discovered, quickly slipped to the back of the mansion. She wanted to escape before anyone recognized her and realized she was disguised.

“Hey, you!”

Suddenly, during her escape behind the mansion, a servant called out to Elena. At that moment cold sweat broke out on her skin. She froze and lowered her head deeply so that the person calling her would not see her face.

“You must be Mr. Kingston’s new personal maid, right? Hurry to his room. He’s in a rage!”

“If you don’t go there immediately, you’ll be finished!”

The servant shouted and, without waiting for Elena’s confused response, immediately pulled her hand toward Alexander Kingston’s room, where he was indeed extremely furious.

“I know today is your first day working here. For your information, dozens of servants have been fired before you, so you must be careful!”

The servant who dragged Elena said that while running, and soon they arrived at Alexander’s room.

“But I’m not—”

When Elena was about to explain that she was not Alexander Kingston’s new personal maid, the servant, already frightened by her master’s anger, immediately opened the door and pushed Elena inside.

At that moment, Elena’s eyes widened even more when she saw that the room was completely destroyed.

There sat a man on the sofa, staring at the chaos he had just created while drinking champagne from his hand.

Elena’s blue eyes froze when she saw that handsome man. Her brows furrowed because she recognized him.

That man was Alexander Kingston—the man she had admired from afar two years ago because of an incident.

Her eyes blinked repeatedly as she stood frozen in front of the door. Alexander, who was drunk, saw someone standing there.

Gracefully, he stood up and finished the champagne in his hand.

“You came here too, Victoria…” Alexander whispered softly.

He looked at Elena as if she were another woman. He stepped slowly and stood right in front of her.

He reached out and gently brushed her beautiful long hair, gazing into her soft blue eyes.

“I missed you, Victoria…”

Alexander whispered again. For the first time, Elena saw a trace of sadness in Alexander Kingston’s gaze—the man she had always seen as strong and proud.

“Mr… Mr. Kingston, forgive me, but I’m not Victoria…”

“I’m sorry I suddenly entered your room, but I…”

“I…”

Elena stepped backward while explaining about herself. She felt tense as Alexander moved closer, and now she was pressed directly against the door.

“Be quiet, Victoria. I don’t want to hear anything!”

Alexander, extremely drunk, grabbed Elena’s hand and lifted her onto his wide bed.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

Elena’s heart pounded violently now. Her eyes widened, yet she still tried to free herself from his grip.

“Mr. Kingston, let me go!”

“I’m not Victoria. I’m trapped here!”

“Please don’t do this!”

“Please wake up, Sir!”

Elena tried to make Alexander come to his senses again and again, but as she struggled and tried to pull her hand free, Alexander’s grip on her only became wilder.

He even kissed her lips, stealing Elena’s first kiss.

“Mmph!”

Elena held her breath for a moment. She knew she was in danger if she did not stop this now.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With all her strength, she pushed and even struck Alexander’s body. She truly struggled with everything she had.

But what could she do? Perhaps this was indeed Elena’s fate. Alexander’s strength was overwhelming compared to hers.

That night, something happened that Elena would never forget for the rest of her life. She lost her virginity on the night she tried to escape the disgusting arranged marriage her stepfather had set up for her.

No matter how many times Elena screamed and cried, Alexander did not listen. She was in so much pain until eventually she went limp from exhaustion.

Elena had no strength left to resist.

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Flashback ends, back to the present,

“Hah!”

Elena woke up because she dreamed of what happened one month ago when Alexander brutally took her virginity.

Her breathing was ragged as she stared at the ceiling. She clenched her hands because the fear and anger toward herself from that night still clung to her until now.

“It’s okay, Elen. It’s okay.”

“It’s better like this than becoming that old man’s fourth wife.”

“Yes, you just need to endure a little longer.”

She encouraged herself.

After she dreamed about that dark event one month ago, of course Elen still remembered how her mother scolded her mercilessly and how her stepfather punished her in an inhumane way.

That one month had been terrifying for Elena. But when she became pregnant and said that the child in her womb was Alexander Kingston’s—the son of the most respected and wealthy Kingston family—suddenly her stepfather’s and mother’s attitudes changed.

Suddenly they became kind and immediately demanded responsibility from Alexander.

Alexander felt extremely trapped. Although he admitted he remembered sleeping with the woman he saw crying in his messy room that morning, he knew Elena was not lying about carrying his child.

But Alexander was convinced that Elena had trapped him and deliberately entered his room while he was drunk.

That was one of the reasons why Alexander hated Elena so much.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The loud knocking startled Elen. Still sore and exhausted, she quickly opened the door.

“Mr. Kingston summons you immediately!”

A servant ordered to call Elen, who had just woken up. Once again, the servant spoke very sharply, as if instructed to behave that way.

Elen became nervous and reflexively afraid. Her brows furrowed, but she had no choice but to follow the servant to where Alexander was.

Because of fear and trembling, time seemed to pass very quickly for Elen, and she had already arrived at the room where Alexander was.

In the same room as last night—the study—and when she was there, Elen saw that the sofa from last night had been replaced.

“Mr… Mr. Kingston, why did you call me?”

Tense and trembling, Elena spoke to Alexander, who was sitting on the sofa wearing a blue kimono-style night robe.

“Take off your clothes.”

Alexander casually told Elen to remove her clothes. Of course, that shocked Elena.

“But Sir, last night already—”

Elen was about to refuse. She clenched her hands because she was afraid of feeling what she felt last night. It had been very painful and exhausting, and she also hated that Alexander did it with a cold gaze and cruel treatment.

“If you don’t want to, then sign.”

“If you sign, I’ll release you right now. You’ll also get a lot of money.”

Alexander spoke casually, still insisting on forcing Elen to sign the divorce papers.

Hearing that again, Elen let out a heavy sigh. Her heart hurt deeply. But if she signed those papers, her stepfather or her mother would surely arrange her marriage again with Greg Fermon for their own interests.

Even if Alexander gave her money, it would not guarantee she could escape from Greg Fermon, who had been chasing her for the past month and only stopped after learning that Alexander would marry her.

Greg Fermon was very powerful and woman-crazed. Greg had even sent a message to Elena that if she were abandoned by Alexander Kingston, he would pursue her again, and at that time Elena would not be able to free herself.

“Sir, but…”

Elen’s chest felt extremely tight. She was in a dilemma. Being by Alexander’s side felt torturous, but leaving his side would ruin her life.

If Elen dared to separate from Alexander, not only would Greg Fermon’s threat await her, but her stepfather would surely kill her because it would mean great losses for him.

“Take off your clothes if you don’t want to sign! Serve me like you wanted!”

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”

Alexander ordered again with a faint smile. He seemed to enjoy the fearful and trembling face of his wife, who indeed had a very beautiful and tempting face.

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To be continued…