Chapter 4

The next morning, Ann came home and put a suit in front of me.

"There's a function held by a charity foundation in the afternoon, and PR is saying we should make an appearance since the flaming hasn't stopped. If you show up, I'll forget about what happened at the greenhouse."

I stared at the suit, thinking to myself how ridiculous everything looked.

They were the ones who barged into my greenhouse and destroyed my mother's flowers.

And yet, Ann was acting like she and Martin were the ones who were being magnanimous, forgiving my childish tantrums.

"Fine."

Still, I picked up the suit. This would be the last time I stood by Ann's side as her husband.

-

Suspended above the main stage at the press conference was a metal installation designed to simulate a snow mountain rescue.

As Martin stepped onto the stage, a harsh snap echoed above him.

Before I could even react, Ann had dashed forward to Martin. She tackled him to the ground and shielded him with her own body.

However, the inertia knocked me off balance. I crashed into a display table nearby. Shards of glass sliced into my arm, and a deep gash opened across my palm.

Even as fresh blood trickled through my fingers, Ann was busy checking if Martin was fine.

It was when she was finally done that she remembered me.

"Sean!" she cried as she hurried toward me. For once, she was showing me a look of concern.

That was when Martin cried frantically, "Wait, Ann! The stage crew discovered that the installation had been tampered with!"

Staff members soon arrived with security camera footage and backstage logs.

Before the incident, someone had used my pass to enter the control area. The computer commands to adjust the equipment were also executed with my clearance.

Right then, Martin turned to me tearfully. "I know you don't like me, Mr. Jenkins, but I never imagined you would..."

Clutching my bleeding hand, I kept my voice steady. "My pass went missing after you people showed up at my greenhouse. My clearances were clearly compromised."

On the other hand, the concern in Ann’s eyes turned to suspicion. "You threw Martin out just yesterday, and now this happens? How am I supposed to believe that this was just a coincidence?"

Martin promptly stopped her. "It's alright, I'm not pressing charges. Mr. Jenkins is probably upset, and I won't put you on the spot."

But the more he appeared generous, the colder Ann's glare became as she looked at me.

As I looked down, the roses blooming around Ann's feet were creeping upward, rapidly enveloping Martin.

Suddenly, I laughed. "Quit lying to yourself, Ann. You're not taking his side repeatedly because you're trying to repay a favor. You're already in love."

Ann's face dropped, guilt showing in her eyes as I unraveled the secret she refused to admit.

However, that same guilt turned to rage in a split second as she bellowed, "That's enough from you!"

I certainly didn't want to stay and argue with her, and I turned to leave.

She promptly dashed up to me and grabbed my injured wrist.

"Let go!" I flailed in reflex as pain struck.

She started dragging me, snapping, "Running from the crime scene, are we?"

Even as my wound bled again and I pushed her with my other arm, she shoved me back in relation, sending me crashing into an already broken display table. I could feel the sharp pain on my back.

Ann froze when she saw blood seeping out my shirt. "I just…"

That was when Martin gasped in pain behind me. "Ahh…."

Ann closed her eyes, her tone harsh again as she turned to her men. "Take Sean home. He's under house arrest, and he's not to come here ever again."

I looked up at her. "You're locking me up?"

"I just want you to calm down," Ann retorted with a tone of finality. "You're refusing to listen to reason, and you'd hurt Martin even more if I leave you be. Tomorrow, we'll hold a press conference. You'll apologize to him in front of everyone. Until then, consider your freedom restricted."