Chapter 2

"Whatever you want."

The call ended. My world fell back into silence.

My throat felt tightly blocked. It was raw and aching, as if something were stuck there. Tears slid down uncontrollably, one after another.

My parents-in-law were good people. Even though there was no love left between Orion and me, I still hoped my parents-in-law would stay healthy and live long lives.

Yet now, Mr. Hale lay in the emergency room, while his own son would rather be tangled up with an assistant than come to the hospital and stand watch.

They came from scholarly families, well-mannered and dignified. They didn’t want to argue with Vera in public, but they never imagined that their restraint would only give her more confidence, emboldening her to hurl insults until she quite literally angered Mr. Hale into the hospital.

Two hours earlier, I had been accompanying my parents-in-law at Mooncrest Pavilion for dinner.

Mooncrest Pavilion used to be my family’s restaurant. It was also Orion’s parents’ favorite place to eat, as well as Orion’s.

Before we left, Mrs. Hale carefully packed up the remaining bouillabaisse.

"Orion said he’s coming home for dinner tonight. When he was little, this bouillabaisse from Mooncrest Pavilion was his favorite. I’ll take it back and cook some pasta for him, and satisfy his craving."

She smiled with her eyes half-closed, telling me stories from Orion’s childhood, when suddenly a figure rushed forward and slapped the bouillabaisse out of her hands.

The soup splashed all over her face and clothes, even into her eyes. I didn’t have time to demand an explanation. Neither did Mr. Hale. We hurried to wipe her clean.

However, Vera refused to let it go.

"Lyra, do you even know what kind of place this is? This is Mooncrest Pavilion! Where did trashy, poor people like you come from? You can’t even finish a bowl of bouillabaisse without packing it up, and you still have the nerve to eat here?"

She stood in sky-high heels, wrapped head to toe in luxury brands Orion had bought for her as she peered down at my parents-in-law with undisguised arrogance.

"Look at what these two old things are wearing. What kind of rags are those? If your parents are that poor, they should eat at a roadside stall. Why come to Mooncrest Pavilion? Orion was right about you. You married him for his money. Shameless."

Mr. Hale understood immediately. She had mistaken them for my parents and was deliberately humiliating them as poor relatives.

Being the dignified man Mr. Hale was, he didn’t expose her mistake. Instead, he chose to speak up on behalf of my parents.

"Young lady, how can you speak like that? Whether someone is qualified to enter Mooncrest Pavilion isn’t for you to decide. And how old are you, anyway? We are your elders. Lyra is also several years older than you. You should show some respect and apologize."

Vera didn’t apologize. Instead, she lifted her high heel and swung it hard at his face. If I hadn’t reacted quickly and blocked it, the heel would have struck his eye.

She snorted coldly. "You want me to apologize? Do you even know who I am? I’m the girlfriend of the president of the Hale Group. If I so much as open my mouth, he’d give me Mooncrest Pavilion itself. And what are you, exactly?

"You probably don’t even know this yet. Your precious daughter was kicked out of the Hale family a long time ago. She didn’t get a single cent. And here you are, eating a fancy meal, enjoying yourselves, expecting Orion to foot the bill? Keep dreaming."

Before her words had even finished falling, a neat row of men in Mooncrest Pavilion uniforms lined up behind her.

The staff I used to manage here had long since been replaced. My parents-in-law were low-key by nature, so no one recognized us.

The men bowed respectfully to Vera, then, without a word, forced the three of us down onto the ground.