Chapter 8

Vanessa pursed her lips, remaining silent.

"Are you listening to me?"

Clutching her skirt tightly, Vanessa choked back a breath, cautiously saying, "...Could we try it, for a month?"

Bart was pig-headed, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, we spend a month together. If it doesn't work out..." No one would like her anymore, Vanessa knew. She didn't ask for much, she just wanted to stay.

To stay, she had to latch onto something or someone. Bart wasn't ideal, but he was her lifeline.

"If it still doesn't work out... we'll tell the families we dated, but weren't compatible."

Her accent was odd, like she was timid, yet also stuttering.

Amused by her demeanor, Bart leaned back, stretched his shoulders and chuckled. "No wonder they say you're no good, rattling off a bunch of crazy ideas the moment you open your mouth."

"Sorry." Vanessa was practically begging, making concessions. "If it's not okay, I..."

"It's okay."

Bart's eyes were as if he'd discovered an interesting toy. "That suits me just fine, and saves my family from owing Aunt Evelyn a favor."

Taking a sip of tea, he said with a playful grin, "But I'm warning you in advance, I'm not a good person. You might not be able to handle a month."

---

Learning that Bart had taken Vanessa out, Adrian waited to see the show.

Bart was a reckless, straightforward man. He was bound to say some awful things to Vanessa. The thought of her pale, humiliated face made Adrian feel good.

Standing at the window, he watched the small car pull up below.

Bart got out first, then, remembering the agreement he'd made with Vanessa, turned back and opened the car door for her.

This scene was unbelievable to Adrian.

He stood frozen by the window, gripping his teacup tightly, his molars clenched, jaw tense.

Bart dropped Vanessa off and left. Evelyn held her downstairs for a long chat before letting her go. The moment she went upstairs, she ran into Adrian, who looked like he wanted to skin her alive.

"I actually thought you'd changed. Who knew all these years away you’ve learned how to become a vixen."

Bart had seen plenty of women, he should have dismissed Vanessa. That he personally drove her back – Adrian knew without a doubt she had used some trickery.

Vanessa stepped back, uneasy and frightened. "...I didn't."

"Didn't?"

Adrian couldn't help but laugh, lowering his voice to keep Evelyn from hearing the argument downstairs. "Then why would Bart obediently drive you back?"

"He just...doesn't want to be scolded by his family." Vanessa gripped the stair railing, needing something to support her.

"Don't think you can climb the social ladder by latching onto him." Adrian’s warning was sharp and cutting. "With your history, I can guarantee no one will want you."

Vanessa didn't argue. "I..."

She had long given up hope. She wasn’t loved by Julian in the past, and she wasn't loved by anyone now. She had tasted this bitter flavor for so long, it had become a numbing norm.

Scoffing, Adrian raised the cup of hot tea and poured it over Vanessa's head. It was scalding, but she didn't move.

This kind of humiliation couldn’t hurt Vanessa anymore.

The teacup shattered.

Adrian stepped forward, grabbing Vanessa's arm. "Since you're so desperate to climb up, how about I take you?"

Before returning, Vanessa had expected this. They wouldn't let her go.

In their eyes – she was the one who killed Ivy Solace. She owed a life. But she was alive and well. A living hell, *that* was her fate.

---

Under the cloak of the cold night, M City was illuminated by twinkling lights, sparkling and colorful.

Following behind Adrian, she entered the doors of "Sound and Color." He was a regular here. As soon as he entered, a waiter took his car keys and coat, leading him to his usual private room. Vanessa walked behind, like an invisible person.

The moment she was led through that door, she became the focus of attention.

But those gazes, to varying degrees, were filled with a desire to watch the spectacle. The dazzling lights shone on her face, and Vanessa instinctively lowered her head to hide. She could hide from the light, but she couldn't hide from the mocking and sarcastic words.

"Adrian, who's this? Aren't you going to introduce her?"

Adrian didn't need to say anything. Someone chimed in, "Are you blind? Don't you recognize Miss Voss?"

The status and respect she had worked so hard to maintain in the past had become a sharp blade today, returned to Vanessa herself.

Adrian slumped into the sofa, raising his voice to call out to Vanessa, "Perfect timing, let's consider this a welcome banquet, come –"

Under the shifting lights and shadows, Adrian silently gave the group in the shadows a wink. They understood what he meant. So, they were going to force her to drink and mess with her, huh?

Their specialty.