Chapter 5

"His dad broke the law, his mom was up to no good and caught a nasty disease, and he's just a useless man who can't even conceive a child. Ms. Carter is truly miserable for being saddled with him."

Every single word felt like a poisoned dagger, carving my heart into a bloody mess. I curled my body as tightly as I could, hiding my ruined face in the shadows.

"Mr. Robinson is here!"

"Mr. Robinson is so handsome! I’ve never seen that suit before. It must be a custom haute couture piece from a Hillsbalt designer."

I lifted my head, meeting Tom’s provocative stare.

However, the moment my eyes locked onto the suit he was wearing, my breath completely seized in my throat.

"That's the suit my mom left me!"

My voice was incredibly hoarse. Struggling to my feet, I stumbled forward and lunged straight toward Tom.

Aria instantly cut me off, blocking my path. "Conrad, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I stared at her with pure resentment, tears streaming down my face like rain.

"Aria, that suit is the only thing my mom left me! How could you possibly give it to him?!"

Aria’s face darkened with displeasure. "It’s just a suit. If Tom likes it, he can have it."

Driven by sheer desperation, I bit down hard on her hand. The moment she let go from the pain, I broke free and grabbed Tom by his collar.

"Take my mom's clothes off right now!"

Tom clutched his chest and shrieked, "Aria, save me!"

A massive force slammed right into my waist. I crashed violently to the ground, my entire body trembling from the agonizing pain.

Then, Tom ripped the suit jacket to shreds and hurled the torn pieces directly at me.

"Here! Take it back! Take it all back!

"Conrad, you absolute psycho! You ruined my birthday party!"

With trembling hands, I clutched the shredded pieces of fabric, tears falling.

"I'm sorry, Mom... I'm so useless. I couldn't even protect the last piece of memory you left me."

The next second, Aria yanked me up by my clothes.

"Conrad, even at this point, you're still trying to hurt Tom?!

"Everything was supposed to get better after today! Why can't you just stay in your place?!"

She let out a sharp, furious laugh, her teeth gritting in pure hatred. "Fine. Since you love stripping clothes off people so much, you don't need to wear any either!"

Under her orders, she had the guards strip me completely bare right in front of the entire crowd.

Camera flashes erupted all around me. Desperate and utterly broken, I closed my eyes as tears slid down my face.

"Throw him out onto the street."

Following Aria's strict orders, several bodyguards dragged me out into the public street, chaining me to a trash can with a heavy dog leash.

Near the trash can stood a group of ferocious-looking vagrants, their eyes locked tightly on me.

The moment the bodyguards left, they instantly rushed forward, raising iron rods and beating them down onto my body.

I coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, fighting back with what little strength I had left.

"If you do this to me, Aria will never let you get away with it..."

"Ms. Carter?" The leader of the vagrants delivered a brutal slap that made my face swell instantly. "Ms. Carter is the one who told us to wait for you here."

Saying that, they pinned my hands down and brought an iron rod crashing heavily onto my head.

Right across the street, a massive digital billboard was broadcasting a live feed of Tom’s birthday.

He stood there like a prince surrounded by stars, accepting luxurious gifts from everyone. Aria, blushing beautifully, presented him with a South Chesterford diamond worth hundreds of millions.

Absolute despair consumed me. My lips twitched into a final, hollow smile, and I slowly closed my eyes.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the air.

Warm blood instantly splattered across my face, and a heavy coat was gently draped over my shoulders.

My eyes snapped open, locking onto a stunningly beautiful face. "It’s you... You really came for me..."