Chapter 2

I could not free myself from his grip as he dragged me to that old, dusty warehouse in the backyard.

He pushed me in forcefully. I stumbled and fell onto the floor. The rocks cut my palms open as blood oozed out.

He stood at the entrance and ignored my injuries.

“Think about your mistakes here. You’re not leaving until you’ve learned your lesson.”

He wanted to leave when I slowly said, “Axel, you’re helping Lydia, yet she’s betraying you for the Harold family. I feel so bad for you.”

Axel turned to look at me. I was covered in dust.

“What are you talking about? How could Lydia betray me?”

I looked at him and chuckled.

“Don’t you know? It was Mom and Dad who forced Ada to leave you. Lydia was the one who told them about your relationship.”

I knew all this because I was staying in the maid’s room.

Everyone in the Harold family had a dedicated nanny.

Lydia, being the doted daughter, had two nannies to take care of her.

Those two nannies had been gossiping about Lydia and bad-mouthing her.

One of the things they gossiped about was Axel’s relationship.

The nanny, Jane Fallon, said that Lydia realized Ada was a gold digger and secretly told my parents.

After our parents found out, they gave Ada five million dollars to disappear from Axel’s life forever.

It was the secret that the Harold family had kept from Axel.

However, Axel thought she had just ghosted him.

He started to yearn for Ada after she disappeared.

Ada became the one that got away.

I did not mention the five million dollars; I only told him that Ada did not leave voluntarily. It was enough to plant a seed of doubt in Axel.

As expected, Axel started panting.

“How would you know about that? You must be lying about this. I don’t believe you. You’re a liar!”

I looked at him and said calmly, “You can ask our parents to verify what I have just told you.

“I feel really bad for you. Our parents give you money and power, yet they took love away from you. They just want you to start stepping up and shouldering the responsibility for the Harold family.

“But Axel, the person who truly loves you will give you the freedom to make your own decisions.”

Axel’s eyes flashed, and he did not dare to refute me.

After all, I even told him to ask our parents about it.

However, I knew he did not dare to ask.

A hint of hatred flashed in Axel’s eyes. He slammed the door to the warehouse and locked me in the dark and humid space.

“Saying all this to me is pointless. You have to pay for bullying Lydia!”

It was storming that night.

The warehouse was old, and the rainwater trickled through the weathered roof.

I curled up in a corner of the warehouse and looked at the warm light shining from the second-floor windows of the mansion.

I could hear their laughter coming from the mansion.

The wounds on my palms went untreated, so they became infected.

I started to have a fever. With the icy rain splattering against my cheeks, I felt very cold.

Finally, I could no longer take it.

I slammed on the warehouse door forcefully and used my last bit of strength to ask for help.

“Let me out… I can’t hold on anymore…

“I didn’t drop the necklace. You can check the surveillance footage.”

There were surveillance cameras in the living room of the mansion that captured video but not audio.

It could prove that I did not touch the necklace at all.

During the day, I thought they would look at the surveillance footage and let me out in a short while.

However, it was already nighttime. It seemed like they had forgotten about me.

After a while, the butler, Ted Anderson, appeared before me.

He peered down at me and said, “Stop yelling. Mr. Harold and Mrs. Harold have already watched the footage. They know you were framed. However, they still decided to teach you a lesson.”