chapter six

Goosebumps spread across my skin the moment I heard his voice.

Deep.

Cold.

Dangerously calm.

Something about it felt familiar, like I had heard it somewhere before, but my dizzy mind couldn’t place where.

The man slowly turned around.

And immediately, the men trying to drag me away froze in place.

Fear flashed across their faces so quickly that even in my drugged state, I noticed it.

The man standing before me carried an aura so terrifyingly cold that the air around him itself felt heavier.

“Y-Young Master Smith…” one of the men stammered nervously. “We’ll get going now.”

They immediately tried pulling me away from him again.

“Leave her.”

The command was calm.

Not loud.

Yet the pressure behind those two words made everyone stop breathing for a second.

The men hesitated briefly before instantly releasing me.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Smith.”

Then they practically ran away.

And just like that, I was left kneeling on the floor, still clutching the expensive fabric of his trousers tightly like my life depended on it.

Honestly…

Maybe it did.

My breathing was shaky, my thoughts messy, and the drug in my system wasn’t helping.

For a few awkward seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then his voice sounded above me again.

“I’ve had many women throw themselves at me,” he said lazily, “but never at my feet.”

My brain finally restarted.

Horror instantly flooded me.

Oh my God.

I immediately let go of his trousers and scrambled to my feet clumsily.

“I-I’m sorry,” I whispered quickly while lowering my head in embarrassment. “And thank you for helping me.”

I couldn’t even properly look at him at first.

But when I finally raised my eyes—

I froze.

Good Lord.

This man was unfairly handsome.

No…

Handsome wasn’t even enough to describe him.

He looked unreal.

Like one of those dangerously beautiful men authors created in fantasy novels.

Long dark lashes framed deep sharp eyes that looked almost emotionless. His brows were perfectly shaped, his jaw looked sculpted by hand, and his lips…

No.

I refused to think about his lips.

At least not while fighting dizziness.

And his height?

Absolutely ridiculous.

He had to be around 6’5.

As a woman who stood proudly at 5’8, I rarely felt small around men.

But standing before him now, I genuinely felt tiny for the first time in years.

His dark hair was neatly styled in a way that perfectly matched his cold intimidating aura, and the expensive black suit hanging on his broad frame looked like it had been personally designed by the gods themselves.

I completely lost myself staring at him.

Meanwhile, he simply stared back calmly, his expression unreadable.

No smile.

No interest.

Nothing.

Then without saying another word, he turned and began walking away.

Panic immediately shot through me.

Maybe it was the drug affecting my judgment.

Maybe it was because he had just saved me.

Or maybe…

Maybe I simply didn’t want this man to disappear yet.

Before I could stop myself, I quickly reached into my bag and pulled out one of my cards.

“Wait!”

He paused slightly.

My heart raced wildly as I walked toward him and awkwardly stretched the card toward him.

“I…” I swallowed nervously. “I wanted to thank you properly. Maybe over coffee… if you’d like.”

The moment the words left my mouth, embarrassment nearly killed me.

What was I even saying?

His assistant immediately stepped forward, clearly preparing to reject me politely.

But then—

The man cleared his throat softly.

The assistant instantly stopped talking and quietly accepted the card instead.

I blinked in surprise.

The cold man said nothing else.

And soon, we parted ways.

By the time I finally made it back home, exhaustion had completely taken over my body.

The moment I entered the mansion, my mother rushed toward me in panic.

“Rosey? What happened?”

I quickly forced out some weak excuse before hurrying upstairs before anyone could ask more questions.

The second I entered my room, I locked the door behind me and collapsed against it weakly.

Unknown to me, downstairs, my mother had already contacted a private investigator to quietly look into what happened that night.

I skipped dinner entirely.

Which only made my new family worry more.

But honestly…

I couldn’t face anyone.

Not after tonight.

Not after realizing the people I once called family were willing to drug me and hand me over to a disgusting old man for money and benefits.

The thought made me sick.

I spent almost the entire night in the bathroom scrubbing my skin harshly beneath steaming water.

Again.

And again.

And again.

As if I could wash away the feeling of their hands touching me.

As if I could erase the humiliation.

The betrayal.

The fear.

At some point, exhaustion finally dragged me into sleep.

Later in the night, I woke up shivering from the cold air drifting through the balcony doors.

Half-asleep, I walked over to close them before returning to bed.

That was when I finally turned my phone back on.

Immediately, dozens of missed calls and messages flooded the screen.

All from my adoptive mother.

My chest tightened painfully as I opened them.

You stupid girl!

Do you know who you offended tonight?!

The Smith family has cut ties with us because of you!

From today onward, don’t ever contact us again!

And don’t bring your bad luck to our family!

I stared at the messages silently.

Oddly enough…

I felt both sad and relieved.

Sad because despite everything, they had still once been my family.

Relieved because maybe now…

It was finally over.

No more manipulation.

No more money demands.

No more pretending.

And most importantly…

No more chances for them to exploit my biological parents.

Slowly, I placed the phone aside and closed my eyes.

For the first time in years, cutting ties didn’t feel painful.

It felt peaceful.

And eventually, I drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up feeling slightly better.

Not healed.

Not okay.

But lighter somehow.

After thinking carefully about everything involving my adoptive family, I decided to let things end exactly as they were.

Maybe distance was the only way any of us would ever find peace.

After getting ready quietly, I headed downstairs for breakfast.

My mood was still heavy…

But for the first time in a very long while—

I didn’t feel completely alone anymore.