Prologue

Breaking News:

"Oindrila Watson, the heiress of the Watson Group, was spotted leaving a bar late last night with an unidentified man."

The anchor’s voice rang through the room.

"Both of them looked drunk and far too intimate for mere friends, when they came out of the bar together. The couple hurriedly left in a car when they saw the paparazzi."

A video footage of a drunk couple exiting and getting into a car played on the screen.

"Not only she is one of the heiresses of the Watson Group but she is also the wife of the richest businessman of the country Mr. Andreas King." the anchor continued. "Is she cheating on her husband?"

"Damn… she’s done for," a man in a white shirt, seated on a sofa, commented as he sipped from the glass in his hand. A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched the news on TV.

Beside him, two other men exchanged knowing glances. To the side, in a single seat, sat another man in a perfectly tailored black suit with a gorgeous woman in his lap. Her arm was wrapped around his shoulder. The man rested one arm on the sofa while holding a glass of wine in the other. He was calm, unbothered, and exuding a dominantly chilling aura.

The woman looked at her phone with excitement. "Here…" she stated, her voice laced with amusement as she lifted the screen towards them. "The news is all over the internet now."

All eyes shifted to her.

"Look what people are saying about her," she smirked, opening the comment section and beginning to read.

"Her actions were really shameful. She brought shame upon her own family. She was already a bastard child and now this."

"She isn't worthy of Mr. king. He married her just because of their family ties. He can get a way better woman than her. I hope after this scandal he divorced her and find a better woman for himself."

"She's a bitch. She is so lucky that Mr. King married her. But she cheated on him. She should be kicked out of his life. She was never worthy of him."

After reading a few comments, the woman leaned forward and placed her phone on the table in front of her with a satisfying smile.

She then placed her other hand on the man's chest drawing his attention to herself. "Now... she will no longer able to show her face in public."

"Congratulations... Andreas. Not only you snatched the project from her but also destroyed her reputation." The man in white shirt raised his glass in the air. "Cheers!"

Following him, all of them raised their glasses except two, Andreas and another man who sat across from him in a separate seat. He silently watched them the entire time.

The woman leaned in and pecked Andreas’s cheek. "I am proud of you, baby. You have successfully taken your revenge on her."

She caressed his face, moved closer to his ear, and brushed her lips against it. Her actions were extremely intimate. "Tonight, I have planned something special for you… for us. We will celebrate this night together with endless pleasure," she whispered seductively.

Andreas gave her a smirk, but he didn’t look as enthusiastic as the woman. Unlike the other three men in the couch, he wasn’t even celebrating. He simply drank his wine in silence with a blank expression.

"Why are you so silent, Dave? Are you not happy for your best friend?" the man in the white shirt asked, looking at the man who had been quiet the entire time.

Dave chuckled before looking at Andreas. "Congratulations, Andy... You didn’t even spare her image. You must hate her so much."

"He loathes her," the woman said, her voice laced with hatred.

"So much hatred…?" Dave narrowed his eyes at Andreas. "She must have done something very bad to you, right?.... I am curious.... What had she done to you?"

Andreas clenched his jaw at the question. He was speechless for a moment before shaking his head slowly while his eyes were fixed on the table in front of him. "She did... nothing. " he replied through gritted teeth.

"So she’s practically innocent?" Dave raised a brow, making Andreas look at him.

"She’s not innocent. Her criminal father has done enough. And he left his daughter behind to pay for all of his evil deeds," the woman roared with hatred, once again answering for him.

Andreas, on the other hand, remained silent as he averted his eyes and looked at his glass.

***

The moon was bright in the clear sky, making the night even more beautiful. The road was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the cold, gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. There were only a few passersby, as it was already past midnight.

Suddenly, a screeching noise of a car was heard, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the night. Not long after, a black sedan came into view, approaching at an extremely fast speed. The passersby turned towards the source of that awful noise. And then, as if in slow motion, the car arrived and slammed violently into the bollards, losing all control. The impact echoed like an explosion and the vehicle flipped once, twice, before crashing onto its roof with a brutal, final thud.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and silence fell. Smoke began to curl from the wreckage, rising slowly into the dark sky. Then gasps and hurried footsteps filled the air as everyone ran towards the car.

"Oh my God. There’s someone inside!" one of the men shouted.

Through the cracked, blood-smeared window, a woman was visible. A man pushed closer. The woman was slumped awkwardly against what remained of the crushed interior, her body twisted unnaturally. Blood streamed down her forehead, soaking her hair. Her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.

"Call an ambulance! Hurry!" he tried to pry the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. The others joined him, and together they tried, moving the window a little.

Inside the car, the woman’s eyes were open, but she couldn’t even move a finger. She couldn’t focus on anything, nor could she hear the chaos that was going on outside. All she could feel was pain, extreme pain. She couldn’t tell which hurt more... the pain in her body or the pain inside her.

At some point, she was lifted and brought out of the car onto a stretcher.

"She’s looking like the woman in the news," a woman commented, looking at her face.

"You mean Andreas King’s wife, Oindrila Watson?" another one asked.

"Yes."

She couldn’t understand their words, but one thing caught her attention.

Andreas King.

Even in the midst of extreme pain and numbness, she couldn’t unhear that name. It was all because of him. He had ruined her dream and destroyed her reputation. She wanted to clench her teeth but couldn’t. She thought she would have died by now, but somehow she was still alive, forced to endure this pain. She hoped this would be the last moment before she found her ultimate peace.

But what if she didn’t die? What if the pain never went away?

A cold shiver ran through her as she thought about the possibility of waking up again. She didn’t want to. A single tear fell from her eyes, disappearing into her blood-stained hair. Then her eyes were beginning to close. She desperately embraced the darkness, hoping it was the end of her life.

But if she ever opened her eyes again, she would make them pay for everything they had done to her, especially Andreas King.

It was the last thought in her mind before everything went blank.

***

A man hurriedly entered the room and approached Andreas. He leaned in and whispered urgently into his ear. Andreas froze.

"Accident?" he frowned. "When?"

"One hour ago, Mr. King."

"What?" He abruptly, yet gently, pushed the woman off his lap as he stood up. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"You… you said not to disturb you while you were celebrating." the younger man replied hesitantly.

Andreas dragged a hand through his hair, clenching his jaw. "Get the car ready... now." There was an urgency in his voice.

"What happened?" the woman asked while the other men also looked at them curiously.

"Oindrila got into an accident," He replied, adjusting his jacket, while his assistant immediately left to prepare the car for him.

"So?" the woman snapped, visibly annoyed by the news, and grabbed his arm. "You’re not going to ruin our celebration just because that bitch got into a damn accident."

"Amanda," Andreas turned to look at her. "The media has already arrived there. I have to go,"

There was no room for argument. He pulled his arm free and walked out without looking back. The door slammed shut behind him, and the room fell silent. Amanda clenched her jaw, while her expression darkened. She spun on her heel and strode towards the floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

A while later, she saw a car drive off on the empty road. It was Andreas’s car.

"He looks quite concerned for his wife… doesn’t he?" Dave’s voice broke the silence as he stepped beside her, watching the disappearing car.

Amanda let out a sharp scoff.

"Concerned?" she sneered. "He doesn’t care about her. He just went to put on a show... to play the perfect husband for the cameras. That’s all."

She turned away and went back to the couch, joining the others.

Dave remained standing there, looking outside, deep in thought. "But from his expression, it didn’t look like he doesn’t care," he murmured under his breath. "I just hope he realizes it in time…" He let out a sigh, shaking his head.