Chapter 8

"Exactly!" Yannick echoed just then. "Even I have trouble keeping up with what you're thinking here. You're the one who said that splashing Fiona in the face wouldn't take her down a peg, and that we need to seriously crush his pride so that she would show some respect!"

"Exactly." Noris nodded. "It's just a staged act, and we weren't really going to hurt her, but you had to stop it at the very last moment! Didn't you see how scared she was on the cameras? I was almost dying from laughter!"

Boris sighed just then. "Mark, don't tell me you're regretting this? You care about Fiona now? Did you forget what she did to Sue?"

Mark leaned against the wall, flicking ash off his cigarette as he narrowed his eyes darkly. "I regret nothing, and I'd never care about Fiona Starr. I just think we shouldn't go too far—the geezer is abroad, not dead."

Noris blew a raspberry. "What are you worried about? His phone's dead—he's completely out of reach."

Behind the door, Fiona clenched her knuckles and shuddered as she did her best to calm down.

She reached for her phone and called her father, but there was no response!

Never could she have expected that Mark would go that far for Sue's sake!

Mark simply understood Fiona and her temper too well, but he used that understanding like a blade, stabbing her in the heart!

Her legs trembling, she heard footsteps approaching and quickly returned to bed and played dead.

The door opened audibly, but only Mark entered.

He sat on the edge of her bed, listening to her rhythmic breaths and staring at her sickly pale face with a look of mixed emotions.

Eventually, he sighed. "You can't blame me for this. You hurt Sue first—just stay away from her, and I can give you everything you ever wanted."

He soon left, and Fiona opened her eyes.

Everything she ever wanted? Would he and his cronies die if she asked?!

She quickly rushed to the bathroom for a cold shower and only stepped out hours later, shuddering as she made a call.

"We're going to need some time, Ms. Starr…"

"Just reach him soon!" she snapped.

She was keeping her eyes closed, her lips eerily purple from the cold, even as her resentment grew rapidly like a fertilized plant.

-

Later, Fiona decided to work from home for the day, and Mark arrived to see her looking serious.

He had never seen her like that—she was always trying to be cute, unable to do a thing and was always asking for his help, even when it came to opening water bottles.

He frowned, different thoughts weighing down on his mind as he really couldn't understand Fiona now.

As for Fiona, she had heard him enter for a while, but it wasn't until a while later when she finally looked up at him coolly. "What?"

Mark did a double take, but soon recovered and said quietly. "The cops have arrested that homeless bum. Just leave the rest to me—don't worry."

Don't worry?

Fiona could laugh right then, but she still replied flatly, "Yeah."

More time passed, but Mark still wasn't leaving.

Still, he spoke before she could, "It's going to be your birthday in a couple of days. I've had my assistant book a place and send out invites…"

Just as he finished, his phone rang, and he didn't hesitate to answer when he saw who it was, while hurrying outside without closing the door.

Fiona had seen him leave so many times throughout the years, but she had never noticed that she no longer felt disappointment.

But that was just how things were when one gave up on a person—it just happened without warning.

The day before the party, she had a meeting with a client.

She went to her wardrobe to look for a dress and a matching set of jewelry that her father had recently sent her from abroad, only to find that everything had gone messing.

She had to change into another dress and went to the hotel with her assistant where they were supposed to meet the client.

However, they never showed up, just as Fiona overheard several waitresses gossiping.

"Hey, so who's birthday are they celebrating in the banquet hall? It's quite the big deal—you can see rows upon rows of luxury cars parked outside!"

"I have no idea. But I'm guessing one of the shareholder's daughters? I heard that she celebrates her birthday every year."

"It's just so frustrating. Some people are really born rich, unlike the rest of us!"

"Oh, don't even start. Do you know how stingy they are? I heard that they're going to celebrate another birthday tomorrow in the same hall as well, so all the decorations are to stay as is, while any leftover food will be kept for tomorrow too! Aren't they supposed to be rich? How could they be so stingy?"

Tomorrow?

That was Fiona's birthday, and the banquet hall was supposed to be kept closed until tomorrow.

She didn't call for her assistant as she started toward the banquet hall.

To no surprise, it was already crowded, with Noris, Boris and Yannick dressed sharply in suits and greeting the guests.

Most of the guests were former partners and big shots in Jampton too…

The bell rang, and a grinning Noris ran up stage to play emcee, announcing the grand entrance of Sue Levine, whose birthday they were celebrating.

As everyone looked up, she appeared by the stairs, slowly descending while hugging Mark's arm.

And she was wearing the dress and jewelry that Fiona's father had bought for her!

At that very moment, Fiona felt her blood rushing up to her brain.