Chapter 6

What?

Lena's heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, she sped straight toward the seaside villa.

When she arrived, what she saw nearly broke her.

Shane was actually there.

Wearing a black trench coat, he stood on the lawn in front of the villa, his expression cold.

Behind him were several roaring excavators and demolition machines, with a crew of workers standing by.

"Shane Steele! What are you doing?"

Shane turned around. The moment he saw her, his gaze turned cold, devoid of the slightest warmth. "You ignored all my calls and texts. I waited so long for an explanation, but you never gave me one. If you won't give me the answers, then I'll find my own closure.

"This house is very important to you, isn't it? Since you ruined Yasmine's peace and hurt her, I'll let you taste what it feels like to watch your most cherished possession destroyed."

He waved a hand at the foreman behind him. "Tear it down."

Lena tried to rush forward to stop them, but the bodyguards Shane brought immediately stepped in, grabbing her by both arms.

"Let go of me! Shane, you bastard! My mom left this for me! If you dare touch it, I will never forgive you!"

She struggled and screamed with all her might, but Shane didn't give her a single glance. He just watched coldly as the house was torn apart piece by piece.

The excavator's mechanical arm smashed down hard against the delicate wooden pillar on the side of the villa.

"No! Mom!"

Lena watched helplessly as the house, which was filled with countless memories and feelings, began to collapse under the savagery of the iron beast.

That was her home, the last piece of warmth and comfort she had left.

She couldn't hold on any longer. The last bit of pride and strength she had been clinging to completely crumbled.

She sobbed uncontrollably. Her cries were filled with endless agony, despair, and hatred.

"Mom… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I couldn't protect it… I couldn't protect anything…"

Seeing her tears and utter despair, Shane felt a strange, sharp pang in his heart.

The Lena he knew had always been arrogant, vibrant, and prickly, like a fiery flame.

She smashed cars, raced, and caused trouble. It was as if she never knew the meaning of pain or fear.

He had never seen her so fragile and hopeless, crying her eyes out like this.

"Enough," he suddenly said.

The excavators ground to a halt. Shane walked up to Lena and motioned for the bodyguards to let her go.

"The house is gone, so this ends here," he said. "Don't bother Yasmine ever again, or else—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lena snapped her head up. Her gaze had changed.

The despair from moments ago was gone, replaced by a reckless, unyielding resolve.

She stared at Shane and uttered every single word with deadly precision. "Shane, the biggest regret of my life is ever meeting you."

Shane felt an inexplicable tightening in his chest. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, her vision went black, and she collapsed toward the ground.

Shane caught her instinctively.

She felt impossibly light and icy cold, her face drained of all color.

As he looked at the unconscious Lena in his arms, the quiet stillness inside him shattered. It was as if a pebble had been tossed into a calm lake, sending a sudden tremor of unease rippling through him.

But before long, his thoughts drifted back to Yasmine.

He remembered her teary face, her injuries, and all the grievances she had endured over the past three years because of his marriage.

The ripples slowly smoothed over again.

Once Lena woke up, he would just give her some money and buy her a better house.

It wasn't like she lacked any of this anyway.

Besides, she had always been carefree and open-minded. She never needed him to worry about her.

When Lena woke up again, she was in her own bed.

As she forced herself upright, every bone in her body ached as though she'd been taken apart and put back together again.

Just then, a soft knock came at the door, and a young man in a black suit walked in.

He was Shane's assistant, Michael Hahn.

"Ms. Chapman, Mr. Steele sent me to deliver a few words." Michael's voice was completely flat.

"First, the demolition of the villa is complete. Second, Mr. Steele hopes you won't pick on Ms. Chandler again. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?" Lena looked up, her eyes terrifyingly bloodshot.

Michael paused before finishing, "Otherwise, he will take more drastic measures."

Silence fell over the room for a few seconds.

Then, Lena suddenly burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that her shoulders shook and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Drastic measures?" she repeated the words, her gaze turning colder by the second. "How much more drastic can he get? Kill me?"

Michael didn't respond. He simply placed a folder on the nightstand. "This is the compensation agreement from Mr. Steele. It includes the payout for the villa's demolition, as well as—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lena grabbed the folder and hurled it straight at him.

"Get out." Her voice was soft but as cold as ice.

Michael frowned, attempting to say something more, but Lena grabbed the glass off the nightstand and threw it at him. "I said get out! Are you deaf?"

The glass shattered against the wall, sending shards flying everywhere. Michael stepped back, said nothing more, and finally turned to leave the room.

After the door closed, Lena sank onto the bed, completely drained of energy.

As she stared at the ceiling, her eyes burned, but not a single tear would fall.

It turned out that when despair cut too deep, she couldn't even cry.