Chapter 7

Catherine thought she might have made a mistake by coming to this banquet. Normally, she could numb herself and ignore the fact that Raphael had a girlfriend. But when she saw them together in person, she had no choice but to witness their affectionate interactions. And so, Catherine sat quietly in a corner and watched as Raphael downed glasses of wine on behalf of Fiona. She observed as he gently fixed her hair and smiled at her tenderly. Halfway through the evening, she couldn't take it anymore and slipped away to the restroom. In the hallway, she ran into two men. Upon seeing her, one of them immediately wore a mocking expression and jeered, "Well, well. If it isn't the high-and-mighty Ms. Somerset?" Catherine looked up and saw the face of Zayn Landon. He was a notorious playboy in their social circle. Three months ago, she had been on a blind date with him. Zayn had taken a liking to her and continued trying to ask her out afterward, but Catherine wasn't interested in him at all. She never responded to his messages. A person as prideful as Zayn had never been ignored like that before—it was a first for him. Owing to that, he had held a grudge against Catherine ever since. Catherine wasn't in the mood to deal with his snide comments that day. Not bothering to respond to him, she brushed past him and entered the ladies' restroom. Her indifference fueled Zayn's anger. He glared at her retreating back and muttered, "I'll teach her a lesson one day!" Zayn's buddy, who was beside him, smirked mischievously. He then leaned in to whisper something in Zayn's ear. "What do you think? I bet it'll scare her to death." Zayn grinned satisfactorily and cast a backward glance at the ladies' restroom. Inside, Catherine stared at her own reflection in the mirror. She could barely recognize the gloomy young lady staring back at her. She used to always have a smile on her face and didn't have a care in the world. But that was back when she had been wrapped in Raphael's affection and protection. Unfortunately, things were different now... Catherine washed her hands and walked silently to the door, only to find that the restroom door had been locked at some point. She tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. Faced with this unexpected situation, panic started to arise within her. Just then, she heard Zayn's teasing voice from the other side of the door. "How strange! My pet snake seems to be missing. Did it crawl into the restroom, I wonder?" The word "snake" made Catherine freeze, and every hair on her body stood on end. In the next moment, Zayn's voice came again, "Ms. Somerset, are you in there? Be sure to keep my snake company!" Even if she hadn't figured it out earlier, it was now clear to Catherine that Zayn had set her up. Her body went cold, and she began pounding on the door desperately. "Let me out, Zayn! Open the door!" Zayn, who was right outside, acted like he couldn't hear her. Not long after, Catherine heard the sounds of footsteps that faded into the distance. She was left alone in the restroom. The next second, she heard a faint hissing sound coming from her left. She turned her head stiffly and saw a large, green snake that was about three feet long hanging from the wall. Fear gripped her as her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She clamped a hand over her mouth. Catherine was painfully aware that screaming would only attract the snake's attention. So, she slowly backed away from it step by step with extreme caution. Since childhood, her greatest fear had been snakes. Now, she was trapped in an enclosed room with one. With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone from her bag. The only person who came to her mind was Raphael—he was the only person she could turn to for help. Catherine held her breath and dialed his number. Every second felt like an eternity to her. "Raphael, please pick up. I'm begging you. Please answer your phone," she prayed anxiously and wordlessly. After a while, the snake seemed to sense her presence. Slowly, it began slithering in her direction. The dial tone rang and rang, but no one answered. Catherine desperately hoped Raphael would appear like he had when she was younger. She wished he would save her in times of danger and whisper gently to her, "I'm here. Don't be afraid." But this time, no matter how many times she called, Raphael didn't answer. The snake got closer and closer. Catherine backed up, her legs trembling so badly that she knocked over a nearby bucket of water. The dirty water splashed onto her dress and shoes. The snake, startled by the noise, slithered onto the floor and hissed menacingly as it moved closer and closer toward her. "Ah!" When the phone call disconnected once again, Catherine finally realized that Raphael wasn't coming to save her this time. The snake lunged toward her. Tears of terror streamed down Catherine's face as her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor. Just then, the door lock clicked, and the door swung open. It was the hotel staff. They had noticed the restroom was locked and had come to check on it. When they saw Catherine sitting on the floor with a pale and tear-streaked face, they were alarmed and worked fast to catch the snake. Catherine, soaked and dirty, felt hollow inside due to intense fear as she staggered out of the restroom. Zayn appeared again and smirked gleefully at her disheveled state. "Well, well. What happened to the high-and-mighty Ms. Somerset?" With puffy and teary eyes, Catherine shot him one cold glare before rushing back to the banquet hall. Raphael must have been too busy to hear her calls. That was the reason he didn't pick up, right? But as soon as she entered the hall, she saw Raphael kneeling on the floor on one knee, massaging Fiona's leg. His expression was gentle, and his focus was entirely on her. Fiona was leaning against the couch, and her cheeks seemed to be flushed from drinking. She said something to Raphael, and he smiled. The next moment, he leaned in to kiss her cheek before lifting her into his arms and carrying her out of the hall. Raphael didn't so much as spare a glance at the disheveled Catherine, who was standing nearby.