Chapter 2

As the words dawned on me, I finally noticed the woman standing behind Charles. Lily. There was only one person who would be called that, and that would be my older sister in name, Lilith. As expected, the woman walked up to me with a look of pity on her face. "Shay, I didn't expect our first meeting to go like this. "Charles, I just wanted you to prove that you had no feelings for her. Yet, she was nearly defiled by others. You went too far," she chided. She then continued, "I'm sorry, Shay. We were just playing a joke earlier. You've clung to Charles for the past three years, so I got a little jealous and made an offhand remark about giving you to someone else. "I didn't think he would actually do it. That was too much of him. You weren't scared, were you?" If one paid close enough attention, one could see the mockery in her eyes and hear the smugness in her voice. "Lilith, you're too softhearted. She's nothing more than an illegitimate child, but she kept seducing Charles while you were gone. If it were me, I wouldn't let her go so easily. In fact, I'd make sure she was brought to ruin," said someone from the crowd, rushing to appease Lilith by tearing me down. "Everyone knows that Charles and Lilith are childhood sweethearts, and yet here she is, thinking so highly of herself. Three years of hard work and scheming all for nothing, and now, she's back at square one!" I lowered my head and touched my swollen cheek. A flash of laughter flickered across my eyes. Thinking so highly of myself? Three years of hard work and scheming all for nothing? Back at square one? I thought not! Charles didn't have the heart to go through with it in the end. If I was a mere plaything to him, then why would it matter if Horace had his way with me? He had wagered me off, then used a piece of land to trade me back. It seemed like I was pretty valuable. It was good that he didn't have the heart to go through with it. That meant that my past three years of diligence hadn't been in vain. My dress had been ripped by Horace, leaving a shoulder exposed. I looked at Charles and didn't say a word. Instead, I let my tears stream down quietly. "Charles, I want you to stay with me tonight," said Lilith with a pout as she hugged his arm. "Okay," Charles answered. But before he left, he tossed his coat at me, covering up every inch of my exposed skin. Lilith tensed when she saw this. "Charles, I thought you were a germaphobe?" she asked a little unhappily. "She touched it, so I don't want it anymore." This explanation satisfied Lilith. "Shayla, Charles doesn't want you anymore. How about you be with me instead?" Horace asked with a chuckle just as Charles and Lilith were leaving. I noticed Charles' footsteps falter. Then, I stumbled off the poker table and declared, "He didn't say he doesn't want me, and I also refuse to be with you!" I ran out of the club. It was snowing heavily that winter's night, and the temperature was already below 32°F. It was so cold that I couldn't stop shivering. I braved the snow and wind and managed to catch Charles and Lilith before they got into their car. "Lilith, I know that I'm not worthy to compete with you, and Charles only loves you… But I really, really like him. I just want to be closer to him. I'll be content just as long as I can see him." Lilith's expression darkened, and she dealt me a swift slap across the face. "Shayla! How can you be so shameless!" My face swelled up again after yet another blow, but I still pleaded, "Lilith, please don't be angry. I won't do anything, and I promise I won't cause you any problems…" Hearing this, Lilith was so enraged that she wanted to hit me again, but Charles caught her hand in time. "Lily, doesn't your hand hurt from hitting her?" "Charles, she isn't giving up! She still wants to seduce you!" Lilith complained. Charles finally looked at me and scoffed. "Let her follow us. She can watch us enjoy our night with her very own eyes." In the end, I got what I wanted and was brought back by Charles to the mansion. He didn't let me past the front doors, though. Instead, he punished me by having me stand outside—in the middle of winter. The night fell, and the shadows of two bodies became intertwined in the main bedroom upstairs. I shouldn't have been able to hear anything from where I stood, but Lilith had purposely opened the windows and moaned especially loudly. By midnight, when I was so cold that I nearly keeled over in the snow, Charles finally made his way down and walked over to me. "Does it hurt?" He was much taller than me. He gently lifted my chin, and his fingers brushed over my swollen cheek. I shook my head obediently and nuzzled against his palm. "No, it doesn't. I'm just worried you'd find me dirty and not want me anymore." Charles' expression darkened at my reminder. "Where did Horace touch you?" I hurriedly explained, "He didn't touch me anywhere. He just tore the dress you gave me." He stared at me deeply and asked, "Do you blame me, Shay?" "I don't blame you. I just don't want to be separated from you." I had barely finished speaking when he suddenly leaned in to kiss me and pressed me against the side of the car. Then, he opened the car door and laid me down on the back seat. Just as he lowered himself down on me and kissed my neck, I tilted my head and glanced at the upstairs balcony. At some point, the supposedly asleep Lilith had been standing there, glaring at me unblinkingly like a phantom in the shadows.