Chapter 6

Vanessa's hand tightened on the staircase railing. She couldn't help but recall the time she was first brought into the Samson family's home. Back then, the housekeeper had treated her as an outsider and served her cold leftovers. That lasted until the day Harris unexpectedly came home to retrieve some documents and witnessed the neglect. The housekeeper was fired that very day. From then on, Harris had taken it upon himself to care for her, learning to cook, braid her hair, and even teaching her about things like managing her periods. Vanessa would always finish every bite of the meals he made and praise that his cooking was the best. Harris would gently pat her head and say he would only cook for her from then on. But now, he was telling Waverly the same thing. "I'll cook for only you next time. How about that?" Waverly giggled even more gleefully, rewarding Harris with kisses before the two turned toward the dining table. That was when they noticed Vanessa standing silently at the staircase. Harris barely glanced at her as if last night's incident had been wiped clean from his memory. On the other hand, Waverly walked up to her enthusiastically. "Vanessa, I didn't think you'd come down for breakfast, so I only had Harris prepare two servings. You don't mind, do you?" Vanessa ignored her entirely, brushing past the pair and heading into the kitchen. Having not cooked in a long time, it took her a while to prepare a somewhat edible breakfast. By the time she returned to the dining table, Harris and Waverly had already finished their meal. Vanessa looked down and quietly ate her breakfast. Out of nowhere, Waverly exclaimed, "Oh my god, Vanessa! What happened to your hands? Why are there so many cuts?" Vanessa's fair, delicate hands bore several glaringly obvious knife wounds. She didn't want to talk to Waverly, so she didn't reply. Harris, who was reviewing something on his phone, paused. His eyes flicked toward her injured hands for a moment and narrowed slightly. Then, as though nothing had happened, he turned to Waverly and said, "Your birthday is coming up soon. The venue has already been arranged. Do you want to go check it out?" Waverly lit up instantly and threw herself into his arms. "Really? Let's go right now!" Before long, Vanessa found herself alone at the dining table. She kept her head down as she quietly finished her meal. Waverly's birthday banquet was extravagantly grand. Harris had rented out an entire riverside hotel. The guest list boasted elite business magnates and A-list celebrities, all gathered to celebrate Waverly's special day. The entire hall sparkled with diamond-studded decorations and was adorned with fresh flowers in every corner, while a custom-made, six-foot-tall castle-shaped cake stood prominently near the stage. Vanessa stood in the shadows of a quiet corner, silently observing the lavish spectacle. This celebration was far grander than any of her past birthdays. Harris was clearly head over heels for Waverly. Oddly enough, though, Vanessa didn't feel heartbroken anymore. Perhaps it was because she'd already made up her mind to let go. Fireworks lit up the sky, marking the climax of the grand celebration. Under the dazzling light, Harris knelt on one knee and presented his gift—a pink diamond ring worth over a hundred million dollars, The Heart of True Love. The hall erupted in excitement. The diamond ring, once sold to a mysterious bidder at a record-breaking price, had sparked countless speculations. Only now did people learn that Harris was the buyer, and his purpose had been to please his fiancée. Next to Vanessa, a woman gushed with envy while tugging at her friend's sleeve. "Oh my god, I'm so jealous of Waverly! How lucky is she to have such a devoted fiancé? That diamond ring's worth over a hundred million dollars! If only I had a fiancé like that…" The rest of their chatter blurred in Vanessa's ears. As the party wound down, Vanessa was about to leave when Waverly stepped in her path. Wearing a smug smile, Waverly toyed with the pink diamond ring on her finger and drawled, "Vanessa, even though Harris loves me a lot, I can't help but wonder just how much he loves me." Then, before Vanessa could register, Waverly smirked wickedly and abruptly threw herself backward into the towering three-tier cake.