Chapter 1

Naomi Summers became an orphan after her father passed away in a car crash. His good friend, an enigmatic yet pious man, took her in. He told her to call him "Uncle James" because he was ten years her senior. From that day on, he gave her everything she could ever want and doted on her to no end, turning her into the city's most high and mighty princess. On her 18th birthday, she stole his rosary beads and secretly slipped into her most secret of areas. The cold sensation made her feel like he was touching her. Just then, the door swung open. He caught her in the act. James Payne could hardly believe his eyes and flew into a fit of rage. He lashed out at her for her audacity to completely disregard the decency of basic human relationships and social conduct. He couldn't believe she dared think about him, her father's friend, in that way. He tore up her admission letter to Hayvard University the very next day, and shipped her off to Jeanine Academy—a place renowned for teaching etiquette in Northeval. He ordered her to learn proper social manners from the academy's educators and to have those thoughts erased before she could return home. Unfortunately, on the first day of her arrival, she had habanero pepper paste forcefully slathered over her eyes. On the second day, she was dragged away into the stairways for two hours. On the third day, a stranger made their way into her room. … Three years later, James came to pick Naomi up. Naomi stood at the entrance of Jeanine Academy as she watched that familiar black Maybach slowly come to a stop. James exited from the driver's side as the car door swung open, looking as pious and stoic as ever. The only thing that was different from three years ago was the lady in his passenger seat. She donned an elegant white dress, her locks cascading past her shoulders. She smiled gently before saying, "You're Nae, right? Hi, I'm Jocelyn Mentley, James' fiancée. You can just call me Jo." Naomi nodded indifferently. "Hi, Jo," she greeted as she climbed into the back seat, her voice barely audible. Seated at the driver's seat, James started the car engine as he emotionlessly asked, "How have you progressed in your learning? Are you still having those thoughts?" Naomi's fingers trembled slightly. Her heart constricted, as if something were squeezing it with a death grip. As she reminisced about the days when she was tasered, dragged, and abused over the past years, a lump formed so painfully in her throat that she could barely speak. Her eyes fluttered shut as she quietly said, "I no longer have those thoughts. I never will again." James frowned slightly as a wave of unknown emotions rose within his heart. That was supposed to be the answer he wanted to hear the most, yet he inexplicably felt unsettled. He ultimately said, "Very well." Naomi smiled bitterly. She lowered her head and stopped speaking. The car sped all the way until it came to a halt at the entrance of the Payne residence. Naomi got out of the car and walked toward her room out of habit, only to find it had been turned into a cat room when she opened the door. Jocelyn stood behind her and said apologetically, "Sorry, Nae. I've moved in a while ago, as I'm soon to be married to your uncle, James. I love fostering stray cats and dogs regularly, and since your room gets the best sunlight, I've arranged for the cats to stay here. "I'll have the maids clear it out right away." Naomi shook her head and said, "There's no need for that, Jo. You're the lady of this house. It doesn't matter where I stay." Once she was done speaking, she turned around and headed obediently to the guest room. During dinner, James was caring, sweet, and attentive to Jocelyn in every way. He plated her food, spoke to her in an incredibly soft and gentle tone, and looked at her with such tenderness. Throughout the meal, Naomi's eyes didn't wander. Her head was lowered as she ate the mashed potatoes on her plate, as if none of it mattered to her at all. Jocelyn glanced at her and gently said, "Don't just eat the mashed potatoes, Nae. Have some lasagna as well." Naomi almost subconsciously followed Jocelyn's command, shoving lasagna robotically into her mouth at a frantic speed. It didn't matter that the lasagna was scalding hot, causing blisters to form around her throat—she kept swallowing it, unfazed. Jocelyn flashed a smile at James. "Didn't you say that Nae would be hard to get along with? See, we're getting along just fine. She's such a good girl." James glanced at Naomi. He hadn't expected such a drastic change in her character. Not once did she lose her temper. He nodded approvingly and said, "It seems like you're learning well over there. "Get along well with Jocelyn in the future as well, just like you did today." Naomi had already eaten the entire tray of lasagna. She then stood up and said, "I'm done eating. I'll head back to my room." She entered the room, closed the door, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She fished out a small box from within her pocket. In it was all the money she had managed to save throughout the years while she was at the academy. She was just reminded of James' command to get along with Jocelyn well, but she had already decided to buy a plane ticket and leave—leaving behind James as well. She calculated her savings and realized that she only had enough to purchase a low-fare air ticket for nine days later. She took out her phone and, with trembling fingers, clicked on the screen to make the purchase. The moment the transaction went through, Naomi shut her eyes. The tears slowly flowing down her cheek felt like a symbol of being finally free, yet with a tinge of despair. After washing up, she lay on the bed and forced herself to sleep, just as she had done back at the academy. Maybe it was because she was back on familiar grounds, but as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could see was James' face. At that time, his eyes were cold, and his voice was grave. He sounded as if he were speaking from a great distance, saying, "Naomi Summers, how dare you completely disregard the decency of basic human relationships and social conduct! You're ridiculous! How absurd of you to think of me, your father's friend, in that way?" Memories of the past replayed like a movie in her mind. As she drifted off to sleep, her door suddenly flung open. Someone walked into the room, frowning. The figure said, "Why are you in bed so early? You forgot to drink your milk." Naomi heard a man's voice, and her eyes shot wide open. Her body sprang into a seated position as if it were a conditioned reflex. She had forgotten she was home and thought she was still at Jeanine Academy. While she was at the academy, as soon as a man entered her room, she had to immediately unbuckle his belt. It didn't matter if she was on her period or not. If she were even a tad slower in each of these steps, she would suffer a fate worse than death. As she leaped toward the man in her room, she knelt on the ground and began to unbuckle his belt. She wailed tearfully, "Please don't hit me. Please, don't beat me up. I'll serve you right away." The man's belt was almost entirely unbuckled when all the lights in the room were turned on. Through her teary eyes, she saw James standing before her, a glass of milk in his hand, his eyes wide with incredulous disbelief. "What the hell are you doing, Naomi Summers?"