The new hearing aid was so compact that Zoey felt nothing when she had it on. She had never used such a good hearing aid. It had no annoying wires, and it didn’t feel irritatingly foreign in her ear. She tried to thank Laurence for his kindness, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t say it. They looked at each other in silence.Fortunately for Zoey, a servant knocked on the door at that moment to inform them that dinner was ready.Laurence unravelled his tie. He didn’t like being dressed so sharply all the time. He extended a hand to her. “Let’s go downstairs.”Zoey followed him, their fingers intertwined as they headed down. They looked very much like a loving married couple.Mrs. Scott kept placing more food onto Zoey’s plate. “Eat more,” she said.On the table was crab, Zoey’s favorite. Laurence put on a pair of disposable gloves before he began deshelling the crab. He did so artfully, making sure there was not a single bit of shell left on the flesh. After he was done, h
The karaoke joint was dark. This suited Zoey as no one could see her face, and she didn’t need to look at the others. Zoey sat on the sofa and dimmed her phone screen to the very lowest setting. Absent-mindedly, she scrolled through her news feed. She didn’t know what she could do here. She didn’t want to drink, and she wasn’t the greatest at poker. She also had no interest in participating in their games.Someone then brought the spotlight back to Zoey. “Hey, you were late. No way you’re getting off lightly.”Zoey silently clenched her fists. She felt uncomfortable being teased so casually when they weren’t close friends. Instinctively, her gaze darted over to Laurence. His face was impassive, seemingly unaffected by her predicament.Zoey gave it some thought. In the end, she decided to apologize. It seemed there wasn’t anything else she could say. She couldn’t even be bothered to explain herself. She pressed her lips together. “Sorry,” she said.Adrian Hayes stiffened upon hear
Zoey hadn’t thought it through before she blurted it out. Laurence’s expression changed. She wondered if she had said something wrong and unwittingly hurt him again. She didn’t want to keep bringing up awful memory with him. She had no idea what came over her—perhaps the memory had…affected her that deeply. Even though she kept telling herself to forget it, to forget every hurtful thing he had done, she still subconsciously spilled her thoughts.Zoey rubbed her temples, trying to hold back her tiredness. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to use you as an example.”There was a subtle shift in Laurence’s expression. It was difficult for him to swallow his feelings. When she apologized, a fire roared in his chest. If it hadn’t been for the sincerity in her eyes, her words would have come off as condescending, mocking him for his moment of violence.Laurence’s face was impassive as he reined in his emotions. His gaze was chilly, and his aura as frosty as ever when he uttered, “It’s okay.”Since sh
Sarah’s unease grew. She attempted to pry more information from Tristan. He was sharp enough to sense her intentions and lazily eyed her. “Why don’t you ask him yourself? He always indulges you,” he urged with an ambiguous smile. Even though they were close friends, it wasn’t a good idea to intrude too deeply into family affairs. Tristan was never particularly curious about what was happening between Shawn and Marilyn. If Shawn intended to keep the reason under wraps, he naturally wouldn’t tell anyone. No one would know then.Sarah picked up her glass and sipped her juice to mask her nervousness. She pressed her lips together before speaking in her usual friendly tone, “I’m not a busybody. I’m just worried that he’s been down lately. You didn’t invite him out tonight.”Tristan was all smiles as he gazed at Sarah. When he wanted to, he did seem like a party boy. He countered, “But I didn’t invite you either.”Sarah’s heart sank, and her displeasure showed on her face. However, sh
Zoey didn’t know why Laurence tortured himself like this. Even when he called her a mood killer, he still wanted her to accompany him at parties. Even she could sense that the others were more tense and reserved when she was there.Zoey leaned against the window and slowly closed her eyes. Nowadays, she would stay quiet whenever she didn’t want to get into a fight with Laurence.The first thing Zoey did the moment they reached home was go to the bathroom and shower, eagerly washing off the scent of alcohol.That night, Zoey was tortured relentlessly. Laurence kept wanting more and more, as though nothing was enough to satisfy him. At first, she put up with it, but later she kicked him when she couldn’t take it anymore. Laurence easily grabbed her ankle and dragged her to him, then proceeded to be even rougher with her. Zoey’s mind was becoming hazy, her head heavy with sleepiness. She was forced to put her arms around his neck and bury her face in his chest. “Don’t be like this,”
With some editing, the video ended up being even more suggestive. Although it didn’t show the actual deed, the rest of the video would be enough to mislead everyone else. A scandalous video like this would be even more harmful to a regular person than a celebrity. For one, they weren’t as mentally equipped to handle the scandal as celebrities, who were more familiar with public scandals. A regular person wouldn’t be able to handle the onslaught of mean comments and disgusted gazes. Then there was the Scott family—so what if they were fond of Zoey? Would they be able to accept a stain on their name? Elite families were all the same. They would never allow any hint of a scandal mar their reputation.Sarah stared at her folder for a while before her lips finally lifted into a smile. She then pocketed the memory card and went downstairs to get the chauffeur to drive her to a distant suburb. She looked around for an internet cafe, and once she had ascertained that there were no cameras
The video and the pictures had been quickly wiped online with force. There was no trace of them any longer. Every news article about them was wiped, and every account that reposted them was banned too. However, news like that wouldn’t die just because the original media had been deleted. Now that the news had gotten out, many people already knew what those pictures contained, even if the original files could no longer be searched for.Zoey’s hands shook. All her strength left her body, and she nearly dropped her phone to the ground. There was no other emotion on her face other than helplessness. Those high-definition pictures kept reminding her of the painful things she had experienced.Zoey’s phone began buzzing. People kept calling and texting her, but she didn’t answer any of them, not even Laurence’s call. Zoey sat on the bench, her mind wandering. When Rose finally arrived, she was still in a daze. Her eyes stared emptily ahead. Rose had no idea what she was thinking. She slow
There was a troubled look in Zoey’s eyes as well, other than hatred. “You must be pleased now that my name has gone down the drain, right?” she asked steadily.Shawn slowly straightened up and took a deep breath. His face was blank. “It really wasn’t me. I never had anyone spread them.”Zoey nodded, believing him. However, her actions seemed to be for show. She smiled, her lips pale as she asked him, “Tell me then—who else could it have been other than you?”Who else hated her this much to the point that they wanted to see her destroyed?Zoey’s body trembled at the memory of those awful comments online. The humiliating commentators had torn her down until she had no self-worth left.Bitch. Used goods. Slut. Whore. Cheater. Loose morals. These words were hurtful enough on their own, but when used together in a coordinated attack, they knocked Zoey over, leaving her battered and bloodied.Zoey watched as Shawn remained silent, as though he couldn’t answer her.“Do you remember how