Hey Guys!
I finished a batch of modifications today, and sorted out some issues and the pace of the story.
The chapters with "[Mod]" mean content in that chapter is changed; Two chapters have "[Add]" in front of them, I moved things around and paced up, cut out two chapters of redundant stuff, and added them. (So no extra charges are needed, and you can see the new content as of now).
Hope the modification makes more sense, and hope new readers can enjoy the fixed ride!
Nyx
Scarlett’s POVWell, okay if the “soon” is like five minutes!I barely even sat down in bed before he came back. I didn’t even hear the sound of his engine coming closer. I didn’t hear anything until he opened the door. I mean, I didn’t notice if he had driven out at all because I was upset. Maybe he never even left.“I’m still upset, even if you just left for five minutes!” I grumble to myself, counting the seconds after I heard him close the door downstairs.I totally failed to suppress my lips from curving up.I didn’t think he would come back. I mean, it’s Ava’s life at stake. I was surprised enough that he didn’t ask me to go and help her.I don’t know if he would come back if I wasn’t pregnant, but even if he did it mostly for the baby...Maybe we do have a chance at making the marriage work.I didn’t know he cared about the baby so much. After hanging up with Ava, the jerk dragged me for a million questions about the baby. I didn’t know one could be so curious about so plain th
Scarlett’s POVI force my brain to not think about how likely it would be that Sebastian was the one who dug up my old art box out of reminiscence, kept it close to where he sleeps, and cared for it.Saving my baby is the most important thing right now. A weapon is just a last resort. I really wish I didn’t have to use it. I have no intention of fighting anyone with a several-pounder in my belly.Calling for help would be ideal. But how? How, without my phone?My eyes land on the window -- the security system. Any window or door damaged in the house, would instantly trigger an alarm. The emergency phone number registered is mine, so if I don’t ignore it or shut down the alarm, the security company would come over and check.But breaking the window means exposing my existence.I need to trigger the alarm as soon as possible, but once it’s triggered, whoever is in the house will all come for me. How long could I survive against them? But I would have zero chances if they found me first.
Sebastian’s POVI can’t chase Scar’s sorrowful look out of my head.The more I try to hear her and feel her, the more I realize how impossible it is to make amends. I thought I guarded my bottom line as a husband when I was with Ava, but I failed to see that every minute when I was away, was eating away the affection, the trust, the happiness of my wife.She loved me when we were married, but that sparkle extinguished in her eyes, then it was the light of happiness when she sees me, then the trust in her eyes was replaced with disappointment.The disappointment I saw when I left her today.She was just starting to smile at me again.I dare not to even imagine how much courage it took her to break the news about our baby to me. At that moment, I didn’t see the happiness of having the fruit of our marriage growing inside her. I didn’t see the excitement of a woman experiencing being a mom for the first time. I saw only fear in her eyes.FEAR. I saw fear, in my wife’s eyes, when she told
Sebastian’s POV“What happened?” I ask Jack Fuller. Something triggered Ava. She only saw Scar and I earlier today, and she was fine leaving in her newfound brother’s arms.“She was calling you before we found her in her room, blood-soaked,” Jack Fuller nails his resentment-filled eyes at me, “So you tell me, what happened to my daughter?! She LOVED you!”His voice lost shape when he burst out the word love, and it was the first moment I realized that--She didn’t love me. She never did. She WANTED me.She demanded my time, my love, my indulgence, and she would be happy only when she got something she wanted from me. She never cared about what I wanted, not like Scar did.“I’ll go see her,” I open the door to her ward, not wanting to waste time on Jack Fuller.The ward is completely dark and quiet. Ava is curling up under the cover, facing us with her back. Hard to tell whether she is asleep, or just upset and refusing to talk.“She just fell asleep, waiting for you,” Jack Fuller bloc
Jack Fuller’s POVAva didn’t cut her wrist. She just wanted an excuse to see Sebastian.We found out about that after we got her to the hospital. I can’t believe our daughter, the little innocent girl that we have been protected so carefully with all we have, would one day play us with a joke of her life. But what options do we have when all your little girl wants is a talk with the man she loved with her life?Do I have any other choice but to play along? I don’t. Just like twenty years ago.I don’t know why she is so obsessed with Sebastian Knight, but I mean, what can a father do? He is rich, has a pretty face, and top of all, he really cares about her, a lot. That much I can see. Besides, I’m not exactly against his help to the family business either.But he has no longer been into her recently. Scarlett finally did it. She stole his heart. Everyone could see that. Everyone but Ava.And she is not okay with that.It’s my fault. I failed to make Ava and Scarlett real sisters. My gu
Sebastian’s POVScarlett was hurt.The security system company found her after the alarm was triggered. But there was no sign of intrusion -- even the alarm was triggered because a lamp was thrown through the window, from inside. Apparently, Scar cut her wrist and fell off the stairs.She was taken to the hospital when Miller got there, the same hospital Ava was in no less. All he saw was the pool of blood by the stairs. I couldn’t bear hearing his report over the phone, but I dared not to miss anything either.The walk from Ava’s ward to the emergency building was the longest hell I had to go through, and I would rather die a thousand times just to turn back time.“Where is she?!” I demand Miller the moment I get there, only to notice that he isn’t the only one waiting by the emergency room.Lilith Grey, Aurora Dawson. All made it before I did. Even...Damian Vanderbilt.The girls hus together, trying to comfort each other. The man sits there on the bench with a sullen look, spouting
Sebastian’s POVScott left alone.Vanderbilt covers his face, ignoring me completely as he waits in desperation. So do Scar’s two friends. I would have stayed anyway if that could help, but I know where I’m needed more--I have to go and see Ava.If a whole blood bank wasn’t enough, then one man’s donation would hardly be. I have always worried about Ava’s condition, but we had Scar to count on whenever Ava needed blood, so I have never thought that the healthy, strong woman would one day lie in the emergency room, waiting for the rare blood to save her life.And the only one who can help, is her sister who we just had a falling out with.I knew it would be hard to get Ava to help, but I didn’t know it would be this hard.“What are you even doing here?!” Jack Fuller guards the door, grunting at me. He has been barking at me for five minutes. He is not keeping his voice low, and we both know that Ava heard all of it in there.He is showing me her attitude: she doesn’t want to see me.“
Scarlett’s POVMy belly is empty. The first thing I feel when my mind wakes up, is the horrifying emptiness.Not just my belly. My whole body is emptied by the long, dark dream that trapped me.Sebastian was in it. So was Ava, Jack Fuller, Anna Fuller, Damian Vanderbilt... They tangled into the shadow that wrapped me up so tightly that I couldn’t breath. But I couldn’t die in my dream, so I could only suffocate over and over, like buried alive in my coffin, watching my life passing by in front of my eyes. Literally. In my dream I wasn’t Scarlett, I was a specter watching the little Scarlett suffering through all the lies, the harm, the pain, and blood, all the way till the kid lured her into the dark woods, passing that, and then the crashed car.It wasn’t a dream. It was all real. It was my memory. I couldn’t remember anything from the car crash, but I did witness it. And in this deep dream, I saw my own memory. I keep my eyes closed, trying to savor the dream that’s fading fast. Eff
“Alice?” Scar blinks, uncertain of her eyes, “Lilith, did you see Alice coming off? She was on the pony in the last turn…” Saying that, Scar is already running towards the spinning carousel, her breath held, and her eyes darting around frantically as panic grabs her. Alice is gone! She was so certain that Alice took the pink pony, which was now empty as it passed Scar innocently, as if Scar remembered it wrong. “Alice!” Scar shouts, turning around as her whole world spins. Did she just lose Alice? How?! Alice was just in front of her! She didn’t even take her eyes off! The fake wooden pony just goes behind the puller for a few seconds, and such a turn loses a whole person?! “Scar, breathe!” Lilith comes to Scar’s side, her voice stern and swift, “Do not move in case Alice comes back. I’ll find her! Scar!” Scar wants to cry. She wants to melt down and shout and burst out and blow up the whole entertainment park! But she can’t lose it, not right now. Lilith’s daughter is missing, an
“So…you really trust this…Silco?” Lilith asks Scar with her eyes still on Alice, who’s just a few inches away, laughing on the carousel as it runs around. Spent most of her life on a private island, entertainment parks are like miracle lands to Alice. And the bright smile on her chubby little face makes it so hard for Lilith to say no. Not that she wants to anyway: It’s the best chance to get Scar to spend time with Alice. Johnny Vanderbilt wanted to take Alice back to his city after Scar went to prison. Knowing how Scar felt about Damian, Lilith chose to help Sebastian and took Alice to hide on a private island Sebastian got under Granny’s maiden name. At least this way Alice gets to grow up with her father. The plan worked well at first. Sebastian narrows his work days to 2 in the office, moving most of his work online and spending all five days on the island with them. For quite a long time Alice thought Lilith was her mom, and Lilith didn’t put in a real effort to correct her
Driving for 20 minutes in the car, Scar’s eyes are still cold from the outburst earlier. She has loved that man, and hated that man. He is just to painful to keep in her heart. She wants him out of her life, but he just keep coming and stir things up! “So heartless about him, hmm?” Silco breaks the silence tauntingly, “Sure you won’t regret it? I know how much you loved him before.” “That’s none of your business!” Scar snorts coldly, her tone not at all like the sugar baby she shows others.
“Scar!” Scar left when Sebastian was dragged down by the Fullers. By the time he catches up, she’s already by a pure black luxury car waiting right outside of the Fuller’s gate. Scar wasn’t going to wait for him until Sebastian hurried up a few steps and put his fingers between the half-closed door. If he has to be honest, he is surprised that Scar didn’t close the door on his fingers anyway. But Scar turns visibly impatient at his way of stopping her. “You just never settle for what’s yours at the time, do you?” Scar says coldly, standing behind the door when Sebastian feels like the door is the furthest distance in the world. A cold snort lands quietly in the car. Sebastian hears. On the back seat sits that masked man, Silco. That name upsets him. That man is using Scar, if he is not playing her also, he knows. He looked into that guy, and found nothing. Nothing! That’s not normal, and it's not at the level of resources he has. Maybe that man doesn’t exist on papers, meaning a
The phone call changes Scar back to the vengeful fallen angle. For now. “I’ll go after Johnny Vanderbilt for what he did on his part, thanks but that’s none of your business…” Scar curves her lips, her devil like grin has no warmth, sending chills down the spine of her enemies, “I hope your family really have no trouble with your lousy explanation on cheating, Mrs. Fuller. But for now, I want my mom’s necklace.” Anna shakes her head slowly with mercy in her eyes, as if Scar is just a misbehaving child who doesn’t know better. “What happened to you, Scarlett?” Anna insists on calling Scar the name she gave her, ignoring Scar’s words, “Are you seeing anyone for these episodes? It’s not a light thing. If you need help—” “Not from you!” Scar spats with cold anger, “Stop with the hypocritical act of yours! You just don’t know when to stop even after your true color is exposed, do you? I was wondering where Ava got that from.” “How dare you talk to my mom like that!?” Ava shrills, blow
For years Scar has been wondering where Ava got the lying and acting from without a hint. It was right under her nose. It was Anna Fuller, Ava’s mom who is so good at lying that Scar didn’t even notice anything wrong! Anna cost Scar’s mom, and Anna’s daughter took Scar’s baby! Like mother, like daughter! She won’t let them get away this time! She can’t unite with her mom and baby with peace before she gets justice from this pair of snakes! “You need to talk to your father, honey—” Anna Fuller reaches for Scar’s face like the perfect mom she paints herself to be. Sebastian pulls Scar back a step, blocking her with his body as he grunts warningly: “Anna, stop it.” She turned on the manipulating machine again. But Scar heard Anna already. Letting out a cold snort, Scar murmurs slowly: “My father…” The laughter is full of bitterness, anger, hatred and disappointment, everything but what should associated with that word. “Scar…” Sebastian tries to pull her close, but Scar remains wh
“Gabriel,” Scar suddenly turns to the big dumb bear, “There was a time when you bullied me at school and were caught by the teacher. When my teacher asked you to give her mom’s number, you said the wrong number before you quickly changed it. Except it wasn’t a ‘wrong’ number, was it? It was the number you were told to memorize when you were a kid before it was changed to her current one. Why did she use this phone number for twenty years without any trouble when you had to memorize two?” Gabriel opens his mouth like a big mole who digs through its ceiling to the ground by accident. “Mom…?” Gabriel stammers, looking at Anna like a lost boy. He doesn’t know how he could not fall into Scar’s trap. There is no way because it’s not a trap. It’s an endless dark hole in his mom’s past that as much as she’s trying, she’s failing to cover up. “That’s too stretched, don’t you think?” Ava struggles, “Just because of a name and a random mistake—” “Silco pulled the info of the owner who owned
“Oh my poor Scarlett…” Anna Fuller grips her chest with a hand as if her heart pains, her soulful eyes filled with tears glimmering, “You had a few rough years, I know…I wanted to look for you but…” But Jack didn’t let me? But Ava would be heartbroken? Anna said none of those words, but knowing her too well, Scar knew what the indication was. Scar tilts her head, as if seeing Anna for the very first time in her life. In some way, yes. That’s how Anna Fuller talks. Painting herself as the most pitiful person in the world even when you are the real victim, at the same time indicating that someone else is at fault, anyone but her. She might have never told Scar to hate Jack Fuller, but every time when she “comforts” Scar, she paints another layer of hatred over Scar. Like when Jack Fuller ignores Scar, instead of sitting both of them down and talk it out like a proper mom should, Anna would secretly go to Scar when no one else is around, and say things like, “It’s okay, baby, you st
Looking at Gabriel’s steaming head, Scar giggles, waving her hand indifferently. “I came with big money behind me this time, and that’s why your fox of a father and snake of a sister are treating me with a basic manner. They know they can’t push me around but they are not stopping you from pissing me off because they want to see what I can do about your disrespect. Do you know what that means?” “Bullshit!” Gabriel grunts, but he can’t help but glance in his father and sister’s direction either. “I’ll tell you what I will do to you,” Scar stops spinning her phone, putting it in her purse as she stands up, her look bored and cruel, “That little precious company of yours that’s misleading you into thinking that you are not pure valueless trash? It’s going down in exactly three days. I know it doesn’t exactly hurt them,” She nods in Jack Fuller and Ava’s direction, “I mean, how could it when they never cared about you?” “You—” Gabriel wants to shout, but Scar cuts him off— “BUT, I’m