Chapter 3

My ears buzzed at that, and I ran home like a madwoman. There was chaos when I got back.

My brother, Elijah Camden, was covered in blood. Dad wasn't doing much better than him. Mom was cowering in a corner, not daring to move.

I suppressed my fear and asked, "What's going on, Dad?"

He sighed and said in resignation, "It's all your accursed brother's fault!"

Elijah spat on the floor at that. "I wouldn't be like this if not for you, would I? I was sunbathing in Altalia—look at what's happened now! I told you this is an opportunity to make money, didn't I?"

Dad was infuriated by that. He snarled, "You call gambling and taking a loan from loan sharks an opportunity? Why do I have an ingrate like you for a son?"

Elijah sneered and staggered to his feet. "If not for your failed investment, I wouldn't need to resort to this!"

Just then, the loan sharks charged into the apartment. The man in the lead practically drooled when he saw me. "Well, well, well. I didn't expect you to have such a beautiful sister, Camden. I wouldn't have beaten you up if I'd known!"

He stalked toward me, wanting to grip my jaw. I dodged him, making him curl his lip in displeasure. "I guess this means you don't care about your family's lives."

"We lived in a civilized and law-abiding society. I'll call the cops on you if you dare touch me!" I snapped.

He laughed. "The cops? Your brother will be the first to be thrown behind bars if you do that. He owes us money and is refusing to pay us back, after all!"

Elijah immediately clung to my legs when he heard that. "You have to save me, Ellie! Have you forgotten about everything I've done for you?"

I glared at him. Before I could speak, the loan shark continued, "Spend a night with me, and I'll give you guys a few more days to gather the money."

A figure burst into the room before I had the chance to say anything. It was Neal, and he punched the man in the face. The latter crashed onto the floor.

Neal glared at him icily, looking like he was one step away from murder. "How dare a slug like you dare to make my woman sleep with you! You're asking for trouble!"

The man spat and was about to go on a rampage, but he scrambled backward at the sight of Neal's face. It was almost as if he'd seen the devil. He didn't even say a word as he fled with his lackeys.

Neal turned to me. All he said before leaving was, "I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Silence descended upon the living room once he was gone. No one cared why he'd suddenly shown up, nor did anyone wonder what he'd meant.

Elijah had quietly left at some point. Meanwhile, Dad said, "You have it rough."

Then, he and Mom went to the hospital, leaving me alone at home.

I looked at a photo of Neal and me, which I'd yet to put away. I sighed in resignation. It looked like I would have to spend my life under his oppression. It was time to accept my fate.

…

Time flew. I tossed and turned the whole night, unable to fall asleep. Shortly after the sky turned bright, someone knocked on the front door. I got dressed and answered it. Unexpectedly, it wasn't Neal.

"I'm Mr. Gray's driver, Ms. Camden. He sent me to pick you up," the man said.

My face was devoid of emotion as I followed him to the car like a puppet on strings. We soon arrived at our destination, and I was dazed as I got out of the car.

The place was the home I'd lived in before my family had gone bankrupt.

The bodyguards stationed at the entrance brought me to my room. I noticed the furnishings were almost identical to how they'd been in the past. The only difference was that a photo of Neal had replaced a family photo without him inside.

I knew someone had bought the place after we'd gone bankrupt, but I'd had no idea it was Neal.

"You're here. So, what do you think of the place? Is it familiar?" He approached me with a glass of red wine.

I subconsciously backed away. Even if I were an idiot, I knew what he wanted to do to me that day.

Neal wasn't angered by my actions. All he did was pull out a chair and sit down. "Do you remember what once happened here?"

He threw his wine glasses on the floor. As it shattered, my mind was taken back five years in the past.

Neal had just scored a huge project for his company. He'd wanted to bring his colleagues over for a meal and had begged me for a long time. I'd been in a good mood that day, so I agreed.

However, when I'd seen his female colleague clinging to him and pouring wine for him, I'd flipped. The blood had rushed to my head, filling me with anger and irritation.

I'd grabbed the wineglass from the woman and smashed it on the floor, uncaring what the others thought. "Do you think you're a big deal now that you've won this deal, Neal? You'll never be more than my family's dog! That's all you'll be, whether in life or death!"

Neal had been stunned. Then, his face had flushed from the humiliation.

I'd chased his colleagues out and said icily, "Since you like wine so much, lick it clean before you go to bed."

I jolted when I remembered that. I knew Neal wanted to get revenge on me, but I didn't expect him to start from there.

When he saw my reaction, he said, "I guess your memory isn't too bad, Ms. Camden. Let's begin, then."

He pointed at the floor. Tears filled my eyes. Though life had been hard as I'd worked hard to earn money to pay off my family's debts, the thought of having to kneel on the floor and lick the wine made me feel…

I smiled self-deprecatingly. Why hadn't I considered how Neal would feel when treating him like this in the past?

I slowly crouched and pressed myself to the floor. I was about to start licking when he lifted my face with his foot. "Hold it."