Chapter 7

At that moment, Serena felt a profound sense of emptiness.

Lauren was so angry that she was about to charge at Justin. "Did your mouth get glued shut before? Why didn't you say all this crap before?"

Justin was equally furious. His eyes darkened, and a sharp energy radiated from him. "Lauren, this is Farrow Corporation. Try making another scene and see what happens!"

Lauren used to be afraid of him. But she was about to explode this time, so she didn't back down. She rolled up her sleeves and pushed Zane aside, ready to hit Justin.

The latter immediately called security.

In moments, a couple of security guards roughly grabbed Lauren and tried to drag her away.

Serena quickly stepped forward, protecting Lauren. "Let go of her!"

She glared at Justin. "If you dare lay a finger on Laurie, I'll ruin you, Justin! I've been your assistant for years. I know everything about you. You sure you want Farrow Corporation in the news tomorrow for all the wrong reasons?"

"Are you threatening me? Do you even know what happens if you leak Farrow Corporation's secrets? You'd end up in jail," Justin warned.

"If you touch Laurie, I'll leak it all, no hesitation!" Serena's eyes blazed with a mixture of warning, anger, and hostility.

Justin had never seen her look at him like this before. He felt a surge of discomfort in his chest. "You're really protecting her?"

"Yes." Serena swallowed hard. "Because she's the only one who would protect me."

Justin's eyes flickered for a moment. He had once promised he would protect her. Hearing that made him feel an odd sense of irritation. "Take Lauren and get out of Farrow Corporation!"

Lauren, fuming, stomped her feet. "We were already leaving! If it weren't for you stopping us, do you think we'd want to stay in this place filled with bad energy? Let's go, Rina!"

Justin grabbed Candice's hand and stormed into his office as well. He slammed the door shut behind them.

Serena stood frozen. The sound of the door slamming felt like a slap across her face.

Outside, employees pretended to be busy, but their eyes kept darting to the scene unfolding.

Up until today, most thought Serena was going to be Mrs. Farrow. Now, everything had changed.

…

Once they were out of Farrow Corporation, Lauren kept ranting, "That bastard doesn't even deserve the title of scum. He's just a piece of trash!

"Not only trash, but blind as hell too. He's got you, a beautiful woman, right in front of him, and he goes and protects that bitch. I can smell her schemes from miles away!"

Serena followed behind her and got into Lauren's Mini Cooper.

Lauren gripped the steering wheel, her voice never stopping.

Meanwhile, Serena sat quietly in the back seat. Her gaze drifted over the passing roads, and her thoughts momentarily faded into emptiness.

She had never imagined her relationship with Justin would end like this. But when she thought about it…

From the start, she and Justin had always been on different paths.

Her father, Evan Judd, had been a bodyguard for the Farrow family, and her mother, Litzy Bennett, worked as their maid.

Serena once had an ordinary, happy family.

That was until she was six years old when Evan died protecting Justin's grandfather, Robert Farrow.

Litzy couldn't handle the blow. On the day of Evan's funeral, she took sleeping pills and passed away in bed, clutching his photo.

The Farrow family, worried about the public's judgment and seeing her as an orphan, took her in to live with them.

They didn't really adopt her. Serena ended up in the maid's room where Litzy had stayed, and the Farrows completely ignored her.

She lived under the same roof as Justin, but their lives couldn't have been more different.

She ate with the staff and took the bus alone to school. When she had no clothes, the kind maids would take her to bargain for cheap clothes from the street vendors. Luckily, her parents had left her enough money for that.

The turning point came when she was six years old.

Joseph and some other kids noticed her worn-out clothes and started mocking her. They called her a country bumpkin and made fun of her, saying she was a scavenger.

Having lost her parents, Serena became shy and withdrawn. When surrounded by privileged children who laughed at her, she could barely utter a word.

The bullying lasted for months. One day, Justin saw it happening.

Dressed in a striped suit and a blue bowtie, he immediately stepped in and shielded her. "Shut up! I'm protecting her from now on. If I ever hear any of you bullying her again, I won't go easy on you!"

After that, no one dared to make fun of Serena.

Justin took her into the Farrow residence's living room, showed her his new boat model, gave her books from his collection, and even taught her how to play the piano.

He became a light that broke through the darkness of her lonely, barren life.

In the years that followed, Serena had tirelessly followed his footsteps. After 19 years, she thought she had finally earned the right to stand by his side.

But in the end, it was all just her fantasy. Her 19 years of persistence and pursuit were shattered by Justin's own hands.

She was nothing but a joke.

Tears flowed down her face, though she didn't know when they started.

Serena wiped her face with her fingers, but they seemed endless.

She kept biting her lip to hold back the sobs. Her shoulders trembled, and weak, shuddering sounds escaped from her lips.

Lauren, still cursing, suddenly realized something was off. She looked up in the rearview mirror and was shocked to see Serena's face streaked with tears.

Her heart skipped a beat. In her distraction, Lauren slammed into the car ahead. "Oh fuck!"

The impact snapped Serena out of her sadness.

Lauren turned pale. "We're done for, Rina. I think that's a Bentley in front of us!"

Serena quickly wiped her tears and spoke hoarsely, "Don't worry. I'll handle it. We'll go through insurance, and I'll cover the rest of the compensation."

"You're in no condition to handle this. I'll do it!" Lauren shot Serena a comforting look and started to open the car door.

But before she could, the person from the Bentley had already gotten out.

Lauren was surprised to see who it was. "Hey, weren't you the one who gave us the umbrella last time?"

Sebastian froze for a second. He didn't expect to run into these two ladies again. "Please wait a moment."

He turned and walked to the back seat of the Bentley.

Inside the air-conditioned car, Wilson slightly tilted his head. His naturally flirtatious, charming eyes dropped, hiding his indifferent coldness. "What's going on?"

Sebastian leaned down and whispered in his ear.

Serena tilted her head and noticed the Bentley's rear window was rolled down halfway. She couldn't make out the person inside, but a slender hand extended from the window, gesturing backward.

Lauren gasped. "Look at that hand, Rina! Looks like a real catch is sitting inside!"

"Seriously, we just crashed into a Bentley, and you're thinking about hot guys?" Serena rolled her eyes at Lauren.

"Well, since we've already crashed, can't I at least have some fun?"

Soon, Sebastian returned. "Ladies, my boss says it's just a minor issue. He'll let this slide. You may leave now."

"Your boss is such a good guy! Last time he gave us an umbrella, and now he's not going after me for this? He's a saint! We should get his contact info and treat him to a meal next time!"

A saint? Wilson?

That was the biggest joke of the year.

"That's not necessary. Just drive safely next time."

Lauren didn't say much more. She just thanked Sebastian and drove off in her Mini Cooper.

After they left, Sebastian got back into the Bentley. "Mr. Quade, I've said what you asked. But… I noticed Ms. Judd's eyes were red, like she'd been crying."

"She cried?" Wilson narrowed his eyes, his emotions unreadable.

After a moment, he scoffed. "Got dumped, huh?"