As night fell, the outside was aglow with brilliant lights.
However, the interior of the house was as dark as midnight, with heavy curtains blocking out the resplendent illumination.
Slumped on the soft bed was a woman whose body seemed ready to burst into flames. As she struggled, her graceful body was half exposed to the air, prompting comfortable sighs.
Cheyanne Keller felt like she might have drunk too much, feeling discomfort as if she were on a grill.
Dazedly, she wondered. She had only had one glass of red wine, so why was she feeling so uncomfortable?
In a half-dream half-awake state, Cheyanne felt the bed sink down, and her nose was filled with a deeply refreshing woody scent. Following that, a pair of dominant, powerful arms tightly embraced her.
Who was it?
With no sexual experience, Cheyanne quickly became overwhelmed and suffocated in the heated entanglement.
The night was cool, but the soft bed in the room was burning with passion.
……
In the early morning, a figure walked into the room and abruptly pulled open the curtains. The golden sunlight relentlessly pierced the room, prompting the sleeping beauty to open her eyes.
Just as Cheyanne was regaining her consciousness, she saw the woman before her and was immediately frightened upright.
Staring blankly at her sister who always looked down on everything with disdain, she anxiously asked, "Kora Espinoza, what are you doing here?"
As her words fell, she seemed to remember something. She quickly looked down, to see her skin covered in prominent bruises of green and purple. Her face instantly turned pale.
"Ah!"
With a cry of alarm, Cheyanne quickly grabbed the bed sheets to cover her unclothed body.
"Heh! What's the use of covering now? You're already fully exposed!" Kora had a strong flash of jealousy in her eyes, her words were delivered through gritted teeth.
"What... what happened to me?" Cheyanne was utterly confused, and only then did she feel the ache in her back and waist.
Feeling dizzy, she swayed a bit and almost lost her balance.
Kora scoffed, "Cheyanne, on the surface you appear so innocent, who knew you had such loose morals? Taking advantage of everyone's absence last night to bring your lover to my bed."
"I didn't."
Cheyanne shook her head, tears in her eyes as she explained, "I don't know how I got drunk last night...I don't remember what happened after that."
"Still trying to play the innocent little bunny?" Kora's voice was laced with jealousy, "I wonder if your boyfriend knew what you were like, would he still want you?"
Cheyanne trembled with fear as she clutches Kora's hand pleading, "No, I really didn't! Kora, can you not tell anyone else? Please."
"Help you hide it?" Kora shook her off with disgust.
Cheyanne was thrown onto the bed, feeling as if her bones were about to fall apart.
"Fine, but you have to agree to one condition," Kora's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What condition?" Cheyanne looked at her, taken aback, unsure of what Kora had in mind to humiliate her again.
"You have to be my servant for a month. It just so happens that I'm heading to my private island for a honeymoon tomorrow, you can accompany me."
"A servant?" Cheyanne widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at Kora.
"But, I have an exam with Rhett tomorrow..."
This was her only chance to earn a scholarship for studying abroad next year.
"Cheyanne, I'm not asking for your opinion." Kora of course knew what Cheyanne dreamed of, but she wanted to prevent her from getting it.
Somehow, it helped alleviate the hate lingering in her heart.
Seeing Cheyanne lower her eyes in resentment, Kora laughed contemptuously, "I forgot to tell you, this room is equipped with surveillance, weren't you enjoying yourself last night?"
What? Surveillance?
Cheyanne's face turned ghastly pale, she was in panicked mess.
Kora laughed coldly, "Alright, aren't you going to get up and clean up, or do you want people outside to know that you were the one slept with by the man of my house?"
Holding back tears, Cheyanne sprinted into the bathroom in despair.
Letting the water freely wash over her, she scrubbed vigorously at the marks on her body as she cried.
Even when her skin began to bleed, she didn't stop.
Those bruises sprinkled all over her body were sharp as knives, each imprinting deeply into her heart.
"How can this be, how can this be... Oh my God..." Cheyanne, sobbing with despair, hugged herself and sank to the floor.