She kept her eyes shut, trembling with fear. The terror she felt toward her father was overwhelming; he was a psycho who hit her for any reason. She was trapped with them, having no choice, especially since the shares in her name tied her to the family. With 23 percent ownership, if the other shareholders knew, she could become the next CEO of Edwards Company.
Lost in thoughts about her father, she barely registered the voice of the person she had bumped into. In a panic, she scrambled to her feet, desperate to avoid any confrontation.
"You want to seduce me again, huh?" an arrogant voice taunted, making her tremble with anger.
She scoffed, not looking at his face, but he could see her clearly. In just two days, she had become so thin it looked like she had been starving for years. Her neck, arms, and face were covered in purple bruises, and the inflammation made her appear even more pitiful.
Her pale complexion suggested she might be suffering from internal injuries. He felt an uncomfortable flutter in his chest as his heart raced.
"Arjan, I didn't do anything wrong, did I? So why do you humiliate me every time you see me? Did I offend you before?" she groaned, her voice laced with anger.
"Offended me, huh?" he growled, slamming her against the wall. "Because of you, my reputation is ruined." He pinched her chin tightly.
She hissed in pain, irritation rising as he loomed close. She tried to push him away but couldn't escape his grip.
"How did you get into my room that day?" he demanded, slamming his palm against the wall.
"That day was an accident! I don't know how I ended up in the wrong room. Now let go of me!" she replied, slapping his hand with her delicate fingers. Her soft touch was no match for his rock-hard grip.
At that moment, his phone rang, and he released her, glancing at the screen.
It was a call from Dia, who was at the house waiting for Arjan. She had invited him over now that the rest of the family had left, eager to spend time alone with him. Arjan's attention shifted away from Taylah as he answered the call, leaving her seething at Dia's shamelessness.
Seizing the opportunity, Taylah quickly escaped from him and fled the mansion. She made her way straight to Dicentra's home, standing outside and hesitating to knock on the door. Despite knowing Dicentra was reliable, she wondered if she would really allow her to stay. With just a glimmer of hope, she extended her hand toward the door.
Finally, she knocked on the door, but there was no response. Disappointment filled her heart, piercing it with pain. Just as she was about to turn away, the doorknob turned, and Dicentra opened the door. Upon seeing Taylah, Dicentra almost shouted.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she began, but stopped mid-sentence as she scanned Taylah's frail form. With a sigh, she stepped aside and said, "Come in."
Taylah entered slowly, feeling as if she had no energy left.
"Sit down. I'll get you some water," Dicentra said, motioning to the couch.
"I have no place to go. Can I stay here for a while?" Taylah asked, looking down.
Dicentra paused, turning to Taylah with a confused expression.
"I know you don't like me, but I don't know where else to go..." Taylah stepped forward, extending her hands.
"This is my card. My grandparents gave it to me. I have some savings on it. You can take this," she said.
Dicentra was stunned into silence. Without saying anything, she walked to the kitchen. After a moment, she returned with a glass of water.
"Here, drink some water. We'll talk about it later," Dicentra said, handing the glass to Taylah. Taylah took it but couldn't bring herself to drink; something weighed heavily on her mind.
"There's a guest room you can use, and you can wear my clothes for now. I'll buy you some new ones when I go out. Is that okay?" Dicentra continued.
Taylah tightened her grip on the glass, looking down as she murmured, "Thank you, Dicentra. I thought you wouldn't take me in." Her voice was weary.
Dicentra felt a pang of sympathy at the sight of Taylah's condition. She didn't know how to comfort her and sighed quietly to herself.
"You must be tired. Go and rest; I'll prepare something for you to eat," Dicentra said, taking the glass from Taylah's hand.
Taylah entered the guest room and locked the door behind her. She felt like a walking dead, collapsing onto the bed and curling up with her tiny hands.
"What a pitiful girl," Dicentra thought to herself. She headed to the kitchen and began preparing porridge for Taylah. Seeing the purple and whip marks on her body had struck a chord of sympathy in her.
Once the porridge was ready, Dicentra went to Taylah's room to wake her. "Taylah…" she knocked on the door, but it was unlocked. Stepping inside, she found Taylah curled up like a crumpled piece of paper, resembling a little bird trapped in rose thorns.
"Taylah, wake up and eat something," Dicentra said, gently patting her shoulder. When she touched Taylah's shoulder, Taylah hissed in pain. "I... I'm sorry," Dicentra quickly pulled her hand away.
Taylah sat up, her eyes dull and lifeless, as if the life had already left her. "I'll come. You can go and take care of your work," she said softly.
"Alright, then. I'm heading out. I have some things to do outside. Do you need anything? I can get it for you," Dicentra asked quickly, her voice betraying her nervousness.
"Take my card and get me some clothes. That's all. I don't need anything else," Taylah replied quietly.
Whenever Taylah wore new clothes in the mansion, Dia would scold her for no reason and then cut the clothes into pieces with scissors. Because of this, Taylah rarely wore nice dresses around Dia — in fact, she hardly ever wore good clothes throughout her teenage years.
Dicentra took the card and left the house. Taylah curled up in bed again, wrapping herself tightly like a cocoon. She didn't eat anything.
LATER THAT NIGHT
Dicentra returned home. It had taken her a while to buy what they needed, so she arrived late. When she stepped inside, the lights were off, and the house was cloaked in darkness, as if no one was home. She turned on the lights and placed the shopping bags on the couch.
"Where is she...? Did she fall asleep again?" she muttered to herself. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water after placing some packages on the counter. As she drank, she noticed something. "What the hell..." she fumed in anger.
Taylah hadn't eaten anything, and that made Dicentra furious. She stormed to her room to confront her. In the darkness, Taylah sat like a statue, unwilling to be in the light, as if hiding in the shadows would keep anyone from finding her.
Dicentra flipped on all the lights. The sudden brightness made Taylah's pupils constrict to adjust to the light, and she blinked repeatedly.
"Why are you sitting in the dark? Why didn't you eat anything? Don't you want to keep your energy up, huh?" Dicentra yelled at Taylah.
But not a single word came from Taylah's mouth. She kept silent, her lips tightly shut. As Dicentra moved closer, Taylah suddenly hugged her. The unexpected action left Dicentra stunned.
She gently stroked Taylah's hair, feeling a sharp pang in her heart.