Chapter 5

"Haley, did you really lose your memory?"

In my bedroom, my best friend, Chloe Montgomery, was circling me, inspecting my head with deep concern.

I blinked innocently. "Really."

She looked skeptical, tapping my forehead. "Then do you remember me?"

I smiled. "Of course. You're Chloe."

She looked even more confused. "Then what did you forget?"

My smile faded.

"Just some meaningless things. Things that only brought me pain."

She went quiet, understanding the unspoken implication. After a long pause, she asked cautiously, "So, are you going to Julian's birthday party the day after tomorrow?"

Julian's birthday.

In the past, I cared about his birthday more than he did.

I would make his gifts by hand, never repeating a concept.

I would design every detail of his party. He never cared, but I minded every little thing.

I always felt Julian's birthday held a sacred meaning for me.

Because of him, my life had been saved.

But this year, I had almost forgotten it. I guess no pain is too deep to be erased after a clean slate.

Humans are wired to avoid pain, after all.

"What are you planning to get him this year?"

I thought about it. "I'll just buy a watch from your family's brand."

Chloe stunned, clearly not expecting this.

For his birthday last year, I had literally flown to France to learn his favorite French recipes, and I even hand-designed a custom watch strap, hiring a master craftsman to make it.

The contrast in effort was staggering.

"What? Don't want my money?" I teased.

Chloe snapped out of it and laughed. "Are you kidding? I'd love nothing more than for a Sterling heiress to boost my family's sales."

Julian, I hope you like this year's gift.

The birthday party was just a glorified networking event for the city's elite youth.

Julian was surrounded by a crowd, wearing his trademark polite but distant smile.

He held his champagne glass high, looking like an undefeated general. He was always so powerful, so invincible.

He navigated the room with effortless grace.

The flashing lights were giving me a headache, so I put down my glass and slipped away toward the second-floor balcony for some fresh air.

"Seraphina, I heard Julian's adopted sister is a real piece of work. You won't let her bully you once you marry into the family, right?"

Behind the heavy green velvet curtains, I froze.

"I heard about her too. Apparently, she's obsessed with Julian. Is that true? He's literally her brother. That's so disgusting."

"She's adopted, though. They aren't blood-related."

"Still gross. Crushing on her own brother? She's a freak."

Then came a malicious laugh.

"She's just a street rat playing dress-up. She actually thinks she's a real Sterling. Imagine trying to seduce Julian. She should look in the mirror and see if she's even worthy."

It was Seraphina's mocking voice.

"Shh, keep it down. If someone hears us... no matter what, she's still a Sterling. We can't afford to mess with them."

"What heiress? The Sterlings don't care about her. I literally hit her with my car, and they didn't do anything to me. Julian even defended me. That proves she has zero status in that house."

Even through the thick curtains, I could picture the smug sneer on Seraphina's face.

After a brief silence, a timid voice asked, "Wait... you mean you hit Haley on purpose?"

"I only regret not hitting her harder. A freak like her who lusts after her own brother..."

Before she could finish, I ripped the curtains open.

I grabbed Seraphina by her hair and slammed her face straight into the brick wall.

Thud.

Her forehead split open, and blood began to trickle down her face.

The balcony erupted into high-pitched screams.

Someone tried to drag me off her, but I violently shook them off.

I leaned down, whispering right into Seraphina's ear, "Not hard enough, you say? Want to see if I have the guts to throw you off this balcony?"