"Still throwing a tantrum? Mandy and I have known each other for so many years, and my friends always let her have her way. After we get married, I’ll be considered her elder too. Taking a little extra care of her is the only way our family can get along in harmony, isn't it?"

As he spoke, he leaned down, intending to kiss her cheek.

Serena could not comprehend how foolish he thought she was to constantly use the guise of marriage to help Mandy.

She and Mandy had never been, and would never be, family.

She raised her hand to push him away, her gaze defiant. "I'm not in the mood. What exactly did you come here for today?"

Julian was slightly displeased after being rejected by her several times in a row, but he maintained a patient demeanor.

"Actually... there is something I need your help with."

"Mandy lost a drag race yesterday. The wager was a sapphire necklace and a night with the winner. I'm completely out of options, so I was thinking you could go in her place to get her out of there first."

Serena’s heart sank completely. It turned out he had eagerly come to her door just to have her take Mandy’s place in being humiliated.

Seeing that she remained silent, Julian quickly added, "Don't worry. As long as you successfully get Mandy away, the people I've arranged will come rescue you in a bit. I will never let you suffer a loss."

Just as Serena was about to refuse, a video call suddenly popped up on Julian’s phone.

The moment it connected, a panicked shout came from the other end. "Jules, it’s bad! Mandy was forcefully taken away by Christian!"

The video feed shook violently, and Serena suddenly caught a glimpse of something, her pupils instantly constricting.

In the frame, Mandy was being held forcefully by the man named Christian, who snatched a familiar sapphire necklace right off her neck.

That was her mother’s relic!

Her mother had handed that necklace to her on her deathbed. She had intended to take it with her this time, but had been unable to find it for days. She never expected that Mandy had stolen it and used it as a racing wager.

"Damn it!"

Julian cursed under his breath, his expression instantly darkening as he grabbed Serena’s wrist with enough force to nearly crush her bones.

"There's no time, come with me!"

Serena frowned in pain, struggling with all her might. "Why should I help her? Julian, get this straight, she and I share absolutely no blood relation!"

"Her mother is the mistress who destroyed my family, and she is an illegitimate daughter who can't face the light. Why should I clean up the mess she made?"

"Shut up!"

A fierce aura instantly erupted from Julian’s eyes as he suppressed his burning rage.

"如何 can you say something so vicious! No matter what, she is still your stepsister by name. What exactly do you want before you'll help her?"

Looking at his protective stance over Mandy, Serena let out a cold laugh.

"I was whipped twenty times because of her. If you want me to go, fine, but you have to take those twenty lashes back on her behalf."

Julian froze for a moment, clearly not expecting her to make such a demand, his brow furrowing deeply.

But thinking of the urgency of Mandy's situation, he bit his teeth, turned around, and went to the private study to fetch the whip.

"Do it, quickly."

The servants exchanged hesitant glances, but ultimately raised the whip.

With a sharp crack, the whip landed on Julian’s back, instantly imprinting a red welt through his dark shirt.

He let out a low groan, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

Lash after lash, until twenty strokes were done. Julian’s back was a total mess, his shirt thoroughly soaked with blood.

"Now, can we go?"

Serena stood to the side, coldly watching him willingly accept punishment for Mandy, a bitter taste rising in her mouth.

So this was how he loved someone—willing to get hurt, willing to bow his head.

She had truly been blind to be deceived by his sweet words for so long.

"Lead the way."

She wasn't doing this to save Mandy, much less for Julian. She just wanted to retrieve the thing that belonged to her mother, which was her only remaining sentiment in this house.

Julian dragged Serena to the racetrack and used her to swap Mandy out.

She followed Christian into a hotel, taking advantage of the time he spent showering to retrieve the sapphire necklace.

Time passed second by second. The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, but Serena never saw Julian coming to save her.

The unease in her heart grew larger and larger. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

The ringtone sounded for a long time before it was finally picked up.

Chapter 5

Mandy’s sweet, delicate voice came through. "I had quite a scare today, so I’m clinging to Julian and drinking with a few of his brothers right now. Don't worry, no one will disturb the two of you tonight."

With that, the call was abruptly disconnected.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open. Christian’s gaze wandered greedily over Serena’s body as he approached her step by step.

He reached out to tear at Serena’s collar.

"Get away!"

Serena’s voice trembled.

"Stop acting so pure and proud. Julian has already played you to pieces, hasn't he?"

Christian reached out to rip her collar open, his hot, sticky breath trailing over her neck.

She was pinned to the bed, struggling wildly. Catching sight of the vase on the nightstand from the corner of her eye, she used all her strength to grab it and smash it hard against the back of Christian’s head.

With the shattering of glass, blood instantly seeped from the top of Christian’s head, and he collapsed with a low groan.

Disregarding her completely disheveled state, Serena grabbed a jacket from the couch, wrapped it around herself, and rushed out the door.

The night wind was exceptionally cold, scraping against her face like a blade.

With her clothes in disarray and her hair a tangled mess, she stumbled all the way back to the estate.

Arthur was sitting on the living room sofa smoking a cigarette. Seeing her in this state, disgust filled his eyes, and he roared at her.

"Where did you go fooling around this time? Coming back dressed like this, do you think you haven't disgraced the family enough?"

Serena wanted to explain, but Arthur picked up a stack of documents and hurled them right at her face.

"These are the enrollment materials for the art school abroad. You must pass the examination inside. If you can't even get into this school, you can get out and be a beggar abroad. My family cannot support a disgraceful creature like you."

Looking at the densely packed text and Arthur’s cold profile, Serena felt all the strength drain from her body.

She went back to her room and opened the test paper. The sight of the exam question brought a sudden sting to the bridge of her nose.

Draw a family member close to you.

Serena curled her lips in a self-deprecating smirk.

Her mother had passed away, her father now possessed nothing but cold aversion toward her, and the only person who treated her with genuine sincerity was her grandmother.

But ever since that live-stream scandal erupted, in order to hide it from her grandmother, she had not only set up a block on her grandmother's phone for related information but also didn't dare go see her.

Her grandmother still didn't know she was leaving the country and must be looking forward to her coming home.

Serena sniffed, tracing her grandmother’s outline from memory.

Just as the drawing was nearing completion, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from outside the window.

Serena looked up to see the window being gently pushed open, and a tall, imposing figure deftly slipped inside.

It was Julian.

He quickly walked forward, his tone carrying a rare hint of apology. "Today was my fault. I was caught up in some things. By the time I reached the hotel, you were already gone."

Julian explained urgently, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Don't worry, Christian has already been handled by me. He won't dare bring you any trouble."

There was not a single ripple in Serena’s eyes; they were a vast expanse of dead silence.

Looking at this man who had once made her heart flutter and fall, only to push her into the abyss in the end, her voice was calm, without a single trace of emotion.

"Julian, let's break up."

The expression on Julian’s face froze. "Serena, what did you say?"

"Break up," Serena repeated. "From now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other."

Julian was stunned for a few seconds, then let out a laugh, assuming she was merely throwing a tantrum.