“Hurry, pick her up! Oh my God, there’s so much blood!”
“Poor thing. The car that hit her just took off!”
“Is she still alive?”
The bystanders’ voices mingled with the rain pounding against the asphalt. Streetlights reflected in the widening pool of red, changing the color of the asphalt as it slowly returned to black.
Felicia Lee lay abandoned in the middle of the road. Not a single person was actually moving to help the poor girl—or even looking for assistance.
Felicia’s body shook violently. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as if shards of glass had been driven deep into her lungs. The cold rain was nothing compared to the pain of her shattered ribs.
A torn plastic bag had been flung several yards away from the girl. Inside were only expired bread and leftover fried chicken she had picked up earlier near the trash bin outside the restaurant across the street.
That night, the sole heir of the Lee family was searching for scraps of food. It was ironic, but that was what happened after her family went bankrupt and her father was imprisoned on charges of fraud involving hundreds of billions.
Her eyelids trembled faintly. Her vision blurred from the rain and the blood running from her temple. Through the indistinct crowd, someone approached with a black umbrella.
The heel of a high-heeled shoe stopped directly in front of her face. Felicia recognized the expensive perfume before she saw the woman’s face.
Felicia’s lips trembled. “Se... Serena.”
Her voice was barely audible. Her eyes widened slightly with hope as Felicia forced her bloodstained fingers to move, slowly reaching with all her strength for the hem of the coat worn by the girl standing before her.
Help me. Those were the words running through Felicia’s mind at that moment. But before she could say them, Serena smiled softly—the same smile that had once looked innocent but now felt colder than the rain that night.
“Poor thing,” Serena murmured. Her mocking tone made Felicia freeze instantly. Serena’s gaze dropped to her body with faint disgust, as if she were looking at trash by the roadside.
Serena slowly crouched in front of Felicia. Her face drew close, close enough for Felicia to see her own reflection in the girl’s eyes. Serena’s smile widened. “I really love seeing your face like this.”
Felicia’s chest tightened. For a moment, the sound of the rain disappeared, leaving only the pounding of her own heart. No. Serena couldn’t possibly be cruel enough to do this to me, Felicia thought.
Serena looked at the blood flowing from Felicia’s head, then let out a soft sigh. “You know?” Serena whispered, her voice so gentle yet piercing. “I was afraid that car wouldn’t hit you hard enough.”
Felicia’s body went rigid. The rain continued pounding against her face. “W-what? Why?”
Serena tilted her head. “Why?” She gave a quiet chuckle. “You’re still asking why?”
Felicia’s vision began to blur. The sound of the rain and the afternoon traffic jam caused by the accident that had just happened to her faded away, replaced by the cries of a young girl.
“Let go of me, ma’am! It hurts!”
“Shut up!”
The sharp sound of a slap shattered the quiet afternoon in the garden behind the Lee family mansion. Felicia, who had just returned from school, turned quickly. Behind the rose hedge, a thin woman was dragging a girl dressed in tattered clothes.
Maya Lim, the new housekeeper at their mansion, was scolding a girl who was crying as she struggled to break free. “I don’t want to go with that man!” the girl wailed, clinging to a tree trunk. “He’s a drunk and a womanizer!”
“If not you, then what are we supposed to use to pay off your brother’s debt?!” Maya screamed hysterically.
The young woman’s body shook violently, her face pale. Faint bruises marked her arm. Felicia, standing a short distance away, immediately walked over. “Aunt Maya!”
Maya flinched, her face instantly filling with panic when she saw the Lee family’s daughter. “Young Miss... I was only teaching Serena not to dare disobey her elders.”
Felicia looked at the girl, who was now crying silently. Her clothes were tattered, and even her shoes didn’t match. The girl lowered her head, her face wet with tears. Felicia’s chest tightened at the sight. “Are you going to sell her?”