Chapter 3
Sarah spotted Harvey in the office at the very top of the vineyard estate. From the day she arrived, she had been repeatedly warned to stay away from that restricted area. She never imagined that Harvey himself had put up those boundaries, deliberately keeping her at a distance. When they first met, he came across as just another college student—humble, quiet, unassuming. Nothing about him suggested wealth or influence, so she had naturally assumed he came from a modest home. But now she saw it. He’d been lying from the start, hiding who he was, keeping her at arm’s length the whole time. She pushed past the guards who scrambled to stop her. Harvey’s gaze darkened the moment he saw her. Zoey was seated beside him, giving Sarah a lazy, amused once-over. She looked exactly how Zoey liked her: disheveled, broken, pathetic. She had never liked Sarah. Not even from the beginning, especially after learning the real reason Sarah had ended up in her home. As Sarah looked at Harvey, she gritted her teeth and dropped to her knees. “Harvey,” she said, her voice tight, “if you want to mess with me, fine. But my grandma was the only family I had left. Can you return the transfer agreement to me? Please don’t move her grave. I’m begging you.” Even when life had knocked her down, Sarah had never begged anyone. Only twice. Once, to a doctor, begging them to save Harvey’s life. And now this. Harvey’s brow twitched. For a moment, it looked like he might actually say something. But before he could, Zoey cut in sweetly. “Harvey, help me pick a ring for the charity gala. That fifty-carat pink diamond you gave me last week? I think it’s perfect.” Then she leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper. “Harvey, only three more to go.” Harvey noticed the signal but never looked back at Sarah. He turned away as if she didn’t exist. Sarah trembled. Her body still hadn’t recovered from the snake trap, and she had just sold blood again. She could barely stay upright. But the two of them sat there, warm, close, and content, like she was invisible. Sarah told herself it didn’t matter. She should let it go. After all, she knew now that none of Harvey’s warmth, the smiles, or promises had been real. Every bit of it had been calculated. Still, knowing that didn’t make it any easier. She sat there watching Harvey hold Zoey’s hand, watching them pick out rings she wouldn’t have dared to dream of even in her most extravagant fantasies. She dropped her head, forcing down the sting in her eyes. He handed out pink diamonds like candy while she worked under the scorching sun, picking grapes and selling her blood to buy Harvey medicine. “Harvey, what is this?” Zoey’s voice rang across the room. “This cord is so ugly! It’s chafing your wrist. Let’s just burn it.” She casually slipped off the knotted cord bracelet with the charm and reached for the lighter on the table. Sarah froze. That bracelet was her grandmother’s. Before thinking about it, she lunged forward and yanked it from Zoey’s hand. Zoey stumbled back in surprise. Her eyes immediately welled with tears. “Sarah, I know you don’t like me,” she said, her voice trembling. “You always try to take everything from me. Please stop bullying me… I’m scared.” For a second, Sarah almost believed her. She had never truly understood why Zoey hated her so much. For years, she thought staying quiet and innocent would be enough to keep the peace. But now, with Harvey right there, she opened her mouth without thinking. “I didn’t—” Suddenly, a sharp crack of shattering porcelain broke the moment as a teacup smashed against the tile beside her, and in the same instant, a searing pain shot through her temple. Warm blood began to slide down the side of her face. Dazed, she reached up, her fingers coming away sticky, while her clothes, soaked from the grape juice, clung to her skin, cold and damp. Harvey looked down at her like she was nothing. “This isn’t the place for your tantrums, Sarah,” he said, flat and cold. “Zoey’s too kind to lay a hand on you, but I’m not.” Sarah blinked, stunned, as the man before her felt like a complete stranger. Once, they had shared real moments. Harvey had no hidden identity back then, and she had no idea he came from unimaginable wealth. In that tiny rented room where they used to talk about the future, he would look at her with eyes so tender she truly believed she could lose herself in them. The tears she’d tried so hard to hold back finally broke free. For a second, Harvey’s face shifted. It softened, like he might be hesitating. Then Zoey let out a soft whine. “Harvey, I’m not feeling great. I wonder if it’s the baby…” Her voice snapped Harvey out of it. Without a word, he turned away from Sarah and lifted Zoey into his arms. Before walking out, he turned to Joseph. “Have her kneel here,” he ordered. “You keep watch.” “Yes, sir,” Joseph responded instantly. Sarah didn’t move. She held the charred bracelet tight against her chest. The porcelain edges cut into her skin, but she didn’t even notice. Only when Harvey’s silhouette finally disappeared did the last of her strength drain away. The world tipped sideways. And she collapsed.