Chapter 39
Can’t Escape
“No.
I’m still uncomfortable around him.”
Nadia’s brows furrowed at that.
“I thought you two made up?
I was sure you reconciled on the day of the banquet at our house.”
“I don’t know who saw what and spread such nonsense, but I never even met him that day.”
“Come on, why don’t you use this chance to make peace?
You know Sir Derrick really likes you.
And from now on, you’ll keep seeing each other… no, not just seeing each other — you’ll get married someday.
Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable for you?”
Listening silently, Yvonne gave a bitter smile.
She already knew that Nadia hadn’t approached her with pure intentions.
But she hadn’t cared much.
After all, she herself was fake — she had never truly considered Nadia a real friend either.
Still, seeing Nadia trying to reconcile her with Derrick — even after Yvonne had told her several times what he had done and how she felt about him — made something in her heart break.
It wasn’t disappointment as a friend.
It was disappointment as a human being.
“You really don’t see me as a friend at all, do you, Nadia?”
“…What?”
“Not even as a fellow woman.”
“What are you suddenly talking about—”
“If I were you, I’d never defend a man who insulted my friend — even before the wedding.”
“Wait, Yvonne.”
For the first time, Nadia’s face showed a flicker of panic.
It was clear she’d never imagined Yvonne would stand up to her so directly.
But it lasted only a moment.
Quickly regaining her composure, Nadia spoke again, her eyes feigning hurt.
“I told you, I’m saying all this for your sake.
Why are you twisting my sincerity?”
“Is it really for my sake?”
Caught off guard, Nadia fell silent.
Yvonne’s resolute gaze said it all.
“If it’s something I don’t want, how could that possibly be for me?”
Such lies wouldn’t work anymore.
“So…”
Yvonne’s voice trembled ever so slightly, but there was no hesitation.
“I don’t think I can see you as a friend anymore.”
There was a quiet determination in her eyes as she spoke.
A laugh, sharp and disbelieving, slipped from Nadia’s lips.
The hurt expression vanished, leaving only a cold glare behind.
Yvonne gazed at her unveiled face for a moment before turning away.
Her heart pounded anxiously, but she felt relieved — as if a heavy stone pressing on her chest had finally lifted.
***
After parting ways with Nadia, Yvonne headed to the annex.
There, a lounge had been prepared for the guests attending the party.
Normally, young ladies would be touching up their makeup or gentlemen would be quietly chatting, but since the banquet was at its liveliest, the place was utterly silent.
Especially because tall trees stood between the garden and the annex, shielding it and making it even quieter.
It was the perfect space for rest.
Yvonne entered the empty lounge.
The smell of alcohol and perfume no longer lingered, and her stomach, which had been uneasy all day, finally felt a bit better.
But the corset still felt suffocating.
For some reason, her chest seemed unusually sensitive.
‘Maybe if I loosen it a little, it’ll be fine.
There’s no one here anyway…’
She glanced around once more to make sure the lounge was empty, then reached behind her back.
But Cindy had tied it so tightly that it was nearly impossible to loosen the strings without seeing them.
Just then, as she struggled with the corset, the door suddenly opened.
Startled, Yvonne froze where she stood.
The man who entered was Cedric Glaston.
He didn’t look surprised.
As if he had known all along that she would be here.
Like a hunter tracking his prey.
He didn’t even bother with the kind of polite, formal greeting he used before others.
He simply looked at her — silently.
That silence made it hard to breathe.
‘I don’t want to get entangled with this man anymore.’
Without realizing it, Yvonne stepped back.
But before she could even take a full step, the back of her knee hit the table.
A dead end.
Cedric took a step forward.
Whether he meant to sit or to stop her, she didn’t know — but one thing was certain.
His goal was her.
Yvonne tried to pass by him to leave the lounge.
At that moment, Cedric’s arm wrapped around her waist.
“What are you doing…!”
Yvonne gasped and struggled, but the more she resisted, the tighter his grip became.
She felt the string of her corset loosen as his large hand slipped under her dress.
When his long fingers brushed against the thin fabric of her chemise, memories of the hotel flashed vividly in her mind.
Her body reacted, trembling instinctively.
Desperate, Yvonne tore herself from his arms.
The corset string caught on his fingers and came completely undone, hanging loosely enough to be noticeable.
“Please, leave.”
Cedric looked at her with cold eyes.
The green in her gaze was filled only with fear and caution.
The naïve woman who once said she trusted him without doubt was nowhere to be seen.
“Why should I?
This place is for all guests to rest.”
“People will misunderstand if they see us.”
“Misunderstand?
That we’re secretly in some improper relationship?”
Cedric’s tone was mocking as he took a step closer.
Three steps.
All her desperate retreat had amounted to just three steps.
And now, only half a step remained.
If he reached out, he could grab her — or pull her into his arms.
There was no rush.
So why did that tiny distance feel so irritating?
Or maybe, it wasn’t the distance that bothered him…
Maybe it was the woman herself, desperately pushing him away.
“Tell me… was it really a misunderstanding?”
Yvonne’s eyes trembled as she looked up at him.
“…Why are you doing this?”
“I hate losing — whether it’s money, an object, or a person.”
Leaning closer, Cedric reached for the loose fabric of her dress and whispered softly.
He could feel her hand trembling as she clutched the dress tighter, her long lashes quivering with humiliation.
He hadn’t meant for it to go this far when he followed her into the lounge.
He only wanted to see if she was all right — she looked paler and thinner than usual.
But watching her try so hard to run from him, from that night, twisted something inside him.
If she wouldn’t face it herself — then he’d make her.
“So, I’d like you to pay the rest of what’s due.”
Yvonne bit her lip tightly.
Cedric’s blue eyes, stormy and fierce, seemed ready to swallow her whole.
After a brief hesitation, Yvonne finally released her grip on the dress.
Seeing that, Cedric gazed down coldly at the woman who no longer averted her eyes — then tilted her chin and claimed her lips.
The price.
Yvonne accepted him, muttering that word — the very one he had spat out like a curse — over and over in her mind.
***
“Derrick, where’s your fiancée?”
Derrick only noticed Yvonne’s absence after the lively atmosphere of the banquet had started to fade.
“Yeah, where’s the Lady?
She rarely shows up at gatherings like this.
You should bring her over and introduce her around.”
“What’s the point of that?
She’s mine anyway.”
Though he said it dismissively, Derrick was in a rather good mood.
The fact that the woman everyone desired was his fiancée gave him no small satisfaction.
If he thought about it, maybe he could spare her for a little while — let those poor, jealous fools at least have something to look at.
“Wait here.
I’ll bring her.”
Derrick circled the garden, greeting ladies as he passed.
But Yvonne was nowhere to be found.
Then, he suddenly realized another person was missing too.
Cedric.
His half-brother was gone as well.
