Refusal and Reality

"Serena, come with me." Damian’s voice sliced through the suffocating tension in the wrecked private lounge. His gaze, which had been fixed on her mismatched outfit in silent judgment, finally lifted to meet her eyes.

Serena did not waste a single second. She gripped Tessa’s arm and guided the weeping assistant out of the chaotic room, leading her swiftly down the corridor until they found an empty, quiet guest suite. Inside, the soft hum of the air conditioning contrasted sharply with the nightmare they had just left behind. Tessa collapsed onto the edge of the plush velvet sofa. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, her thin shoulders trembling with raw trauma. She reached out, her fingers catching the fabric of Serena’s sleeve in a white-knuckled grip.

"I'm sorry, Serena," Tessa choked out, her voice barely a whisper. She was not foolish. She knew Declan Vance came from a powerful, influential background. In this ruthless social circle, self-defense meant nothing. To those wealthy guests, fighting back against a prominent heir was a crime in itself.

Serena knelt on the carpet, gently prying Tessa’s fingers loose to hold her cold, shaking hands. She looked into the young girl's terrified eyes, determined to offer comfort. "You did nothing wrong," Serena assured her, her tone gentle yet firm. "Stay in this room. Don't open the door for anyone. I will be right back."

Leaving the safe room behind, Serena stepped out into the hallway and shut the heavy oak door. Damian stood a few paces away, his hands resting in his pockets, projecting an aura of untouchable, chilling authority.

Serena marched straight up to him, refusing to let his intimidation tactics win. "Tessa is innocent. Chloe orchestrated this whole setup from start to finish."

Damian stared down at her, his handsome face remaining a stoic, unreadable mask. "Are you telling me Chloe is the one who split Declan Vance’s head open?"

"If Chloe hadn't set her up, Tessa wouldn't have been trapped in that room. She wouldn't have had to fight him off to protect herself," Serena fired back, desperation lacing her words.

Damian raised a dark brow. "And how do you know Chloe did this?"

The question hung heavily in the air, but Serena stood her ground. "The crowd arrived way too fast. They walked into that room the exact second things went south. Someone deliberately lured everyone there to witness the aftermath. This is Tessa's first time attending a high-society function. She doesn't know anyone here, let alone have enemies. The only conflict she had tonight was her argument with Chloe right after we arrived. And what a glaringly obvious coincidence, Chloe was standing right at the front of the crowd—"

"Are these simply your baseless assumptions?" Damian cut her off. His voice carried a frigid chill that stopped her dead in her tracks.

Serena’s heart sank straight to the bottom of her stomach. She stared at his chiseled face, the harsh realization settling over her. "You don't believe a word I am saying. You are really going to protect that woman again, aren't you?"

A bitter, cynical smile tugged at her lips, but her eyes held zero warmth. "Damian, I understand you defending Vivian, but Chloe? Are you really going to shield someone so wicked and brainless? If she can plot something this malicious to ruin Tessa tonight, she will use even more despicable methods against others later. But I guess it doesn't matter. Chloe is lucky she has such a good brother-in-law to constantly clean up her dirty messes."

The heavy sarcasm hit its mark. Damian's gaze darkened instantly with a fierce, unmistakable warning. He took a slow, deliberate step closer, his towering frame casting a long shadow over her. "Provoking me right now will bring you nothing good, Serena."

She tilted her chin up, angry tears threatening to spill. "And if I don't provoke you? Are you willing to let the real culprit walk free while my assistant takes the fall for a crime she was forced into?"

"The law does not recognize speculation," Damian replied smoothly, his tone ruthless and calm. "It only recognizes hard evidence."

A harsh wave of disillusionment washed over Serena. A bitter sense of betrayal choked her throat. How could she have forgotten? When Chloe pushed her into the swimming pool, Damian had turned a blind eye. Why would he lift a single finger to save Tessa? Even if she managed to dig up proof, he would likely wipe it away just to keep Chloe's hands clean. He would not help her.

The tense standoff shattered when frantic footsteps echoed down the hall. A pale waitress rushed up to them, gasping for breath, her face etched with panic.

"Ms. Sterling!" the waitress cried out, her voice cracking. "The police just arrived. They put Miss Blair in handcuffs and took her away for aggravated assault!"

The devastating blow hit Serena hard. Her hands curled into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms. Before she could even process the shock, heavy footsteps approached from the opposite direction.

Senior Sinclair’s old butler stopped before them, his posture rigid. "Sir, Madam. Senior Sinclair is demanding your presence."

The fallout from the incident had reached the patriarch. Serena followed Damian silently through the sprawling estate until they reached the grand study.

The moment Serena crossed the threshold, Senior Sinclair brought his heavy walking stick down against the marble floor. The sharp crack echoed like a gunshot in the silent room, matching the sheer disgust contorting his wrinkled face.

"Serena Sterling!" the furious elder roared, his voice bouncing off the high ceilings. "Was it not enough that you caused massive trouble in the past? Now you go out of your way to offend the powerful Vance family! Are you only going to stop when my family is in ruins?!"

Serena stepped forward, desperate to clear the air. "Grandpa, it is not what you think. Tessa was just—"

"Does the Sinclair family owe you something?!" he screamed, his face turning an alarming, dangerous shade of red. "You—"

He suddenly doubled over, hacking and coughing so hard his frail shoulders shook. The harsh fit tore through his chest. The butler rushed to his side, rubbing his back. Serena moved forward to help, but stopped dead in her tracks. The elder peered up through his hacking fit, shooting her a venomous, hateful glare that pinned her in place. He looked at her not as family, but as a sworn enemy. She swallowed her words, realizing nothing she said would matter. The truth was dead on arrival.

By the time they left the massive estate, the night had grown deep and cold. The chilly air bit at Serena’s skin as she walked down the stone path. Her head spun with dizziness, her temples throbbing relentlessly from the stress of the evening. The elder’s venomous glare replayed on a loop in her mind, haunting her every step.

She paused on the dimly lit driveway, turning to look at Damian's broad back. "What did Grandpa mean?" she asked quietly into the quiet night.

Damian stopped walking. He did not turn around immediately. "What exactly are you referring to?"

"About my past troubles," Serena pressed, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the chill. "Did I cause a lot of trouble for your family before my memory loss?"

Damian turned his head. A cruel sneer sliced through his handsome features under the pale moonlight. "Did you not find it strange? After your near-fatal car crash, you lay in that hospital bed for days. Not a single family member came. Not a single friend visited. No one stepped foot in that room except your lowly assistant."

Serena flinched, the brutal truth of his words stinging. "Why?"

Damian closed the distance between them, looking down at her with clinical detachment. "Because you did whatever you pleased, simply because you held the title of my wife. You thoroughly disgusted people. You abused your elevated status, acting untouchable. You implicated your own friends, dragging them down until no one wanted you around anymore."

His dark gaze turned even crueler, stripping away any lingering hope she held. "You deserve it, Serena. You deserve to end up like this, all alone."

Without another glance, he turned his back on her and walked away into the consuming darkness.

Serena stood anchored to the spot. The icy wind howled around her, but it was nothing compared to the excruciating emotional pain tearing through her chest. The devastating weight of his words crushed her lungs. She realized just how detestable she truly was to all of them.

The next morning, the glaring sunlight did little to chase away the chill in Serena’s bones. She forcefully pushed her despair aside and focused on the only thing that mattered. Tessa.

She hired a lawyer and arrived at the bustling police station, determined to post bail.

Instead, she hit another solid wall.

"I am sorry," the stern officer at the front desk stated, pushing the lawyer's paperwork back across the counter. "Miss Blair's case is severe. Bail is denied."

"Denied?" Serena pressed her hands against the cold surface. "She was defending herself! That man attacked her first."

The officer shook his head. "There is zero evidence to prove she acted in self-defense against Mr. Vance. Given his injuries and his family's formal complaint, we cannot process a release. You need to leave, Ms. Sterling."

Out of options and backed into a corner, Serena stepped out of the precinct. The city noise buzzed around her, emphasizing her immense, helpless frustration. She took a deep, shaky breath, fighting the lump in her throat. Pulling her phone from her purse, she scrolled to Damian's contact and pressed call.