Drowning and Dismissal

Splash!

Icy water swallowed Serena the second she hit the surface. The sudden plunge felt like slamming into a solid wall of ice. Winter had already chilled Crestmont City to the bone, turning the deep outdoor pool into a freezing, lethal trap.

She sank rapidly, the initial shock forcing the warm air from her lungs in a rush of panicked bubbles. Despite being an incredibly skilled champion swimmer, the gelid temperature of the water struck her nervous system like lightning. A sharp, searing pain shot through her right calf. Her muscles seized up instantly, knotting into a rigid block of agony. A severe cramp. In water this deep, and this freezing, it was a guaranteed death sentence. Her limbs refused to coordinate, paralyzing her body and rendering her helpless beneath the dark ripples.

She thrashed wildly, fighting the unnatural weight dragging her down, and managed to kick hard enough to break the surface.

"Help..." she gasped, icy water rushing into her mouth and nostrils, suffocating her cries. Every frantic movement sent flares of blinding pain up her spine. The pool was over two meters deep, and her feet brushed nothing but the smooth, empty tiles of the bottom.

Standing perfectly safe and dry at the concrete edge of the pool, Chloe crossed her arms. A wicked sneer twisted her beautiful features as she watched the desperate struggle unfold below her.

"What are you doing in the pool, Serena?" Chloe taunted maliciously, her voice echoing over the quiet ripples. "Felt like taking a refreshing winter swim? Or are you waiting for Damian to swoop in and play the hero?"

Serena choked, her head dipping below the freezing water again before she fought her way back up. Her skin had already turned a sickly pale hue, and she shivered uncontrollably, her teeth chattering so hard her jaw ached.

"Dream on!" Chloe laughed, a harsh, grating sound in the night air. "He already left. He went to help Vivian. He is not coming to save you."

"My leg..." Serena hissed hoarsely, struggling to keep her chin above the water line. "It is cramping... pull me up!"

Instead of offering even a shred of help, Chloe’s face twisted with psychotic glee. This was the ultimate, golden chance to permanently humiliate the high-and-mighty Missus Sinclair. Chloe reached into her designer purse and quickly pulled out her smartphone.

She tapped the record button, pointing the camera lens directly at the drowning woman. The harsh flash illuminated Serena's desperate, pale face in the dark water.

"Obey me if you want to be saved," Chloe demanded loudly, holding the phone steady to capture every angle. "Otherwise, I will gladly stand here and let you drown."

Serena swallowed another mouthful of freezing water. Her lungs burned for oxygen. The paralyzing cold was sapping her remaining strength by the second. Her raw survival instincts screamed, overriding her usual pride.

"Help me!" Serena pleaded weakly, her voice barely a whisper over the splashing water.

Chloe giggled, deeply enjoying the physical and psychological torment she was inflicting. "Speak up! I cannot hear you! If you want to live, you need to beg for mercy. Say it into the camera. Explicitly declare yourself my eternal slave!"

The camera recorded every humiliating, agonizing second. Chloe's twisted smile looked demonic through the distorted surface of the pool, and she laughed hysterically into the empty night.

"Say it!" Chloe aggressively taunted.

But Serena had nothing left to give. The freezing temperature paralyzed her chest, stealing the last breath from her lungs. The chilling, suffocating despair of the situation finally crushed her. She lost all her remaining physical strength. Her vision darkened rapidly at the edges, and with one last silent gasp, she sank helplessly into the dark, watery depths, leaving only fading ripples behind.

Meanwhile, far across the city, Damian arrived at Vivian’s filming set only to find a scene of screaming chaos.

He strode onto the sprawling lot, his sharp eyes immediately taking in the mess of yelling crew members and tangled equipment.

Vivian’s frantic manager, Rita, spun around. Upon seeing Damian, sheer relief washed over her face as if a divine savior had finally descended from the heavens. She rushed forward, nearly tripping over herself to reach him.

"Mister Sinclair! Thank god you are here!" Rita pointed a trembling finger toward a dense circle of arguing people parked near an ambulance. "It is that incredibly arrogant rival actress, Fiona Adler! She intentionally battered Vivian during a scripted slapping scene. She purposely messed up the takes until Vivian’s face was swollen, and then she brutally shoved her down a tall flight of concrete stairs! Now she is currently blocking the medical ambulance from leaving!"

Damian’s jaw tightened. He elegantly and furiously strode into the scene, parting the loud, arguing crowd with his intensely sharp, commanding presence. The sheer aura radiating from him terrified the set director, who shrank back into the shadows.

In the center of the dispute, the ambulance sat with its rear doors wide open. Standing haughtily and unbothered in front of the emergency vehicle was Fiona Adler. She glared aggressively down at the bleeding, injured Vivian resting on the stretcher.

"You are not going anywhere until you apologize to me, Vivian!" Fiona demanded loudly, her voice dripping with venom.

Vivian gripped the edge of the stretcher, looking up with stubborn, tear-filled eyes. "I did not do anything wrong. I refuse to apologize for something I did not do."

"Then sit there and bleed!" Fiona scoffed in contempt. "I have all night to wait."

The director wiped his sweaty forehead but remained dead silent, too afraid to challenge the powerful, investor-backed actress.

"What do you think you are doing?"

Damian's furious voice cut through the ambient noise like a blade.

The director turned pale. "M-Mister Sinclair!"

Fiona snapped her head around. Her aggressive, smug expression instantly shifted to one of pleasant shock. She softened her posture and batted her eyelashes seductively.

"Damian..." Fiona cooed, stepping closer. "Why are you here?"

Ignoring Fiona's existence, Damian locked his piercing gaze on the paralyzed medical staff standing near the bumper.

"What are you standing around for?" Damian barked a harsh command. "Help her up and rush her into the back of the ambulance. Now."

The medical staff snapped into action. They quickly wheeled Vivian’s stretcher up the metal ramp. Stripped of her authority by Damian's terrifying presence, Fiona did not dare stop them.

As the paramedics secured Vivian inside, Fiona stepped closer to Damian, eager to speak to him again.

"I really did not expect to run into you today—"

A sharp ringtone cut off her words.

Damian paused, pulling his phone from his tailored pocket. He glanced heavily at the brightly lit screen.

Serena.

The name flashed across the display. Without a single second of hesitation, his thumb swiped across the glass, instantly hanging up the call.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket, but the device vibrated again. Another desperate, emergency call immediately came in from the exact same number.

Damian pulled the phone out and stared at it. His brow furrowed in deep annoyance. He sneered at the bright screen. He firmly assumed this was just her growing, pathetic clinginess, another desperate attempt to demand his attention and play the victim after he left the banquet early. She always knew how to ruin his mood.

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. He pressed the power button, holding it down until the screen went black. He decisively turned his phone off, silencing the desperate plea for help, setting up the devastating consequences of his neglect.