Chapter 3 Get Out

Bill was stunned for half a second before he realized that Mr. Adam was asking about the girl who had accidentally entered the private room tonight. "Yes, it's her." "I heard she's the girlfriend of the second son of The Raven family. The two are discussing marriage. The old lady of The Raven family has sent someone to invite you over, hoping you could take a look. It seems the wedding is approaching." Marriage... In Stuart's mind, the delicate and fragile figure became even clearer. The girl sat there with her head lowered, her silky black hair cascading down like satin. She was so small, clearly anxious and shy, as if she would shatter with just a touch. Yet, she still sat with her back straight. His deep black pupils darkened even more. "Sir, is there a problem?" Bill's voice came from the front. "No." Stuart indifferently withdrew his gaze, erasing that figure from his mind. "Back to the company." "Yes, sir."

Alan didn't take Mity home directly. As soon as they left the hotel, his phone wouldn't stop ringing. Especially his childhood friends, who had grown up with him. The moment they heard he had taken Mity to meet his family tonight, they were all eager to know the outcome. Upon learning that the old lady had approved the engagement, they clamored to meet Mity in person. After all, Alan and Mity had been dating for nearly a year, yet none of them had ever seen a proper photo of her. The only time was half a year ago when Alan posted a landscape photo on his social media. A small portion of Mity's back was accidentally captured in the bottom right corner, and that was how their relationship was made public. "Alan, no excuses tonight! You have to bring Sister Mity over so we can finally meet her!" "Exactly! Ever since that tiny glimpse of her six months ago, I've been dying to know-what kind of stunning beauty could make you want to settle down?" "Don't be unfair, bro! You only let Zack meet Sister Mity, but the rest of us haven't even seen her yet! We're waiting at JW Bar-come on, you have to bring her!" "Not going." Alan rested one hand on the steering wheel, his expression lazy as he listened to the voices babbling from the phone. "I don't have time tonight." "How do you not have time? Aren't we always out at this hour?" On the other end of the phone, the rowdiness of the bar grew louder. Alan frowned impatiently, his gaze turning cold. "Stop bothering me. I said no, and that's final." "She's not like you guys. She needs to go home and sleep at this hour." The moment those words left his mouth, the other end of the call erupted- "Wait, Alan, since when did you become this considerate and gentle?" "Sister Mity must be so well-behaved! Sleeping at ten-thirty? Bro, be honest, are you just using this as an excuse to go home with Sister Mity yourself?" The group kept teasing, laughing, and even throwing in some inappropriate jokes. Then, a voice thick with alcohol suddenly interjected, "Alan... they all say you're getting engaged, but I don't believe it... I don't believe you've really moved on..." Beep-beep-beep- Alan coldly hung up, the temperature inside the car instantly plummeting. The dark green sports car sped through the rain-drenched city, the gas pedal pressed all the way down, showing no signs of slowing. Mity instinctively grabbed her seatbelt, looking at Alan in confusion. Who had upset him during that call? Why was he suddenly so angry? Alan hadn't turned on the speaker, so Mity couldn't hear the conversation clearly. But she could guess. "Actually, I don't sleep that early," she said softly, seeing how Alan kept stepping on the gas. "If you want, I can go with you for a little while?" Mity meant well. She instinctively assumed Alan was annoyed because he was turning down his friends for her sake. Screech- The sports car suddenly braked at a red light, skidding across the wet road and leaving a long trail. Mity was nearly thrown forward by the momentum, only restrained by her seatbelt. Heart still pounding, she looked up at Alan, about to ask what was wrong-when his voice, utterly devoid of warmth, cut through the silence. "Get out." "What?" Mity's eyes widened little by little in disbelief. "I said, get out." Alan's jaw tightened, his gaze fixed on the windshield, watching the wipers move back and forth. He never once looked at her. Mity's breathing grew shallow. Despite the warm air blowing inside the car, she felt frozen stiff. It took her a long moment to react. "...Okay." Her movements were stiff as she unfastened her seatbelt, fingers reaching for the door handle. The moment the door cracked open, Alan's cold voice rang out again. "I'm not in a good mood tonight. Go home by yourself... be careful on the way." "...It's okay. I understand." Even though she said that, the bitterness in her chest only intensified. She swallowed the discomfort squeezing her heart, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of the car. The cold, damp night air immediately poured in. Mity hesitated only for a second before firmly placing her clean canvas shoes into the puddle outside. The dark green sports car roared away the moment the red light turned green, never once looking back. The rain poured down in torrents- And just like that, Alan left Mity standing alone on the roadside. After a while, Mity found a temporary shelter under a high-rise building. Alan had thrown her out near the CBD commercial district, surrounded by towering skyscrapers that resembled a cold, unfeeling steel jungle. On this damp and chilly rainy night, there was no warmth to be found. She was drenched like a drowned rat. The white dress she had carefully chosen to please Alan was now soaked through, clinging to her skin in a pitiful mess, as if mocking her in silent ridicule. It was the weekend, and the rain had brought a drop in temperature. Mity held her phone and tried to call a ride. No matter how much extra she was willing to pay, no driver responded. Cold raindrops slanted from the eaves above, drenching her once more. She hugged herself, lifted her head to the dark sky, and for a fleeting moment, she wanted to call her father. If her father knew she was stranded in the rain like this, would he come pick her up? Probably not. He had an important social engagement tonight... or maybe, just maybe, he would. Her father loved her dearly. He would come. Without realizing it, Mity had already dialed Charles's number. "Hello? Mity, is that you? Why aren't you speaking?" The familiar voice made her almost break down in tears. "Dad, I'm-" "Mity, your aunt said you haven't been home all night. Where did you go? It's pouring outside, don't stay out playing. I have an important engagement right now, go home first. We'll talk later." Beep-beep-beep- At some point, the call had been disconnected. Mity lowered her gaze, staring at the screen displaying the ended call. Her heart clenched, even tighter than when Alan had told her to get out of the car. When Alan had abandoned her, she hadn't felt the urge to cry. Because she knew it was just Alan's temper flaring up-his patience had suddenly run out. He was always like that, temperamental and unpredictable, prone to irritation over a single word. But Mity never minded, because when he was in a good mood, his eyes were only on her. Unlike her father. After he remarried, his love had been divided into too many parts. It was no longer hers alone. Mity felt all her strength drain away. She hugged her arms around herself and slowly crouched down. Her eyes turned red, her nose tinged with the same color-whether from the cold rain or the urge to cry, she wasn't sure. Just then, a black limited-edition Rolls-Royce slowly emerged from the rain. "Sir, the girl by the company entrance... isn't that The Raven family's second son's girlfriend?" Bill, the driver, was surprised when he noticed the figure by the roadside and instinctively reported it. The Raven family's second son's girlfriend-the girl who had mistakenly entered the private room tonight. Her name was Mity. But the man in the backseat didn't react at all. Stuart continued handling business on his phone, his cold, dark eyes lowered, uninterested in the scene outside. "She's crouched by the roadside... looks like she's crying. Could something have happened? Should we check on her?" Bill felt a twinge of sympathy. After all, the two families knew each other. Finally, Stuart paused, lifting his deep, abyss-like eyes toward the car window. A small figure huddled on the ground. Drenched from head to toe, fragile and delicate in the rain, like a tendril of dodder vine that had lost its support-weak, trembling, on the verge of snapping. No wonder even his secretary had spoken up with concern. ... As Mity's vision blurred through the rain, she vaguely noticed a black Rolls-Royce in the distance. At first, she didn't pay attention, assuming it was just another passing vehicle. But instead of driving away, the black Rolls-Royce slowed down and came to a stop. It was parked not far from her, right by the sidewalk. Mity instinctively looked up. A strange feeling crept up from the depths of her heart. The car door never opened. No one stepped out. It seemed like it was just waiting for someone or had to stop due to unforeseen circumstances. Yet, an inexplicable sense of danger prickled at Mity's nerves, as if an icy gaze was watching her from within. She couldn't help but study the car. When she saw the string of eights on the license plate, she gasped. That number alone was worth a fortune. The expensive, cold-toned luxury car reminded her of the man she had encountered in the private room tonight. Minutes ticked by. She remained crouched where she was, and the car remained unmoving. A silent standoff between a girl and a vehicle. What Mity didn't know- Beyond the blacked-out windows, a pair of eyes were watching her in complete silence. She couldn't see the man inside. But Stuart, from his seat, could clearly see the traces of tears on her face. Her swollen eyes were repeatedly drenched by the rain, tinged with a deeper shade of red. Her lips, pale from the cold-or perhaps from suppressing something within. After a moment, Stuart withdrew his gaze indifferently. "Drive." He had no intention of getting out to help her. He didn't care why a fragile girl had been abandoned on the roadside in a storm, nor whether she would be ruined by the downpour. Stuart had never been a good man. The black Rolls-Royce started up again, disappearing silently into the underground parking lot of the building, just as quietly as it had arrived. Mity, instead, let out a breath of relief. The suffocating feeling of being watched vanished instantly. She slowly stood up, realizing that her legs had gone numb from squatting for too long. Just then, her ride-hailing app finally displayed a notification-her driver had accepted the request. Mity exhaled, wiping at the corner of her eyes, only to realize that her tears had already been washed away by the rain. Fear had pushed her tears back before they could even fall. She let out a soft, self-mocking chuckle. Just in time-her car had arrived. She pulled open the door and got in. High above, in the top-floor office of the skyscraper, Stuart stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the rain-soaked city. From his vantage point, the fragile figure in white crouching below was long out of sight. He had no idea if she was still standing in the rain. But it didn't matter. He didn't care.