Chapter 2

2 Initially, the kidnappers only wanted money. They'd intended to release me afterward.

Then, when they called Daniel for the ransom, his secretary, this snake in the grass, she'd presented my diary to him.

All of the longings that had been hidden for years, now laid bare.

She suggested that they pay extra and have the kidnappers "rehabilitate" me, or as she put it, "get those toxic thoughts out of her head".

Daniel had agreed after a moment's consideration.

I'd heard him over the phone.

The same voice that had once calmed me now sent shivers down my spine.

The kidnappers had been ecstatic. They'd got double what they'd expected, and after they hung up, they had gone into overdrive, inflicting all kinds of torture.

I'd been exposed in the darkest ways.

The beautiful picture I'd created crumbled.

That's when I understood: I was nothing but a nuisance to Daniel, someone he tolerated.

It was all a sick joke.

He was never going to see me as more than a stepdaughter.

"What happened to you, huh?" Daniel asked again, his voice impatient. "You knew there's an annual gala tonight at Sterling Corp.?"

He was upset that my appearance would taint the party.

But the kidnappers weren't taking any requests.

I knew, if I'd said something, Daniel wouldn't believe it anyway.

I'd learned my lesson.

I shrank into myself and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Uncle Daniel."

His eyebrows shot up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

I had always called him Daniel.

No matter how much he corrected me, I was always stubborn about it.

It was the only thing I held on to, I thought, my only desire.

Now, it didn't matter.

His gaze met mine. He allowed a smile to spread across his face. "Well, looks like that little rehab program worked. You finally got over that ridiculous crush of yours."

Yes, I did.

But the price had been too steep.

If I could start over, I'd have preferred to die with my stepfather and my mom.

Daniel didn't take me back to the Sterling family home. He booked a room in a fancy hotel.

He looked at me, disgust written on his face. "Clara, get yourself cleaned up."

I stared at him, immaculate and pristine, then back down at myself, and numbly agreed.

I nearly slipped and fell on the way to the bathroom.

I had become so used to being forced to walk on broken glass, that my immediate reaction when I fell, was to panic.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It wasn't intentional!" I cried.

The kidnappers, to "cure" me and to satisfy their own depraved desires, had tormented me relentlessly.

If I cried or fell, they would unleash a tirade of insults.

"Your step-uncle is paying us a small fortune to fix you. Seems like he absolutely loathes you."

"You're a nobody, a piece of trash. You dared to fancy the CEO of Sterling Corporation. Do you still have that crazy crush on him?"

I was terrified.

The memory was still raw.

"I don't have those thoughts anymore, I swear I don't," I repeated, tears streaming down my face.

Daniel was watching me, his face a mask of anger. "Clara, what are you doing?"

His voice snapped me back to reality.

Daniel was fuming. "Clara, stop with this act, it won't make me feel sorry for you."

My face went pale. I scrambled to my feet, trembling.

"You look pathetic." he added.

My voice was barely a whisper. "You are right. I am pathetic."

His eyes widened. "Clara, is that some sort of reverse psychology? You're getting sly now?"

I lowered my head and did what I was told, walking to the bathroom as he watched.