’What am I... hearing right now? Is this some kind of joke? Or am I having a nightmare?’
I wanted to shake myself and ask that very question. But people’s gazes stabbing me from all around told me that this was neither a dream nor a nightmare. This was my reality, and I was being made fun of.
"You want me... to not speak up? You, out of all people? Didn’t you promise to stick with me through sickness and health? You are my fiancé-"
"Jenna, before I am your fiancé, I am Rose’s friend. And as her friend, I don’t want to do anything that causes her trouble. I hope you will understand and support me as your fiancé."
Karl asked, and I felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
He knew me well... or I thought he knew me well enough to know how much this meant to me. Even if everyone was beginning to look and point at me, I did not care.
"Karl, I want you to choose-me or Rose-which side are you on? Do you care about her feelings more than you care about mine?"
I asked, and Karl stood there, tongue-tied. Finally, he snapped out of it and replied back to me.
"Jenna, it’s not like that, and you know it. You will have to choose now."
I told him, and my fiancé-my own fiancé-gave me a tired look before he tugged me away.
"How about you calm down for now? Your sister will be here any second now. We don’t want people to talk about her negatively, right?"
Karl told me. He seemed not to care that people were talking badly about me at that moment. He only had eyes for my sister.
Everyone was looking at me at the moment, but I could not even give them a glance back. My mouth felt bitter and my eyes stung with unshed tears.
"Just for a single night... just once in your life, give it all up for your sister. You will get a lot more chances with your brilliance. But this is her only chance. Please understand this and allow her to have this."
This moment was what I had worked so hard and sacrificed 26 years of my life for. I had given it all to my father’s company and expected just one thing in return-to be acknowledged for my hard work.
And now, even that was being taken away from me.
I, Jenna Harvour, was supposed to have the most glamorous moment of my life today and have all my hard work of elevating Harvour Enterprises to a new height. But it all was being taken away from me in front of my eyes.
My father’s words were echoing in my mind, as fresh as if he had spoken them just minutes ago.
"Please welcome the person who has helped this company more than anyone else-my precious daughter Rose. She has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure our company can flourish to new heights. And I feel proud to leave it all in her capable hands now."
Then what about me? What about my effort? I was the one who got sick overworking all the time and this was what I got?
"Jenna, calm down-"
"I... will be heading back home. I can’t take it anymore."
I told Karl, and he tried to grab me. But it was too late and I left the hall. As I ran out, I collided with a familiar face-Damian Black, causing his drink to spill all over his clothes. He looked shocked to see me and immediately apologised.
"I-I am so sorry. I did not mean to collide with you. Here, let me... are you alright?"
He asked, and I wanted to snap at him. But I held my temper.
Damian Black was my sister Rose’s classmate and somewhat friend, but he had nothing to do with what was happening. He did not deserve my anger or disappointment.
I also felt somewhat sorry for him because he was the sole heir of the biggest underworld family, but his timid nature made him unsuited to his family’s line of profession. In that regard, he was in as much of an unfortunate situation as I was.
So I mustered enough courage to give him a smile as I walked past him.
"I am fine. Please, enjoy your time here."
I told him before I left. I kept feeling eyes on me, trying to tear me down at my most vulnerable time.
And I could not take it anymore. I quickly got in my car and told the driver to drive me back.
The night kept getting worse. The online reaction to my actions and Rose’s grace were day and night apart. I felt like no one was on my side and it felt bad... so bad that I could not explain it in words.
And then, Karl came back.
My eyes snapped open, and I quickly rushed out to check what happened.
"Jenna, are you there? Come out. Do you know how disappointed Rose was because you left like that? We need to talk about your attitude toward her."
Karl entered my house in a fit of anger. I had never seen my fiancé this angry before, and it left me shaken.
Still, I felt that it was best that we reason things out with each other.
"Karl, you need to calm down. Whatever problem we have, we can resolve it in the morning. For now... are you drunk? We need to get you to bed."
I could smell the alcohol on Karl’s breath. He was not one to drink, and this was the first time I had seen him drunk.
As soon as my hand touched his, he snapped back. His angry eyes looked at me with annoyance and betrayal.
"How dare you touch me like that? The only one allowed to touch me is Rose. Don’t you dare touch me, or else-"
He threatened, but I kept reaching out toward him. I was sure we could resolve our issue among ourselves.
But the alcohol Karl had must have been stronger than I expected, because he totally lost it after that.
His hand grabbed a bottle at our side before he brought it down on my head.
"H-How dare you touch me like that-! I told you before-! No one can touch me but Rose!"
The blow landed on my head, and pain instantly filled my vision. The world was going in and out of focus, and I felt like something was wrong.
Blood filled my vision, and I instinctively knew that my life was in danger.
"K-Karl, calm down. You need to calm down-"
I told him, but the dizziness became too much for me. The last thing I knew was that I could not keep myself awake.
Karl looked angry and horrified before he fainted as well.