"Fiona... what have you done to yourself?" Ester gasped, rushing forward. She carefully helped her daughter up, guiding her to the bed.
Ester had already seen the trolling—the cruel s, the comnts tearing Fiona apart over a photo she had once proudly posted on social dia. Fiona had taken it down, but the damage was already done. Her image, so carefully crafted, had been reduced to public ridicule.
"Mom..." Fiona sobbed, clutching her mother as her voice broke. "Everyone hates ."
It was the first ti Ester had seen her daughter like this—stripped of her pride, her sharp tongue, her defiance. Fiona had always stood tall, no matter the storm. But now she was weak, shattered, crying over sothing Ester still couldn’t fully understand.
At ho, Frederick was losing control of his business. And here, her daughter had beco a laughing stock overnight.
Everything had flipped so suddenly.
And the cause of it all, Ester knew, traced back to one na—the Bennetts.
"Mom," Fiona whispered suddenly, lifting her tear-filled eyes. "It’s all Anna’s fault."
Ester stiffened.
"She did this," Fiona said, her voice trembling before hardening. The mories she had tried so desperately to bury surged back, and her eyes burned red with rage.
"And I will make sure," she continued coldly, "that she pays for it."
The room fell silent—but the promise in Fiona’s voice was anything but empty.
Ester helped her daughter settle onto the bed. Fiona had drunk far more than she could handle, and within minutes her breathing evened out as sleep claid her.
Only after making sure she was truly asleep did Ester step out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She walked into the living room, the silence of the apartnt pressing heavily against her chest.
Watching her family suffer at the hands of the Bennetts felt like nothing short of failure. But what made it worse—far worse—was knowing that even Daniel had chosen to stand by them.
She clenched her fists.
"I need to find a way to stabilize everything," Ester muttered to herself. "We can’t go bankrupt now. How will we survive? And Fiona..." Her voice faltered as she thought of her daughter. "She’s only just begun to taste success."
Ester shook her head sharply. "No... no. I can’t let this end like this."
Her brows creased as she forced her mind to work, searching for any thread of hope. Then, as if the heavens themselves were answering her desperation, a mory surfaced.
Ester froze.
Slowly, a calculating gleam flickered in her eyes, her lips curving into a dangerous smile.
"Perhaps all was not lost after all."
***
The next morning, Kathrine stepped out of the Bennett mansion, looking poised, polished, and effortlessly beautiful. She barely had ti to adjust her bag on her shoulder before a car pulled up, already waiting for her.
She paused.
Bracing herself, Kathrine drew in a deep breath and walked toward the vehicle, slipping inside without looking back. Monts later, the car drove away.
But she hadn’t gone unnoticed.
From the balcony, Roseline caught sight of the departing car and frowned. Her gaze lingered just long enough for recognition to dawn.
"Isn’t that... Ethan Helmsworth?" she muttered, unease creeping in as her thoughts spiraled. What business did Kathrine have with him?
Before she could dwell on it further, her phone rang.
Roseline glanced at the screen—and froze.
She answered the call, her voice carefully neutral. "Hello."
The mont Ester’s voice ca through the line, Roseline’s entire body went still, a chill settling deep in her bones.
***
anwhile, inside the car, Ethan stole a glance at Kathrine, the corner of his lips curling with unmistakable amusent.
"Don’t you dare say anything," Kathrine warned, gritting her teeth as she shot him a sharp look.
"Why?" Ethan asked lightly. "Would you even believe it?"
Kathrine huffed, turning her gaze back to the window. She still couldn’t understand why she had agreed to this—agreeing to date Ethan of all people. But he had frad it as payback for helping her after the accident, and sohow she had found herself saying yes.
"I know I wouldn’t," she muttered. "Still, don’t utter a word."
Ethan chuckled under his breath. Her tension was obvious, almost endearing, but he chose not to point it out. Instead, his eyes lingered on her reflection in the glass.
Beautiful.
The word hovered on the tip of his tongue—but he held it back.
"Nervous?" he asked instead.
Kathrine glanced at him, then exhaled slowly, her shoulders finally dropping.
"Ethan... are you sure you want to take as your fake date?" Kathrine asked, anxiety clear in her eyes as she looked at him.
She hated being cornered into uncomfortable situations, and even though Ethan had been adamant, a part of her still wanted to refuse. He claid it was only temporary—just a way to stop his mother from pushing blind dates onto him—but playing with soone’s emotions had never been her thing.
A strange unease crept into her chest, and she fell quiet.
"As I said, it’s only for a short while," Ethan said, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts.
Still, the question refused to stay buried. "Why ?" she asked softly. "You could’ve hired any actress to play your partner."
Her words were honest and unfiltered. She genuinely didn’t understand why he would choose her when there were plenty of won eager to be by his side.
Ethan slowed the car slightly and turned to look at her.
She looked beautiful—so much so that for a second, he forgot how to look away. But her question lingered, forcing him to confront his own reasoning.
Why her?
Why had she been the only one he thought of—the only one he trusted enough to ask?
The answer hovered just out of reach, unsettling in a way he hadn’t expected.
"Because you are you and not like others," Ethan stated unequivocally, but what he said next took Kathrine by surprise.
"You get like no one else can."
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