Chapter 3

Inside the holding cell, a cold draft blew through the vents, making me shiver uncontrollably.

Just then, the duty officer tapped on the iron bars and handed a landline phone through the gap. "It's for you."

I took the receiver with stiff fingers. On the other end was the urgent voice of a nurse from the city hospital. "Ms. Elena, please come to the ICU immediately. Ms. Clara's vitals have taken a sudden, drastic drop. She likely won't make it through the night. The doctor says you need to come say your goodbyes."

Those words were like a sledgehammer, violently shattering the tough armor I had forced myself to wear at the villa earlier tonight.

My hands shook so badly I could barely hold the phone. Tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

I immediately begged the officer and dialed Mason's number.

"Who is this?" The call connected, the deafening bass of the party music still blaring in the background.

I threw away every last shred of my dignity. Gripping the receiver tightly, I begged him, my voice breaking into a sob: "Mason, it's me. I am begging you, please drop the charges and come bail me out right now. I have to get out of here!"

Mason let out a cold laugh on the other end, his tone dripping with arrogance. "What, a few hours in a cell finally cleared your head? I can bail you out, sure. Apologize to Mia."

I bit my lower lip hard, a massive wave of humiliation churning in my chest.

But thinking of my dying grandmother on that hospital bed, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced out a weak, "I'm sorry."

"Oh my, your voice is so quiet, I can't hear you at all." The person on the other end suddenly switched to Mia's sickly sweet voice. "You sure had a lot of energy when you hit me earlier. Why act all pitiful now?"

Mason immediately chimed in, "Did you hear that, Elena? Speak up. Apologize to Mia until she's satisfied."

I gripped the phone cord so tightly my knuckles turned white.

To get to the hospital as fast as possible, I yelled into the mouthpiece, "I am sorry, Mia!"

"Still not loud enough." Mia laughed out loud, clearly showing off to the people around her. "Someone was drinking and being too loud just now. Do me a favor and say it three more times."

The muscles in my face twitched. My tears smashed against the cold concrete floor of the cell.

I raised my voice louder and louder, screaming at the woman who had stolen my brooch and humiliated me: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

It wasn't until Mia's completely satisfied laughter drifted through the phone that I spoke, my voice hoarse and desperate. "I apologized. Mia heard it. Please, come to the station and sign the papers right now."

"You actually thought an apology would get you out immediately?" Mason's voice instantly turned cold and cruel. "I did this to teach you a lesson today. To let you know how bottom-feeders should behave. I'll send someone to handle the paperwork tomorrow morning. Enjoy your night in there."

"Mason! I don't have time! My grandma is dying! The hospital told me to get there right now!" I screamed into the phone. "I'm not lying to you! If I don't go, I'll never see her again!"

"Now you're just being pathetic, Elena." Mason showed zero sympathy, letting out a scoff of utter contempt. "Making up a lie about your grandma dying just to avoid detention... you really have no bottom line."

With that, he didn't give me a single chance to explain, cutting the call abruptly.

Only the dead dial tone remained. I sat blankly on the freezing bench, tears completely blurring my vision.

The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds. There was no one left in this city who could help me.

Suddenly, I remembered the email I had received a few hours ago.

The distant Sterling family.

Even though I knew that even if they agreed immediately, they couldn't possibly rush here from Europe in an instant. But I had no other choice. I had to try.

Wiping the tears from my face, I used my trembling fingers to dial the international number.

The call was answered almost immediately.

"This is Elena," I said, staring at the yellowed ceiling of the cell, my voice hoarse. "I accept every arrangement the Sterling family has offered. I only have one condition: get me out of this place. Now."

"Understood, Ms. Elena. We will handle it immediately." The response was crisp and decisive.

I leaned against the corner of the wall, agonizing over every second, having no idea how long I waited.

Suddenly, the screech of tires pierced the quiet outside the police station.

Following that, it wasn't just one person—a flurry of heavy footsteps crowded into the front lobby.

The heavy iron door was shoved open violently from the outside.

Several sharply dressed lawyers strode in carrying briefcases. The precinct captain, who had been incredibly stubborn before, was now sweating profusely, following right behind them and nodding non-stop.

And walking right in the center of them all was a tall, strikingly handsome man.

He wore a dark, custom-tailored suit, and his deep eyes radiated an undeniable, commanding authority.

He didn't even spare a glance for the police. He walked straight to the door of my cell.

The officer in charge fumbled frantically with his keys to unlock the iron bars.

The man took off his black overcoat, still carrying his body heat, and draped it over my freezing, trembling shoulders, wrapping me up snugly.

"I am Sebastian," he said. His voice was steady and powerful, bringing a sense of absolute security, a feeling that he had everything under control. "The car is outside. I've been briefed on the situation. Let's get you to the hospital."

There were no tedious interrogations, and no one dared to stop us.

Minutes later, I was sitting in the back of a smooth-riding black luxury sedan. The motorcade sped through the late-night streets, rushing toward the city hospital.

But the moment our hurried footsteps echoed into the ICU corridor, I knew we were too late.

Inside the room, the monitor screen displayed a flatline.

The doctor stood by the bed, gently pulling a white sheet over Grandma Clara's face.

I froze in place. It felt as if my breathing had stopped entirely.

I walked slowly to the bedside. My knees gave out, and I crashed heavily onto the cold floor.

I grasped Grandma's hand, which was already beginning to lose its warmth. Burying my face in the bedsheets, I let out the agonizing, heartbroken wails I had suppressed all night.