Chapter 1 Humiliation

"Stella, you brought this on yourself."

Stella Hilton looked shyly at Tristan Cole's ridiculously handsome face as his kisses fell one after another.

It was the day she was most likely to conceive.

Following Mary Wentworth's instructions, Stella arrived at Tristan's home early. Mary was Tristan's grandmother.

After ten years of secretly loving him, this moment felt impossibly sweet.

After a night like that, she felt changed in an irreversible way. And what thrilled her most was finally being with Tristan in the way she had always imagined.

...

Sunlight poured into the room, and Stella opened her eyes.

Tristan stood at the mirror, tall and steady, buttoning his shirt. He looked polished and put-together.

No one would've guessed he had been that intense in bed the night before.

Tristan must have sensed her watching him, because he met her eyes in the mirror. His expression was impossible to read.

When their eyes met, Stella's heart skipped a beat. Heat climbed to her cheeks, and she gave him a small, awkward smile. Thinking about last night only made her blush harder.

"Are you leaving already?" Stella asked softly, her voice shy.

Tristan tightened his tie and turned, his expression calm and distant when he said, "I've got a meeting. I need to head out."

He delivered the line without a hint of warmth and headed for the bedroom door.

"Tristan!"

Seeing that he was actually leaving, Stella sat up in a rush. The blanket slipped without her noticing, exposing the pale skin beneath her collarbone, along with the faint red marks scattered on her skin.

"About last night… we were both drunk, and that's why things happened the way they did. I… I just—"

Stella was nervous, her guilt twisting in the back of her mind as she searched for the right words. What happened last night hadn't happened just because she loved him. She had her own motives, and trying to explain that now felt impossible.

She was about to continue when Tristan suddenly turned back around. He cut straight through her scrambling thoughts, almost like he already knew what she was trying to say.

"What happened last night doesn't matter to me. You don't need to think about it either. Just pretend it never happened," he said flatly.

Stella froze.

What did Tristan mean when he told her to pretend it never happened?

She rushed to clarify. "Tristan, actually… actually, I… your grandmother talked to me. She… she said she really wanted a great-grandchild. She hoped you and I could get married, so she could finally see that happen…"

"Get married? With you?"

Tristan looked at her as if she had just told him a joke, disbelief coloring his tone. His dark, unreadable eyes settled on Stella sitting on the bed.

He stared at her for a long and heavy five seconds, then said quietly, "Stella, you're overthinking this. Not every feeling is something you can use to reel me in."

"I…" Stella stammered.

He let out a low, humorless chuckle and said, "Come on. It was just two adults messing around. Why drag Grandma into it like you're trying to pressure me? You really think that would work?"

Stella's mind went blank.

She couldn't believe those words came from Tristan. The man who had been so gentle with her in bed last night had turned into someone cold and unrecognizable after just a few hours of sleep.

Stella stared at him in shock as whatever pride she had left slipped right out of her grasp. She clutched the blanket tightly against her body.

So to him, last night had been nothing more than a casual hook-up?

Her voice cracked as she blurted out, "Tristan, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Take it literally." His voice was cold, and his stare cut through her like he was peeling her apart.

He watched the color drain from her face. "Or did you actually think I wouldn't notice there was something wrong with that drink? Hm?"

Stella's composure shattered on the spot. The humiliation was overwhelming.

Tristan finally pulled his gaze back and let out a crooked and wicked smile as he said, "The reason I didn't call you out was because I wanted to enjoy your little performance a bit longer, and also…"

He paused, glanced up at her, and delivered something even harsher. "To scratch an itch."

With that, Tristan opened the bedroom door and walked out. He slammed it shut behind him without a second glance.

Chapter 2 Orphaned

Stella just froze, feeling her mind go completely blank and her whole body go cold.

Tristan's humiliating words kept echoing in her ears—sharp, explosive, and impossible to shake.

And tangled in those echoes was the sound of her mother, Sapphire Hart, crying on her knees in front of Stella.

"Stell, I'm begging you. Please go talk to Tristan. Only his family can save your dad… save our whole family. You're the only one who can do this. Please, Stell, please.

"You two grew up together. You were always close. I know you've liked him for years, and he used to care about you too. Believe me, Stell. If you try now, you might actually get what you've always wanted. I know it's shameless… but if you don't do it, will you really watch our family fall apart like this?"

Stella covered her ears and let out a raw scream as the shame hit her all at once. In that moment, she finally understood what real regret felt like.

This whole humiliating plan she had forced herself into ended with one brutal truth—Tristan was the one who had played her.

She had loved him for ten years, and the disgust in his eyes earlier had cut straight through what little pride she had left.

She had loved him, and the moment she first fell for him, she had never been able to let go.

Her phone rang suddenly, sharp enough to make Stella flinch.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady the panic inside her. When she picked up the phone and checked the screen, she saw it was Sapphire.

Tears filled Stella's eyes instantly. She knew Sapphire was waiting for an update.

Stella tried to pull herself together. Her hand trembled as she swiped to answer the call. "Mom, I…"

She could hear chaos on the other end, with Sapphire's sobs breaking through.

Stella's chest tightened, her heart jumping into her throat. "Mom, what happened?"

"Hey, Stell. Mr. Hilton… something's happened…"

It wasn't Sapphire's voice at all. Stella leaned in and pushed out the words, "What happened to him?"

"He… Uh… You should come to the hospital. He's in emergency care," the person said gently.

Stella's voice shook. "W-Which hospital?"

"Central Hospital," the person replied.

She didn't wait for the person to finish. She dropped the phone and shot to her feet, grabbing whatever clothes she could find before throwing them on. She then snatched her bag and ran out the door.

When the elevator doors slid open, Stella stepped out into a crowded hallway outside the emergency room. A cluster of people from her father's company stood around the ER entrance, their expressions tight and uneasy. She spotted Liam Burke, her father's assistant, among them.

Sapphire was on the floor, collapsed on her knees, crying so hard she couldn't even breathe. She looked drained and empty, like she had nothing left in her.

Stella rushed over and dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around Sapphire as she asked, "Mom, what happened to Dad?"

People around her shook their heads, sympathy written all over their faces.

"Stella, Dad… he jumped." Her sister, Stacy Hilton, suddenly threw herself into Stella's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"What…?" The things in Stella's hands slipped and hit the floor with a loud clatter. It felt like her heart stopped.

Before she could even register what Stacy said, the doors to the emergency room swung open, and a doctor stepped out.

Stella shot to her feet and rushed toward him, and the others quickly gathered around too. "Doctor, how is he?"

The doctor slowly pulled off his mask, his expression flat and exhausted. "I'm very sorry. We did everything we could."

Stella staggered and grabbed the doctor's arm. "What are you saying? No. No, that can't be true."

The moment the words left her mouth, Stella's legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. "Doctor, please… please save my dad…"

Stacy knelt beside her, mirroring her, begging just as desperately.

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

The doctor shook his head and turned away, looking exhausted.

People stepped forward to help the sisters up, and the hallway filled with crying and soft murmurs.

But a second later, a sharp scream ripped through the crowd. Stella spun around just in time to see someone at the end of the hall crawl onto the window ledge and throw themselves out.

Chapter 3 The Funeral

Stella finally looked toward the spot where Sapphire had been kneeling, but she was already gone.

A sharp, panicked scream tore out of her as she lunged toward the window. "Mom!"

Crowds had already gathered around the window. Someone at the front leaned out to look down and gasped in horror. Immediately, a few people grabbed Stella and Stacy, pulling them back.

Stella fought with everything she had, trying to throw herself toward the window again, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Mom! No. Please don't!"

The entire hallway erupted. Some people stared down in shock. Others held the sisters back. Someone shouted for a doctor. And a few people ran for the stairs, rushing toward the ground floor.

…

The deaths of the Hilton couple on the same day sent shockwaves through the entire city.

Stella sat off to the side of the funeral parlor, numb and exhausted, quietly thanking people as they came to offer their condolences. Her eyes were swollen, and she had cried herself dry hours ago.

Beside her, Stacy was curled over in her chair, her head buried in her arms, sobbing so hard she kept nearly passing out.

Stella wanted to reach for Stacy and hold her, to tell her it was going to be okay, but her arms felt too heavy to lift. She could only sit there as the numbness and despair washed over her, drowning out everything else.

The kind of loss she had just suffered made it hard for Stella even to breathe. Losing both parents in the span of a moment was almost unbearable.

But Stella couldn't break down the way Stacy could. Stacy could cry without holding anything back, could let the pain and fear pour out of her. Stella couldn't. Deep down, she knew that once the funeral ended, an even harsher reality was waiting for her.

With everything collapsing at once, she was only standing because of Liam. He had been holding everything together while she drifted through the days, doing whatever people told her because she had no strength left to think for herself.

She had asked Liam what her father, Owen Hilton, had gone through before he jumped.

Liam told her that something about Owen's behavior that day had felt off.

According to him, when Owen arrived at the office that morning, he actually seemed fine. The company had been hanging by a thread for weeks, but there was nothing unusual about him. He was still actively looking for solutions.

That morning, after he got to the office, he had even given Liam a clear list of several important things to take care of. An hour later, with no sign that anything was wrong, he went to the roof and jumped.

One hour was all it took.

Stella stared at the small candle flickering on the table, her mind turning over the same question again and again. What could have happened in that single hour?

Just then, a stir at the entrance of the funeral parlor broke through Stella's thoughts.

She snapped back to herself and sat up straighter. She lifted her head toward the commotion, her vision still blurry. But the moment a tall, familiar figure stepped inside, she froze. Her breath caught in her throat.

Tristan entered the room in a sharp black suit that made his tall frame look even more imposing. His features were perfectly composed, his expression was unreadable, and his eyes revealed nothing.

What made Stella's stomach drop even harder was the woman walking beside him. She knew exactly who it was—Yvette Page.

Yvette wore a black dress, her long hair pulled back to show her pale neck. Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed, and she quietly held a bouquet of white lilies, looking sad.

She was the daughter of the Cole family's driver, and she had grown up with both Stella and Tristan. When they were kids, the three of them played together all the time, but as they got older, they slowly drifted apart.

Especially after Stella fell for Tristan, she started avoiding Yvette without even realizing it.

Later, when Tristan went overseas for school, rumors started spreading that Yvette had followed him not long after.

And now that Tristan was back in the country, it looked like Yvette had returned too.

Standing next to each other, they looked like they belonged together.

Stella wasn't surprised the Cole family had come. Their families had known each other for years, and Mary had even sent people to help with the funeral arrangements.

But Tristan showing up with Yvette was something she never saw coming.

Tristan seemed to sense her staring and looked over. For a split second, Stella thought she saw something complicated in his eyes, but it vanished almost immediately, leaving only that familiar cold detachment.

Seeing them together like that sent a cold rush up Stella's spine. Tristan's humiliating words from that night came rushing back. The fact that he said it was just a casual hookup and he was only scratching an itch.

Each word landed like a blow.

The sight of the two of them standing there in front of her parents' caskets as if nothing was wrong made her jaw tighten. She lowered her head and bowed slightly in acknowledgment, forcing herself to stay composed.

Stacy kneeled beside her and hurried to follow Stella's movement. But when she lifted her head and caught sight of Tristan standing there with Yvette, she shot to her feet in shock. "Tristan, you—?"

Chapter 4 Overwhelmed

Stacy's sudden shout cut through the silence of the funeral parlor, causing dozens of heads to turn at once.

She sprang to her feet, shaking with anger, ready to go at Tristan. She knew all too well what had driven Sapphire to beg Stella before she died.

"Tristan, what is that supposed to mean? How could you—"

"Stace!" Before Stacy could finish the sentence, Stella grabbed her trembling wrist and yanked Stacy back down beside her, forcing Stacy to kneel again.

Stella's voice came out tight as she hissed, "Stop it!"

"But he—"

"Stace, not now. Show some respect." Stella's jaw tightened as she forced each word out.

Stacy looked at Stella's firm expression, felt the tense grip on her wrist, and finally gave in. She lowered herself again and dropped her head.

But a second later, Stacy's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, breaking into loud sobs. Her small, shaking frame looked like it could barely hold itself together.

Stella felt her eyes burn again. She bit down hard on her jaw as silent tears slid down her face. Her nails dug deep into her palm, the pain helping her stay just barely in control, even as the ache in her chest grew sharper and sharper.

Yvette stepped up quietly, placing her white lilies on the casket before walking over to Stella. Her voice was soft, with a trace of sympathy that was almost hard to catch. "Stella, I'm so sorry. Your parents passed so suddenly. You need to take care of yourself. Stacy still needs you."

Stella's voice was hoarse when she managed a quiet, "Thank you."

Tristan took one look at how pale Stella was, then cut off whatever Yvette was about to say. "We're leaving."

Stella's nails dug hard into her palm, but she didn't move.

Yvette gave Stella one last look as something complicated flickered in her eyes. She then turned to follow Tristan out of the funeral parlor.

Stella caught their silhouettes in her peripheral vision as they walked out side by side. That was the moment her body finally gave out. Her vision blurred, her strength vanished, and she collapsed forward onto the cushion beneath her.

Someone nearby gasped, and the room broke into instant chaos. People rushed toward Stella—someone checked her breathing, someone called for water, and others urged that she be taken to rest immediately.

Stacy broke down completely, her voice cracking as she screamed, "Stella… Please, wake up!"

Tristan spun around at the sound, just in time to see Liam lifting Stella into his arms and carrying her toward the quiet room next door. Tristan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand curled into a fist at his side before he forced it to loosen again.

Yvette pulled her gaze away from the commotion and looked over at Tristan. Her voice was calm, almost flat when she said, "Let's go. They have people handling it. We'd only get in the way. She's just overwhelmed."

Tristan gave her a brief glance, then turned and walked out of the funeral parlor without another word.

…

By the time the service ended, Stella felt as if half her life had been drained from her.

On the ride back from the cemetery, she looked over and saw Stacy—exhausted from crying—slumped against their housekeeper, Betty Cooper. Her lashes were still wet, and every so often her body twitched, like she was trapped in a nightmare.

Stella's nose stung. Her eyes reddened again as she walked toward them, her legs stiff and numb from kneeling for so long. Every step felt like she was walking on raw nerves, sharp enough to make sweat bead on her forehead.

She finally climbed into the car and eased herself down beside Stacy. She gently brushed her fingers through Stacy's hair, the familiar softness steadying her frayed nerves just the slightest bit. She held out her arms. "Let her lean on me."

Her voice was still hoarse, but the determination in it was unmistakable.

Betty gently shifted Stacy into her arms, and Stella held Stacy tight. Feeling Stacy's warm breath against her, she made herself a quiet promise that no matter how bad things got, she'd keep it together. She wasn't going to let Stacy get hurt again.

They hadn't even gotten home when Stella's phone rang. Stacy stirred in her arms, so Stella quickly pulled the phone out and answered. It was Liam calling from the car ahead, his voice heavy when he said, "Ms. Hilton, we need to head to the office."

"Alright. I'll ride with you," Stella replied.

She hung up and gently handed Stacy back to Betty.

Stacy blinked awake, her eyes still groggy but filled with worry. "Stella… what's happening now?"

"Nothing. Liam just needs me to check something at the office. You go home with Betty. I'll be back soon," Stella said, keeping her tone steady.

Stacy clearly didn't buy it, but she only murmured a soft "Okay".

Stella, however, knew better. The weight in Liam's voice told her this wouldn't be simple. If Owen had been desperate enough to jump, whatever mess he left behind was going to be big.

"I'm coming with you!" Stacy said, looking at Stella with worried eyes.

"No. Go home and have a good rest. I'll be back soon." She gave Betty a few more instructions before stepping out of the car and walking toward Liam's.

Once she got in, she didn't waste time. "What's going on?" she asked.

Chapter 5 Under Pressure

When Liam finally restarted the car, Stella turned toward him. "What's going on?"

"The project's been shut down. All the accounts are frozen. They're saying the construction materials didn't meet standards. I just got the notice…" Liam shook his head helplessly, his expression tight.

"Ms. Hilton, the losses this time are huge. The bank has already started calling in the loans. And three of our partners sent letters ending their contracts. They said we didn't deliver the first batch of materials on time and want us to pay penalties."

"Penalties?"

"Yes. And the bank told us they received a court enforcement order, but I don't know the details yet. The penalties… From all three combined, it's around 80 million dollars."

His voice grew quieter as he added, "And the factory shut down too. The workers are gathered at the entrance demanding their wages. They said if we don't pay, they'll file for labor arbitration."

Stella's mind went blank. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she gripped the armrest hard as fear crawled its way under her skin. She slumped back into the seat, feeling completely helpless.

With Owen gone, everything he had held together was falling apart. 80 million dollars in penalties and frozen accounts—each new problem hit her like another blow, piling up until she could barely breathe.

It was silent in the car.

After a long moment, Stella finally asked, her voice weak, "Was it already this bad when my dad was still here?"

Liam's hands tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He shook his head and said, "No. Back then, it was only about negotiating the delivery schedule."

Stella murmured to herself, "How did things fall apart this fast?"

Her thoughts kept circling. What had finally pushed her father past the point of return? How had everything collapsed so suddenly? Even the worst problems usually came with some kind of warning.

No wonder Sapphire had begged her to go to the Cole family.

But the Coles…

Stella let out a bitter laugh. She had thought that giving up the one thing she had never given anyone might buy her family a little stability and carry them through the crisis. Instead, all it brought her was Tristan's crushing humiliation.

Before they even reached the office building, Stella could already see a crowd gathered outside. Reporters packed the entrance, along with workers demanding their unpaid wages.

Even the ramp leading to the underground parking garage was blocked.

Liam glanced at Stella's pale face as worry tightened his expression. He hesitated before saying, "Maybe… I should take you home to rest. Let me go in first and see what's happening."

Stella shook her head and gave a faint and bitter smile. "There's no point putting it off. I have to face it sooner or later."

Liam had no choice but to swing the car around to the back entrance of the building. There were fewer people there than out front, but a handful of reporters were still waiting.

The moment Stella and Liam stepped out of the car and started toward the building, someone spotted them and closed in fast.

The questions came at Stella fast and sharp, each one hitting exactly where it hurt the most. Reporters shouted over one another, their voices crashing down on her like a barrage she couldn't escape.

More people pushed in from behind, appearing out of nowhere. The crowd thickened by the second, and microphones were shoved so close they nearly hit her face.

After days of grief and sleepless nights handling the funeral, Stella was already at her limit. She had nothing left to fight with. The crush of bodies around her made her lightheaded, and she stumbled under the pressure, completely overwhelmed.

Luckily, Liam stayed close. He grabbed her before she fell and barked, "Back up! Give her space! Stop filming! No comment!"

He steadied her while struggling to shove past the reporters crowding them.

By the time they finally broke through the mob and stepped into the lobby, Stella looked wrecked. Her hair was a mess, her face was pale, and the funeral clothes she hadn't had time to change out of were disheveled, with a button on her blouse ripped clean off in the struggle.

But those reporters behind her were still going wild, practically ready to break through the building's security just to get to her.

Liam didn't waste a second. He grabbed Stella by the arm and pulled her toward the elevators.

One of the descending elevators dinged open right on time. Stella rushed over like it was a shelter in a storm. Before anyone inside could even step out, she lifted her foot, ready to dart in. But in the next second, she froze in place.