Chapter 11: Patrick, I'm the One Who Dumped You!

"You want me to forgive you?" Ariella asked. She scanned the room and noticed the milk on the dining table.

She stepped forward and picked up a glass that was still half-full.

"What? Do you expect to eat breakfast in our home before you leave?" Katrina sneered. "Or did you not get to drink milk a single time during those three years in prison?"

In the next heartbeat, the cold milk, carrying a faint, fishy scent, was splashed entirely over Katrina's face and clothes.

"This is how I forgive you," Ariella said coldly. "Until the water lands on your own body, you'll never know how cold and miserable it feels. As for whether there is milk in prison, if you're so curious, feel free to go experience it for yourself."

The glass shattered against the porcelain tiles, splintering into a thousand pieces. It was just like Ariella's relationship with the Ellerker family—fractured beyond repair.

She reached out and took Kingston's hand. "Let's go."

The man nodded and led her toward the exit. None of the maids dared to block their path. They could tell these two were not to be trifled with. The poor fear the rich, the rich fear the powerful, but everyone fears those who have nothing left to lose. Moving together, they looked like a pair of lunatics.

Drenched in milk, Katrina clenched her fists and let out a piercing shriek. "Ah! Madwoman! She's a complete madman!"

After surviving so much betrayal, who wouldn't be a little mad?

Ariella's clothes were damp, and she needed to change before heading to work. As they stepped out of the villa, a black Maybach rolled up the driveway, coming to a smooth halt directly in front of them.

When Ariella saw the familiar license plate, her heart plummeted to her stomach. She knew she would run into Patrick eventually, but she hadn't expected it to be while she was in such a pathetic state. Her wet clothes clung to her thin frame, making her look destitute—just as she had on that stormy night three years ago.

"If you show fear when facing your enemies, you've already lost," Kingston said, his thin lips barely moving. "No matter how bad the situation is, keep your head up. Walk with confidence. You have to show them that unless they kill you, you will always come back for them."

Ariella stole a glance at him. He wore a suit of an unknown brand, but his commanding aura made the fabric look like a high-end, bespoke designer piece.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stand tall. She had already thrown milk at Katrina. Why should she be afraid of Patrick and Esther?

The chauffeur opened the door. Esther stepped out first, her feet encased in white Prada patent leather heels.

"Sister? You're finally out!" Esther chirped with a sweet smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was a shallow, hollow performance.

"Esther, it's been years. Haven't you won an Oscar for Best Actress yet?"

Esther's face stiffened. She glanced at Patrick and whispered, "Sister, are you still blaming me for what happened back then? I begged Mom and Dad not to lock you up, but they said people have to pay for their mistakes. Then I was sent abroad for my medical treatment and couldn't intervene. I'm so sorry."

"If you were truly sorry," Ariella replied, her chin tilted up and her eyes flashing with defiance, "you wouldn't have spent three years fooling around with your sister's fiancé. Are you really not disgusted with yourself? Do you like my hand-me-down men that much?"

Faced with Ariella's striking, aggressive beauty, Esther instinctively took a step back. She had assumed three years of prison would have withered the once-stunning Ariella, leaving her old and haggard.

But it was the opposite. Ariella's features had sharpened. She was more beautiful than ever, but the softness was gone. She was like a blade that had been honed to a lethal edge. Anyone who got too close would be cut.

"Esther, are you okay?" Patrick rushed forward, pulling Esther into a protective embrace.

In the past, seeing this would have devastated Ariella. Now, she felt nothing but a dull void.

"Ariella, you just got out, and you're already causing trouble?" Patrick snapped. "Did three years not teach you how to behave?"

"Patrick, don't be like that," Esther said weakly, her eyes welling with tears. "It's my fault. If not for me, you and Ariella would have been married and living happily by now."

Esther's words reminded Patrick of that dark night three years ago—the night this shameless woman had slept with another man on their engagement day.

"Impossible," Patrick said, his face twisting with loathing. "I wouldn't look twice at a woman like her."

"Technically, I was the one who cheated first," Ariella countered. "So remember this, Patrick. I'm the one who didn't want you! And you—" She turned her contemptuous gaze back to Esther. "Enjoy my leftover, you shameless woman."

"Honey, let's go," Ariella said, taking Kingston's arm and moving toward their modest Volkswagen.

"Honey?" Esther gasped. "Wait, is that the man from back then? Did you actually marry him?"

Patrick's hands tightened into fists. His expression darkened. He stared at Kingston's back. Ariella had chosen that man over him? A penniless loser in a cheap car? Was he really inferior to someone like that?

The Volkswagen sped through the streets and soon arrived at Loring Field.

"Thank you for standing up for me back there with the Ellerkers," Ariella said after they entered the apartment. She walked into the kitchen, wringing the water out of her hair. "Do you know the CEO of Hexagon Investments?"

"I've heard of him. Why? Do you know him?" The man leaned against the wall, his gaze tinged with scrutiny.

"I've been away for three years, so I don't know much about what's happening in South Covand. I heard the Ellerkers complaining that Hexagon Investments is targeting them. I want to know what kind of person he is. It's interesting that he hates them as much as I do."

"Hexagon Investments is worth tens of billions," Kingston said with a cold, mocking tone. "If you can win the favor of their CEO, all your problems would vanish, wouldn't they?"

He heard the ambition in her voice. He told himself he shouldn't have expected anything more from a member of the Ellerker family. Once he caught her in her vanity, he would show his father exactly what kind of woman she was.

Ariella's brows furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I'm just an ordinary guy. I can't give you much help."

Ariella let out a sharp, angry laugh. She looked at Kingston, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You didn't say it out loud, but you despise me in your heart, don't you? Because I'm an ex-convict! No matter what I say, you'll always see me as a bad woman."

"Kingston, I don't care if you believe me, but I'll only say this once: I was framed three years ago! I have never thought about social climbing and gold-digging. I went to the Ellerkers today to get money, yes, but was I wrong? I only wanted what belongs to me. Am I supposed to be a martyr and just give it all away to them?"

By the time she finished, Ariella's eyes were red. She threw her damp towel at Kingston in a fit of fury and stormed into her room, slamming the door.

Kingston stood there, the towel draped over his shoulder. She was so small and thin, yet she had a temper like a forest fire.