Chapter 12: My Sister Doesn't Know How to Cherish You, But I Do

Women were truly difficult creatures to provoke.

Kingston stared at the firmly shut bedroom door, feeling a slight pang of unease. He had no idea what was going on in that woman's head. When he saw her so proactively asking about another man's identity, it was only natural for him to suspect she had an ulterior motive.

Why did she have to be so fierce? Besides, he had never said he looked down on her for being an ex-convict. If he truly cared about her past, he would never have agreed to marry her in the first place. Everything else might have been a facade, but their marriage certificate was real. Their union was protected by the law of the land.

Ariella hadn't come out of the room for a long time. Was she in there crying secretly? Kingston sighed. Now, when he thought back on the interaction, he realized that his words had indeed been a bit too harsh.

He walked to her door and knocked. There was no response.

"Ariella, I'm coming in," Kingston said, deciding to open the door himself.

The sight that met his eyes stunned him. Ariella was standing with her back to him, midway through changing her clothes. Her back was covered in a dense network of scars. Her beautiful shoulder blades protruded sharply, looking like a butterfly preparing to take flight.

It was the first time he had seen so many marks on a woman's body. Just looking at them was a shocking experience. She hadn't just gone to prison. It looked as if she had been sent to a torture chamber.

Ariella pulled her clothes on and turned around. Their eyes met.

"When did you get in here?!" Ariella gasped, wrapping her arms around her body, her face a mask of panic.

"I knocked. You didn't say anything. I was worried something had happened, so I came in to check."

"I... My hearing is poor," Ariella said softly. "Next time, knock louder."

Whenever she spoke of her hearing loss, she became cautious and timid. She couldn't help the self-consciousness that rose within her. Who would have thought that the once radiant and high-status eldest daughter of the Ellerker family would now be a disabled outcast?

"Alright," Kingston promised.

"I have to go to work." Ariella glanced at the time. After all the commotion, it was nearly 10:00 AM.

"Mm."

Kingston stood by the door. As Ariella tried to brush past him, he grabbed her hand.

"Is there something else?" she asked, her expression returning to a cold, distant mask.

She was like a snail. The moment she sensed danger, she retreated into her shell. But he could see that her shell was far from sturdy. After sitting in her room for a while, Ariella realized she had overreacted. They had only known each other for two days. She was an ex-convict whom even her own parents despised. What right did she have to demand Kingston's unconditional trust?

"I'm sorry. What I said earlier was uncalled for."

Ariella looked at him in disbelief. She clearly hadn't expected him to apologize.

"What? Did you not hear me again? I said, I was wrong, okay?" Kingston raised his voice slightly. "I don't know what happened to you three years ago, but I don't think it was your fault."

"Why are you willing to believe me?" Ariella felt as if she were in a dream. In three years, he was the first person to say those words. Even Patrick, her childhood sweetheart of twenty years, had called the police on her when she was at her lowest, slapping her and pushing her into the mud.

"Because a truly evil person wouldn't let themselves end up in such a miserable state," Kingston said plainly. "It just means you're a very, very stupid person who doesn't know how to protect herself."

"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm going to work. If I wait any longer, I'll be late!" Ariella rushed out before the tears could fall. She was afraid that if they kept talking, she would burst into tears in front of him.

It was hilarious. She had bared her heart to Patrick, and he hadn't even spared it a glance before throwing it away and stepping on it. Yet Kingston seemed to see through everything at a single glance. Thinking back, her taste in men three years ago was beyond terrible.

That evening at Ellerker Manor, the atmosphere was festive. Esther and Patrick had returned from abroad, and Katrina had ordered the servants to prepare a lavish feast.

Midway through the meal, Robert turned his thoughts to business. "Patrick, you have a wide network. Do you know the CEO of Hexagon Investments?"

Patrick stared down at his food, offering no answer. The table fell silent as everyone noticed he was lost in thought.

Esther clenched her fists under the table. What was he thinking about? Surely it wasn't Ariella, that little wretch, right?

"Patrick?" Robert prompted again.

"Hmm? What is it?" Patrick snapped back to reality.

Before dinner, he had someone look into Ariella's recent activities. He discovered she had married a man on the very day of her release. Was she that desperate for a man? Could she not go a single day without one? If she was that loose, why had she acted so pure back then? In the three years they were together, the most they had done was hug.

What disgusted him even more was that Ariella had no self-respect left. She had taken a job as a clerk in an adult novelty store. Only shady men frequented such places. Had she truly abandoned all sense of shame?

Robert repeated his question about Hexagon Investments.

"I'll handle it. No matter how powerful Hexagon Investments is, they are newcomers to South Covand. They'll have to show the Davis Group some respect," Patrick said absentmindedly.

"See? I told you nothing could stop Patrick!" Katrina said gleefully. "The two of you are back now, and you look so wonderful together. As the saying goes, a man should settle down before he builds his empire. You aren't young anymore. It's time to set the wedding date. If we see you married with children, we elders can finally rest easy. Don't worry about the kids. I can raise them while you two travel the world."

"Mom... it's not something you can rush," Esther said, looking at Patrick with a shy blush. She had been waiting for the day he would propose for a long time.

"I'm a bit tired. The jet lag is catching up to me. I'll head out first," Patrick said, feeling a sudden surge of irritability. He stood up and grabbed his coat, his handsome face clouded with a layer of frost.

"Oh? Leaving so soon?" Katrina was displeased. If the matter wasn't settled soon, Esther would waste her best years waiting.

"Wait, I'll walk you out!" Esther hurried after Patrick.

Once outside, Esther wrapped her arms around Patrick's waist from behind, inhaling the faint scent of his cologne. She softened her voice. "Patrick, I'm sorry. My mother is just like that. Don't take it to heart. I'll wait for you no matter how long it takes—until you're ready to fully accept me. My sister didn't know how to cherish you, but I do."

"Mm," Patrick muttered, patting Esther's long, silky hair.

As soon as Patrick drove away, Esther's face darkened. She knew Ariella was a threat. The woman had barely been out of prison and was already causing trouble. Sometimes, Esther truly wished Ariella would just die and stop being an eyesore.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Have you found the man who took Ariella's virginity three years ago?" she snapped. "Still nothing? Keep looking!"

Three years ago, Esther drugged Ariella with hallucinogens and arranged for two vagrants to be sent to her room. However, when her men arrived, the door to the lounge was locked from the inside, and the sounds of passion were already echoing out.

She wanted to catch Ariella in the act, but the man escaped through the bathroom window. To this day, his identity remained a mystery. Esther assumed he was probably some old, ugly, or disfigured man who couldn't show his face.

If Patrick saw exactly who had been with Ariella that night, he would never feel a shred of longing for her ever again.