Chapter 1 Shameless
She used to be the top socialite in Beliey, but rumors tagged her as flighty, tarnishing her reputation. Now, she was engaged, and news of it spread like wildfire through high society, leaving everyone stunned, tongues wagging.
In the ladies’ room, Kylie Stafford slipped into a bespoke Frenio wedding gown. With striking features, she glimpsed herself in the mirror, a soft smile playing on her lips. Three years in love with her boyfriend, Sergio Moore, finally culminated in this moment.
Despite the backstabbing whispers circling to tarnish her, her beau of three years remained devoted. With hopeful anticipation painted on Kylie’s face, her eyes turned watery. Slightly lifting her chin, she strode out, clutching her gown. But as she stepped out, thick billows of smoke sneaked in through the crack beneath the door, as if a relentless rush found an outlet, pouring into the restroom.
Caught by the sight of the smoke, her expression twisted, fearing a fire. Covering her nose, she bolted out. The lively banquet hall seconds ago was now a haze of smoke, deserted, flames seeming to devour all. She wasted no time, heading instinctively toward the exit. Amidst the blaze, smoke billowed and swirled. Fear gripped her entirely, trembling uncontrollably.
At that moment, a man rushed in from outside. It was her fiancé, Sergio. It was like spotting a savior, and she cried out, “Sergio, I’m here!” Then she could not help coughing.
Yet, Sergio seemed oblivious to her words, his face a mask of urgency, scanning around. Finally, locking onto his target, he dashed in the opposite direction of where Kylie stood.
In the urgency of the moment, Sergio scooped up another woman trapped in the hall, swiftly making his way out. “Sergio, I knew you’d come to save me.” Amidst the inferno, Kylie distinctly heard the weak, plaintive voice of the other woman. “I’m so scared.”
Suddenly, as if struck by a force, Kylie felt everything dimming, a sharp ache in her chest. That voice belonged to her stepsister, Perla Stafford.
Sergio, risking his life, had come back to rescue Perla, not her. It felt like a knife cutting through her heart. The suffocation was unbearable, far worse than the choking smoke. She was utterly speechless. Then, a glass chandelier from the ceiling crashed down with a resounding thud, blocking Kylie’s path. She fell to the ground in shock.
At that moment, Sergio seemed to glance back, catching sight of Kylie falling behind him. But his pace didn’t falter. When Kylie looked up again, Sergio had already rushed out, carrying Perla at any cost.
Teetering on the edge of death, Kylie distinctly heard Sergio’s tender voice soothing the girl in his arms. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
Hearing his words, Kylie’s gaze flickered slightly. Heat surrounded her, but her heart was cold to the core. She helplessly watched that familiar figure gradually disappear before her eyes.
Kylie eventually was fortunate enough to be rescued. At the moment of her utter despair, timely arrived firefighters rescued her. But due to inhaling a large amount of smoke and her right leg being injured, she was found unconscious. Consequently, she was directly taken to the hospital.
When she regained consciousness, it was the following morning. Beliey’s early summer weather was pleasant. A gentle breeze caressed her pale and weak face, and a ray of sunshine fell on her thick, elongated eyelashes. Her eyes gazed faintly at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, her face calm, without any expression, silent and tranquil as if still in a state of unconsciousness.
At an unknown moment, the hospital room door suddenly swung open. Kylie glanced over. Her father Cohen Stafford, stepmother Mila Stafford, and stepsister Perla appeared in the room.
“Sis, are you okay?” Perla spoke, her eyes red with tears.
All Kylie could see in her mind was Sergio rescuing Perla. She shifted her gaze without giving the trio another glance.
“Why are you being so rude? Your sister cares about you, and you just ignore her?” Cohen, seeing Kylie’s demeanor, erupted in thunderous anger.
Seeing Kylie silent, stepmother Mila hurriedly chimed in, “Cohen, don’t get angry with her. She’s just going through a phase. Besides, we should address the most important matter first.”
Seemingly uninterested in banter, Cohen got straight to the point. “You should already know that Sergio fancies Perla. Since your engagement failed, you should publicly announce the annulment with Sergio, let Sergio marry Perla.”
Kylie was infuriated to the core, so angry she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Why?” Kylie asked Cohen.
“Because they are in love. Because your unwed pregnancy scandal years ago caused a stir in Beliey, tarnishing the Stafford family’s reputation! Kylie, do you truly believe someone from the Moore family would want to marry a terrible woman like you? Giving you the chance to voluntarily break the engagement is giving you an out, you should know your place!” Cohen asserted confidently.
At 18, Perla had tricked her into a bar, spiked her drink, and set her up. When she woke up again, she was lying next to a stranger. Kylie was devastated, didn’t even spare a glance at the man beside her, and fled. She was too young then and didn’t understand contraception at all. When she found out she was pregnant, already five months along, she endured the pain to secretly abort the baby, but Perla secretly contacted the paparazzi, capturing Kylie’s visit to the clinic for an abortion, and made it public. Suddenly, she became Beliey’s biggest joke.
What drove her to the brink of collapse was the news from doctors that, due to her physical condition, she couldn’t undergo an abortion. She had to carry the child. Eventually accepting the child’s existence, she never imagined the baby would be stillborn. At her most painful and needing comfort, Cohen heartlessly sent her abroad, never caring for seven years, leaving her to fend for herself.
Now, after barely surviving the fire, Cohen remained indifferent, urging her to give up Sergio for Perla’s sake. It was beyond her belief.
She couldn’t fathom how heartless a father could be, to say such malicious words to his own daughter, to ruthlessly expose her painful past without a care, and to rub salt into her wounds.
“Like mother, like daughter. The mother was a homewrecker, and now the daughter follows suit.” Kylie sneered. “You talk about me tarnishing the Stafford family’s reputation? What reputation does the Stafford family have? My mother just died, and you eagerly welcomed the homewrecker into our family. The irony is that homewrecker’s daughter is just half a year younger than me. If we talk about a stained reputation, you’re the one dragging our family’s reputation through the mud!”
“Kylie Stafford!” Cohen seethed with anger.
Perla and Mila felt stung by the mockery.
Kylie wasn’t in the mood to engage with these so-called family members any longer. She icily declared, “If the Moore family wants me out, let Sergio tell me himself! You guys have no right to speak for him! If you don’t leave now, I’ll call the cops! I really couldn’t care less about making a scene, right?”
Cohen understood that Kylie, like her mother, appeared indifferent on the surface, but once provoked, her inherent strength and dominance were unyielding. No one could handle it.
“Kylie Stafford, don’t push me to send you abroad again!” Cohen declared before storming off.
Perla and Mila quickly followed. Watching them go, Kylie gave a sardonic smile.
‘Cohen, did you actually think I’m still the same Kylie from seven years ago, letting you call all the shots? From now on, I won’t let anyone walk all over my life!’ thought Kylie.
“Mommy?” A sweet, innocent child’s voice suddenly chimed in, snapping Kylie back to reality.
