Chapter 2

The bowl shattered, sending the food splattering everywhere.

A few droplets even landed on Madeline's dress and shoes, startling her into a gasp as she stepped back.

I rose to my feet, towering over Madeline and Rylan, who had suddenly frozen, my voice icy cold. "It's just a bowl of food, I give it up. But if she still wants to drink, then let her drink it slowly on the floor." My gaze swept across the mess on the floor.

The servant was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head, not daring to make any sound.

Madeline's gentle smile froze for a moment, then she looked shocked, "Tessa, how could you do this? Rylan was just concerned about me..."

"Concerned about you?" I scoffed, cutting her off, "So he's going to let me, someone who just got back from the hospital, go hungry? His favoritism is truly unbelievable."

Rylan's temple throbbed, and he forced his words through gritted teeth. "Tessa! You're simply unreasonable! Apologize to Madeline, and this matter will be..."

"Apologize?" I interrupted him directly, "Who should be apologizing? Is it her, for inexplicably falling into the swimming pool and stealing my food? Or is it you, for casually humiliating me, your sister, just to please your crush?"

Rylan's face turned from pale to dark. He clearly hadn't expected me to retaliate so sharply.

He clearly hadn't expected me to retaliate so sharply or to use the "sister' status as a weapon against him.

"Fine, very well." He managed a smile through his anger, though his gaze remained icy.

Rylan abruptly turned to the servant beside him and barked, "Take her to the room upstairs and lock her in! Without my permission, don't give her any food or drink. No one is allowed to let her out!"

I was stunned, looking at him in disbelief. "You're putting me in confinement? Just because I didn't treat your precious darling with the utmost care?"

"Think about what you've done!" His tone was unyielding, "When you learn to be considerate, then you can come out."

The servant dared not defy him, approaching timidly and pleading softly, "Miss, please... Return to your room..."

I didn't make any futile struggles.

I straightened my back and turned to head upstairs directly.

The door clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it.

My stomach ached from hunger, but the burning anger in my chest kept me unusually alert.

My brother? My family? What a joke!

I pounded on the door and kicked it.

But there was no response.

My voice grew hoarse from shouting, yet all I faced was silence.

I wouldn't cry, I would never show weakness.

Three days without food left me weak all over.

They thought this would make me submit. That was impossible!

I searched the room and finally set the curtains on fire.

Flames quickly engulfed the room.

Sure enough, the door was thrown open.

I immediately spotted Rylan, whose face darkened.

A servant rushed in behind him with a fire extinguisher, swiftly putting out the remaining flames.

He stared at the chaos on the floor, stepping towards me with anger.

Before I could react, he suddenly reached out and grabbed my chin.

I let out a muffled groan of pain, forced to tilt my head back and meet his bloodshot eyes.

"Tessa!" His voice was terrifyingly hoarse, every word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

I endured the sharp pain in my jaw, meeting the fury in his eyes, and mocked him.

"Rylan, you locked me in this room for three days without food or drink. Are you satisfied if I starve to death?"

I didn't know why the word "starve to death" angered him again, but the hand gripping my chin tightened its hold even more.

"Tessa, don't forget who rescued you! Without me, you would've starved to death on the street. What's wrong with yielding to Madeline? It's just some nutritional food. Did you have to go so far as to set fire to the home?"

It turned out I was adopted.

No wonder Madeline's words could make him sacrifice me without hesitation.

In that case, I didn't care for him anymore, nor did I care for his affection!

Even without him, I could live well. Why should I swallow my pride and be his stepping stone to please Madeline?

"Just because I was adopted, does that mean you can control me?" I suppressed the bitterness in my heart, harshly shaking off his hand, "I'm your sister in name, not a tool to please Madeline! You feel sorry for her falling into the pool and snatch my food for recovery, you care about her feelings and lock me up to starve, but why should I pay for your favoritism?"

His expression stiffened, as if seeing me for the first time. "You weren't like this before! Before, even when you were wronged, you would just follow behind me with red eyes. You would never talk to me like this! Has amnesia made you so bold?"

I looked at him coldly.

So the previous me was so insignificant in his eyes?

When I suffered injustice, I endured it and didn't even dare to speak up in rebuttal.

It was ridiculous that my heartfelt devotion was taken for granted by him, and even became the reason for his current criticism of me.

Just then, soft footsteps were heard from the doorway.

I saw Madeline leaning against the door frame as she entered.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she covered her mouth upon seeing the scene inside the room.

"Rylan, don't be so harsh on Tessa," she said, quickly stepping forward and gently tugging on Rylan's arm. "She must have been starving to do that. After all, anyone would feel terrible if they hadn't eaten for three days."

She changed the subject, looking at me, "But Tessa, even if you're angry, you can't joke about our safety. This house is filled with items that could easily catch fire. If a fire breaks out, the consequences would be unimaginable. If anything happened to you, how worried would we be?"

Her words sounded like she was defending me, but every word implied that I was willful and impulsive, portraying me as a dangerous madman, or even a dangerous person who didn't care about the safety of others.

The fire in Rylan's eyes dimmed slightly under Madeline's gentle persuasion, yet his gaze still held impatience and warning when he looked at me. "Did you hear that? If you dare to cause trouble again, I won't let you off easily!"

Looking at the two people in front of me, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me.

Madeline's hypocritical demeanor disgusted me to the extreme.

Unable to hold back, I freed myself from Rylan's grip and rushed to the bathroom to vomit.

When I returned, they were gone.

I sneered. Having a brother like Rylan was worse than having none at all.

Taking advantage of the servants' shift change late at night, I used a hidden hairpin to pry open the window latch.

The cold wind rushed in immediately.

I made up my mind and climbed onto the windowsill.

The cold wind bit at my cheeks, but thinking of Rylan and Madeline's faces suddenly gave me courage.

Relying on my vague memory, I headed for the Baxter Group.

By the time I arrived at Baxter Group, night had already fallen.

I looked up at the towering skyscraper, feeling uneasy.

My phone had been confiscated, so I hadn't been able to contact Aydan.

I didn't know if he was still at the company or if he would even see me.

But at this point, I had no other options.

Taking a deep breath, I walked into the lobby and approached the receptionist. "Hello, I'm looking for Aydan. I'm his... fiancée."

The receptionist was momentarily stunned, giving me a once-over. "Are you his fiancée, but don't have his contact information? Well, Miss..."

Just when I thought the stalemate would continue, the elevator doors opened.

Aydan emerged with several subordinates.

My eyes lit up, and I quickly went to him.

He looked at me, surprise evident in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't hold back. "Rylan locked me up without food or water. I don't want to go back."

Aydan's eyes landed on my pale face, a fleeting look of concern crossed his eyes so quickly, I almost thought I imagined it.

He soon instructed his subordinates to leave, telling them to go ahead.

One of them hesitated, glancing at me cautiously. "But Mr. Baxter, the meeting is important..."

Aydan gave him a cold look, immediately silencing him.

He naturally took my hand. "Come with me."

I followed him to the lounge, my growling stomach breaking the awkward silence.

I unhesitatingly ordered the secretary to bring up some coffee and snacks.

Aydan looked at me several times.

I asked while eating, "What is it?"

His gaze remained on me. "You haven't changed. You are still the same as before."

I felt puzzled. "I just lost my memory, not my mind."

"What do you want to do?" Aydan asked calmly from across the table.

"I want to leave Rylan," I said, looking up at him without a trace of hesitation. "I know you initially didn't acknowledge our engagement, but I have nowhere else to go. If you're willing to help me, I can enter into a sham marriage with you. Once I find my identity, I'll dissolve the engagement immediately and won't bother you."

Aydan looked at me, silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. "A sham marriage? You've got some nerve."

He took a sip from the coffee cup, his eyes deep. "Are you sure?"

I hesitated to respond because... He was drinking from my coffee cup, the one I had just used...

After a while, I found my voice again. "Yes, I'm sure."

Aydan checked the time. "Alright, I'll help you. But I have one condition."

"What is it?" I responded immediately.

A smile played on his lips. "After the marriage, you must cooperate with me in public, playing the role of my wife. No matter what you remember later, you can't go back to Rylan."

I agreed without hesitation. "I promise!"

After our conversation, he turned to me. "You'll stay at my apartment tonight. We'll sign the agreement tomorrow and then head to court."

I was a bit taken aback by the speed, but I didn't dare question it.

Meanwhile, at the Lloyd family mansion, Rylan had discovered my absence.