As Scarlette stepped out of the elevator, she bumped into ra, who was heading downstairs to toss out the trash. Scarlette quickly adjusted her cor and smoothed her hair, trying to keep it together. She hadn''t realized ra had already caught a glimpse of them in the club''s private roomst time.


    ra felt awkward too, thinking she must have picked the worst timing ever to take out the trash. Trying to break the tension, ra said, "I parked your car in the garage. I''ll hand you the keys in a bit."


    Usually calm and collected, Scarlette found it hard to keep her cool this time. She was well aware of Nichs''s possessive streak. If he left marks on purpose, they''d linger for a week. And tonight, she wasn''t even wearing a turtleneck, so ra must have seen everything.


    Scarlette wanted to exin, but the nature of her rtionship with Nichs was tough to put into words. Sensing the difort, ra quickly stepped into the elevator. "I''ll just go dump the trash. You should head back inside."


    Scarlette exhaled a sigh of relief and gave a grateful smile. "Thanks."


    Back in her apartment, Scarlette rushed to the bathroom mirror, her fears confirmed by the marks on her neck. She checked her phone and saw a message from Morgan, which drained her instantly. If Nichs kept this up, it would surely ruin things with Morgan.


    From their school days to now, Nichs had been the cause of so many of her broken rtionships. At first, she thought it was just him being overly controlled by the Greenard family, plus his clinginess and insecurity, worried she''d abandon him if she started dating.


    Scarlette had always been mature for her age, knowing exactly what she wanted. Growing up in the Greenard household, she was acutely aware of her precarious position, so she worked hard at school, excelling in both academics and skills. The truth was, she didn''t much like the Greenard family''s vibe. Everyone seemed to look at her as if she was an outsider. From a young age, she had to be exceptionally nice to Nichs to prove her worth to the family.


    Initially, she didn''t like Nichs, but spending so much time together softened her resolve, making her care for him more than she intended. But Nichs seemed to grow more attached, which the Greenard family noticed, resulting in their coldness towards her. Wisely, she distanced herself from theirpany and started her own venture.


    She hadn''t expected Nichs to suddenly act out. Rumors now swirled about their estrangement, easing the Greenard family''s worries. Previously, there had been whispers about Nichs''s feelings for Scarlette, which would''ve been scandalous given their pseudo-sibling rtionship and Scarlette being raised by the Greenards. Beingbeled a "child bride" would''ve been even more awkward.


    Sitting on the couch, rubbing her neck, Scarlette received a message from Nichs. She usually ignored his texts, as they were often just him talking to himself. She had blocked him before, but his recent antics made her wary of provoking him further, so she unblocked him.


    Nichs had sent a photo of himself this time. As inappropriate as it was, she couldn''t deny he''d grown up quite well. Her forehead throbbed, and she couldn''t resist replying.


    [Nichs, are you nuts?]


    No immediate response came. Scarlette tossed her phone aside, fighting the urge to block him again. His call came soon after.


    "Hey sis, you home?"


    No matter how many times she lectured him, he seemed to forget instantly, calling her like nothing happened. Scarlette gave a curt "Yeah," puzzled by his heavy breathing.


    "What are you doing?" she asked.


    Nichs scoffed, "Why do you care? You lit the fire and won''t put it out. Can''t I handle it myself?"


    Scarlette gritted her teeth, at a loss for words. She felt utterly powerless. She abruptly ended the call, feeling her whole body heat with frustration.


    Just then, the doorbell rang. Composing herself, she opened the door to find ra, returning her car keys. ra''s gaze fell on Scarlette''s phone, and only then did Scarlette realize the screen hadn''t locked, disying Nichs''stest photo. Mortified, her cheeks flushed as she wished fervently for the ground to swallow her whole.


    ra averted her gaze, calmly handing over the keys. "Goodnight." Then she swiftly retreated, shutting her own door with a decisive "thud."


    Back in her room, ra took a deep breath. She recalled the media''s sensational reports about how the Greenard siblings had supposedly turned against each other, unaware of the fiery reality behind closed doors. Scarlette seemed uninterested in Nichs, leaving ra to wonder how their story would end.


    Unable to sleep, ra tossed and turned in bed until her phone chimed. Expecting a message from Z, she was surprised to see it was from Ryan.


    [ra, the Ferguson family has called off the engagement. Quinn is holed up in her room, possibly stirring up trouble.]


    ra frowned. Simon had indeed taken a beating and called off the wedding? She felt detached, ready to turn off her phone and sleep, but then another message from Simon arrived.


    "Don''t you think you should investigate the ident that caused your amnesia, ra? I suspect someone intentionally made you lose your memory."


    ra had been ignoring him, but when she saw this message, she slowly sat up straight.


    "What do you mean?" she replied.


    Simon knew that if he veered off-topic now, ra would lose interest and stop listening.


    "Your amnesia wasn''t caused by the ident. It might have been induced by medication."


    He already had a suspect in mind but was hesitant to say it out loud. He couldn''t shake the feeling that Dn was capable of anything, and his calm demeanor was just a facade.