The instant she fell, Ste instinctively shielded her hands, so only her arm was injured.
Seeing this, Candida rushed over, her face drained of color.
"Star, are your hands okay?"
A musician''s hands are more precious than life itself. Candida, a pianist herself,
knew this better than anyone.
Ste was in the middle ofpetitions and about to hold a concert.
If her hands were hurt and it affected her performance...
Candida would never forgive herself.
Karl-unforgivable!
With Candida''s support, Ste slowly got to her feet. "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me."
Eyes rimmed red, Candida gently checked Ste''s hands.
Ste had the loveliest hands-pale, delicate, almost porcin.
There were a few scrapes on the back, and her forearm was streaked with blood —a sight that made Candida''s heart clench.
Watching Candida''s tender concern, Karl was suddenly reminded of the way she used to look at him.
But now, her gaze held nothing but ice.
A strange anger red in Karl''s chest. He suddenly seized Candida''s wrist.
"Come with me," he said coldly, "and I''ll let her go.
If you keep being stubborn, Candida, I promise you don''t want to see what I''m capable of."
Candida''s eyshes fluttered violently.
She knew exactly what Karl was capable of.
Her lips trembled, but in the end she said, "Star, I have to go for now. Please get
your arm treated at the hospital-I''ll visit you soon..."
Karl was despicable. She couldn''t let Ste get dragged into this.
But suddenly, Ste caught her hand.
"Don''t worry, Candida. He can''t do anything to me. He doesn''t have that kind of power."
Ste''s eyes were frosty. "Mr. Burton, you certainly talk big. Do you really think Neo-Vespera belongs to your precious Burton family?"
Karl sneered down at her. "Haynes already divorced you. Do you really think he''d go against his family for
an ex-wife? !"
If you were that important to him, you wouldn''t be an ex, would you?"
He was deliberately twisting the knife.
Candida''s face darkened, about to retort, but Ste stopped her.
"You think that, without Haynes, I''m just fair game for anyone?"
Ste gave a cold littleugh and pulled out her phone.
"It''s been a while since I visited Mr. Burton. Since I''m freetely, maybe it''s time to pay him a call."
Karl''s eyes shed with rm. He''d forgotten-Ste could always go to the old Mr. Burton for help.
And with how fond he was of her, he might actually take Ste''s side.
"Take her phone!" Karl snapped.
His two bodyguards moved fast. One of them mmed his hand down hard on Ste''s.
Crack!
Ste''s phone flew from her grasp, skittered across the floor, and stopped at Karl''s feet.
He ground his heel into it.
Crunch.
The screen shattered, spiderweb cracks crawling across the ss.
Candida shook with rage. "Karl, are you out of your mind?!"
He shot her a look, a cruel smile curling his lips.
"I gave you a chance, Candida. You''re the one who threw it away.
You''re so disobedient-how should I punish you?"
His gaze slid down to her hands.
"I''ve told you before: no one but you is worthy of being Mrs. Burton.
But
xave up all those years
together for some so-called
career...
Is ying the piano really that important?"
Ever since Karl regained his sight, Candida had asked many times
she could go back to work-e
time, he had refused.