Chapter 7

When Zach returned to the Bennett mansion, he saw Sarah raging downstairs. She was throwing everything within reach, and when she caught sight of Zach, she grabbed a small ceramic vase and hurled it at him.

Zach, unprepared for the sudden attack, was struck on the forehead. Fresh blood started to flow.

“Damn you! Why does everything go wrong whenever you’re around?” Sarah screamed. Her appearance was a mess, her makeup smeared, and her dress stained with soil from the shattered vase.

The mansion was in chaos. Several servants stood by with cleaning tools but didn’t dare intervene, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire and risk being fired.

Zach winced in pain, wiping away the blood nearing his eyebrow. “Can you stop this?” he asked gently. “Enough already, Sarah. What happened at the bar should be the end of it.”

“Shut your fuck mouth!”

Zach was about to say something when a new sound entered the scene—measured, deliberate footsteps. The presence of a woman, marked by the wrinkles around her eyes and her piercing gaze, brought the chaos to a halt.

Mrs. Grace looked between the two of them, her gaze finally settling on Sarah, her daughter. “What are you doing?” Getting no answer from Sarah, she turned to Zach. “Explain this situation, Zach!”

“Mrs. Grace, actually—”

“I saw him at the bar!” Sarah cut in abruptly. “He accused me of cheating, but I was only meeting a client there, Ma.”

Zach’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? That’s not true.”

“He approached me and scolded me in front of everyone. My client got scared and ran away out of embarrassment. Then, Zach kept attacking me and causing a scene there!” Sarah spoke so quickly that Zach didn’t have time to defend himself. “I was humiliated and hurt because of him. How could he embarrass me in front of so many people?”

Zach was stunned by the complete falsehood. “What are you talking about? Sarah, don’t make stories like that, I—”

Zach felt a sharp sting on his face for the second time, on the same cheek. Silence fell over the room, and Zach's ears rang. Mrs. Grace’s slap hadn’t lost its strength since the last time she hit him. This wasn’t the first time he had faced such treatment from this family.

“I really don’t understand you, Zach,” Mrs. Grace said. “How many times have I told you not to cause problems in this family, especially making my daughter’s life difficult!”

Zach couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t because of the pain from the slap, but because he was tired of what his life had become. Nothing had gone right, even though he had sacrificed his life and dignity.

“Do I need to kick you out and make you pay your father’s debt and the debt from your failed bar?” Mrs. Grace was not as graceful as her appearance suggested. She was harsh and heartless when angry. Whatever she deemed correct remained so. Her authoritarian attitude made everyone around her shrink, not just because of her wealth but because of her true nature as an intimidating woman.

Zach had been deceived when he first saw Mrs. Grace’s angelic face. With a firm but calm gaze, she seemed wise with her body language and smile. Her porcelain-like, radiant skin didn’t show the lines of age.

“I can make you homeless again like before. I can throw you out whenever I want. Remember that, Zach!”

This threat always came when Sarah started her drama. No one was willing to listen to Zach or even ask for his side of the story. No one asked for his perspective. Everyone remained silent whenever Sarah accused him of being the villain, like now.

After delivering her humiliation, Mrs. Grace left with her personal assistant following closely.

Meanwhile, Sarah, seeing Zach belittled, smiled in satisfaction. “I told you. Never touch me no matter what happens.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Zach asked, barely containing his anger. “What have I done to you?” He just wanted to know why she hated him so much.

“Because you’re you. Because you’re Zach Hayes, poor and pathetic.”

That statement was a direct hit, piercing Zach’s heart. A statement matching reality wasn’t an insult, was it? It was a slap. Zach hated it when others reminded him of who he was. Zach had seemed to sleep comfortably amidst the luxurious amenities of the Bennett family.

Sarah brushed aside the ceramic and glass shards scattered on the floor with her red-heeled shoes. She stepped closer to Zach, standing less than two meters away. “You should recognize your place. You’re just trash that Mama picked up and recycled.”

She looked him up and down, her smile contemptuous. “You’re dressed up to look suitable for this mansion, but you can never be one of us.” She pointed to Zach’s wrist. “That watch only gives the impression of wealth. You still look fake and poor! You’re nothing more than that!”

Sarah laughed openly after saying that. All those words were thrown at Zach as if he were a garbage bin, deserving of such filthy comments.

Zach clenched his fists. “You’re too much.”

“What?” Sarah laughed again. “No, Zach. I never cross the line. You’re in the zone where I can insult you, where Mama can trample on you, and where anyone who knows who you really are in this family can do the same!”

Zach began to feel a headache coming on. His heart was wounded, but he couldn’t do anything because, besides feeling her words were true, he also couldn’t fight the Bennett family. That damn debt and his fate of having nothing else were the reasons Zach endured this long.

Satisfied with her insults, Sarah turned and left with her trademark arrogance, humming a low, cheerful tune. There was no hint of guilt on her face.

“Sir,” someone approached Zach from his right. It was Jeremy. “You should get treated immediately.”

Zach exhaled sharply. He wiped the blood from his forehead and looked at it in his palm with a bitter smile. “Even this pain means nothing.”

“Sir—”

“Shut your mouth,” Zach interrupted. His sharp gaze met the bespectacled man’s eyes. Without saying another word, Zach walked to his room. No one could heal the pain in his body or heart except solitude and distancing himself from everyone associated with this family.

Meanwhile, Jeremy watched him with an unreadable expression.