You're Not Hurting Me This Time

I ignored Ember and Harry, but she wasn't finished. "Isn't the gown Ms. Webb's holding a limited edition?

"I saw it on television once. It must be worth a fortune. If I could just wear a dress like that once in my life, I'd die happy."

Ember lowered her head in feigned sorrow.

Upon seeing this, Harry strode over to me and said firmly, "Since Ember likes it, you should give it to her."

A spark of anger flared in my chest. "Why should I?"

Harry spoke with self-righteous confidence. "You're going to be engaged to me. No matter what you wear, it's for my eyes, isn't it?

"And besides, Ember got hurt because of you. So what if you give her one of your gowns? If that bothers you so much, I'll pay you back."

Hearing his words, I couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Who said I'm getting engaged to you?"

For an instant, panic flickered across his face, but he quickly masked it with a cold sneer. "Victoria, everyone knows you've been trailing after me since you were a kid. Who else would you choose if not me? Stop wasting time and just hand the gown over to Ember."

With that, he yanked the gown from my hands and thrust it into Ember's hands.

Harry's grip was too strong. Before I could brace myself, the sequins on the gown cut into my hand, leaving gashes that began bleeding instantly.

Harry didn't even glance at me. He just led Ember back to the room to try it on.

She turned and shot me a smug little smile, and her eyes were full of provocation. It was as if she were reminding me that I was nothing but a complete failure.

I forced a twisted smile, even as my heart grew colder and colder inside.

...

On the eve of the engagement banquet, Dad gathered all nine men and announced that I would be formally engaged to one of them tomorrow night.

At that, everyone's expressions shifted in different ways.

In the corner, Jeffrey downed glass after glass of liquor, his expression unreadable.

Harry kept glancing restlessly at Ember's quarters.

The other seven turned to him with smiles.

"Congratulations, Harry. Looks like you'll be the Webb family's heir."

"Remember, you must protect Victoria well. Don't betray Mr. Webb's trust."

At their words, Dad gave me a knowing glance and smiled faintly without correcting them. The silence alone led everyone to assume that Harry was the one I had chosen.

That night, Harry barged into my room. His face was dark with rage as he yanked me from the bed and dragged me to the floor. His hand clamped around my throat, squeezing tighter with every word.

"Victoria, why won't you stop clinging to me?"

His voice trembled with fury. "Because of you, Ember's gone! She left nothing but a letter before running away. If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you."

His grip tightened until I was gasping for air.

"Have you lost your mind, Harry? What does her running away have to do with me?"

Harry's eyes burned red. "If you hadn't forced this engagement on me, Ember wouldn't have been in so much pain. She wrote that she can't go on living. If she does something reckless, it'll be on you!"

I wrenched his hand off my throat and spat coldly. "I didn't even choose you. You can be with whoever you want. But if you don't get out of my room right now, I'll tell my father."

That warning jolted him back to his senses. Harry let go and stormed out of my room.

The next morning, he returned with Ember at his side.

Harry looked worn and sleepless, while she appeared disheveled and pitiful, as though she had endured a night of torment.