'If you wanna know the reason behind your mother's death, then come to this address down below.'

Having checked the text from her stepmother Elie for the nth time , Scarlett felt her lungs burning.

Fifteen minutes passed away after the appointment time, but still no trace of Elie.

"Is it her new tactic to bully me?" She murmured, being nearly impatient.

The same as Elie Knight and her daughter Camilla hated her, Scarlett never liked staying under the same roof with them either.

Her mother died when she was a little girl. Her father got married again with her aunt Elie and brought Elie's daughter Camilla into the household.

Though Elie was her mother's real sister, she nor her daughter never did any nice things to Scar but famous 'step bullies' to her. At first Scar would try to get help from his father, however, he always ignored no matter how clear the bruise on her was.

Well, he might be the one who hated her the most, what could she expect from him?

Her days with them were like hell and somehow earning enough for herself to move out, she finally left that abyss a few days ago.

Scarlett would have never come to meet her as she was already in the process of cutting all ties with this so-called family of hers. But then again, that wicked woman always has her ways to get her.

And this time it worked for her mother.

"Mom, you'll protect me, won't you?" Looking at the photo in her necklace, Scar murmured to herself.

The woman in the photo couldn't answer her anymore but her tender eyes could always give her some strength.

She was too young to notice the anomaly behind her mother's death. But as she grew up, many things she couldn't figure out before had led her to an unexpected conclusion.

Her mother's death was not just an accident! And she was coming for the truth today!

Though she didn't really have much hope that Elie would tell all the truth, she still wanted to give it a try.

Suddenly her over-sensitive nose senses a sweet smell, floating around her.

Scarlett closed her eyes, trying to identify the smell. One of her talents is that she could sense various smells and identify them to a degree.

"A sweet tea scent with some mild aromatic flowers." She murmured.

Her brows furrowed together more deeply when she detected the actual scent. "Red Ginseng!" Scarlett knew this Korean element and smelled it once in her school, so she knew the scent only. No other ideas of how it works.

The more she was inhaling the scent, the more her body was tightening. She felt her blood rush to her head and slowly, her temperature was rising. Her whole body was ticklish with her heavy breath. Her throat was drying up.

Looking around, she finds a jar of water in the hotel suite. Though she vowed not to eat or drink anything around those pathetic human beings, she had no other choice but to drink the water.

However, it slowly worsens her condition. She felt her body was getting out of control.

She needed something, but what? The feeling was so uncomfortable!

"What if it's some kind of trap?" She stood up, holding her heavy head and trying to think straight.

And suddenly, an idea hit her.

"Red ginseng? It's used as an aphrodisiac!" That one time she sniffed the scent and knew this basic information.

"God, sh...she drugged me!? But why?!" Scarlett shook her head. "No time to think now. I need to get out of this hell. That fucking woman!"

However, the room door suddenly opened and an old man with a big bald head entered.

"Who are you!?" Scarlett asked, holding the sofa head, trying to stand still.

"Hi, beauty!"The old man clicked the door lock, as his hawk-like eyes fixated on her with a vile smile.

"Wh..what are you doing here?" Scarlett asked again while alerting of his suspicious gaze. Heart was hammering inside, she started to realise what was happening to her.

The old man's smirk deepened with her question. Yet, he did not bother to answer.

"Oh! you're definitely worth money!" He started walking toward her while traveling her body with his lustful eyes.

"I... I think yo... you are mistaken. L...let me go!" She tried to pass him away but the drug was already mixed with her blood cells, making her stammer on her feet as she almost fell on the floor, but saved herself by grabbing the tea table. In the process, the jar fell on the carpet wetting a part of it.

Scarlett felt the loud laugh of the dirty old man right beside her ear. She was scared, trying to control herself but before that, his words hit her again.

"No matter how hard you try, woman. You can't escape me tonight. Your beloved mother had sold your virginity to me for the night."

'She's not my mother! That fucking witch!' Scarlett cursed inside. She tried hard to move but she was drugged so heavily.

The old man's eyes raked over her hungrily. Before Scar could avoid it, he had pushed her onto the couch.

"Let me go!" Scar warned but the scold turned to moans under the drug.

“I already paid. Let's have fun tonight, beauty.”His hands started traveling on her young delicate body, and every touch increased the disgust from her heart.

'No! I have to get out of here!' As his greasy ugly face magnified before her, Scar collected all her strength and hit her right knee up and landed on his groin.

"Ouch! You bitch!" With a loud groan, the old man stammered back, holding his groin. Scarlett immediately took the chance to make a run away from him.

However, she did not succeed as he was quick to recover. The aphrodisiac was also energizing him.

Desperate and angry, this time he grabbed her by the leg and slammed her on the floor. Moving on her violently, he grabbed her throat. Harshly squeezing it painfully.

"You whore! Stop running away from me! Let me tear that filthy pussy. Let me take my money back!"

Scarlett kept trying to get off his evil hands as he was trying to tear her dress and almost accomplish it!

"Pl...ease, le..av.e me!" She shouted, tears welling up. But he had no mercy for her.

As his fingers traced into her panties, heading to the area no others visited before, Scar seemed to be struck by lightning.

“No!” She hit the old man with all her strength! She couldn't let him get it! Even her boyfriend Ricci had never touched there!

And then she got it. That jar! Without thinking she grabbed it and broke it on that old man's head.

He roared in pain. As his weight moved from her, she jumped up on her feet at once. Though still shaking heavily, she didn't care and ran out of the room!

Her body was not cooperating and that bastard's men were behind her! She didn't know if he was alive or not.

'Run! Keep running, Scar! ' She bit her fingertips hard to warn herself while running.

'But where to? I don't know much about this hotel!' Suddenly, her fuzzy visions fell on a half-closed door.

Without thinking, Scar entered inside. She closed her eyes and was ready to hit the ground but no! she didn't!

She was caught by a pair of rods! And... And it's so warm with its cold musky mint scent!'

She looked up, only to be welcomed by a pair of golden-green eyes, looking down at her with cold curiosity.

"What are you doing?" His deep whispery voice was a melody to her ear.

"I..." She parted her lips to speak, but those footsteps caught her in the process.

"No. No. No." Crying out, she pushed herself into the stranger more. Somehow, she had a feeling that he could be trusted.

"Pl...please... Help me... Please..." She begged helplessly to the young man.