Joe recalled the traumatic incident from four years ago when Adriana was viciously attacked by Rufus and other privileged kids, leaving her physically and emotionally scarred. Despite his efforts as a detective, Joe failed to protect her and solve his brother\u2019s murder, a failure that haunted him deeply. Curtis, a lawyer, remained quiet throughout the conversation, viewing Adriana as a stranger and their arranged marriage as purely business.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Adriana was released from the holding cell, Curtis was there to pick her up, showing unexpected support. He gently questioned her about her injuries and urged her to report the abuse to the police, but Adriana revealed the harsh reality of her situation as an orphan with no protection or backing. She explained how fighting back only made things worse, recounting the relentless bullying she endured from Rufus, Mia, and Camelia, which included public humiliation and threats that went unpunished due to their powerful families.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Curtis learned more about Adriana\u2019s background, he discovered her resilience and brilliance despite being abandoned as a baby and raised in an orphanage. She excelled academically and had a talent for art and design, but her dreams were constantly crushed by the harsh social system favoring the wealthy. Adriana\u2019s assistant warned Curtis that she might bring trouble, but Curtis remained silent, observing Adriana\u2019s discomfort as she tried on elegant gowns for an upcoming banquet.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana\u2019s transformation in the red gown and makeup revealed a stunning beauty that contrasted sharply with her usual reserved demeanor. Though she felt uneasy in the revealing dress, Curtis encouraged her to embrace a bolder image. The stylist and assistant were captivated by her appearance, but the assistant worried about the potential conflict with Matthew, who would also attend the banquet. Despite the risks, Curtis insisted on bringing Adriana, setting the stage for a tense and uncertain evening.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
10 Damn, She Is Beautiful\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joe nodded. \u201cThat was four years ago. Back then, Rufus and a few other kids from powerful families attacked her. Left Adriana deaf in her left ear, shattered the bone in her right pinky, bruises all over her body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The memory of that bullying incident haunted Joe. He\u2019d probably carry it to his grave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That year, he failed as a detective\u2013couldn\u2019t catch the suspect who killed his brother. After getting demoted, he still couldn\u2019t protect Adriana.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curtis stood quietly, saying nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The lawyer also remained silent. Nobody could read Curtis\u2019s mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To him, Adriana was just some stranger. Even if she agreed to marry him on paper, it was strictly business. Curtis wasn\u2019t the type to meddle in someone else\u2019s mess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Adriana walked out of the holding cell, Curtis was waiting for her in the yard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you\u2026\u201d she mumbled, awkward and uneasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She never thought he\u2019d show up himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I making you late for your party?\u201d she asked softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curtis gave her a look, held her gaze for a beat, then spoke, \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the way back, he asked, \u201cWhy\u2019d you hit him?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just\u2026 lost it.\u201d Adriana forced a bitter smile. She didn\u2019t want to get into it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d already troubled him enough today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat bruise on your leg yesterday was not from the car accident, was it?\u201d He looked at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana stayed silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the injuries were from Camelia kicking her into the pond, but some were from the crash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could tell the police.\u201d Curtis frowned. \u201cIf they started it, you\u2019ve got a case. If you let people walk all over you, they\u2019ll just keep doing it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t fight back after everything they\u2019ve done\u2026 you\u2019re just handing them power.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know I never fought back, Mr. Lincoln?\u201d Her voice trembled, emotions breaking loose. \u201cSomeone like you, with your background, even if you don\u2019t fight back, no one dares touch you. But if you\u2019re an orphan? No one behind you? Fighting back only\u00a0<\/p>\n
worsens it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice shook harder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Four years ago, Rufus, Mia, and Camelia bullied her like maniacs\u2013because she did fight back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
It started when Rufus confessed. Adriana turned him down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then came the stalking, the harassment. She reported him to the school, called the cops\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
She did everything she could\u2013and they just doubled down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They dragged her into a public toilet, dumped buckets of water on her, stripped her, took pictures\u2026 The day that happened, she\u2019d just called the cops. As soon as the officers left, they kicked her into a stall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They weren\u2019t scared. Why would they be? As long as nobody died, their families could always make it go away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if someone did die\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana\u2019s eyes turned red. She looked away, breathing hard, forcing back her tears. \u201cMr. Lincoln\u2026 I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d lost control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve probably looked into me. I\u2019m an orphan. No parents. Easy to control. No one to back me up, but plenty to threaten\u201337 kids still stuck in that orphanage, and the director who raised me. They\u2019re my weak spots.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She recalled the day in the equipment room. When they locked her in that wooden crate, she seriously considered taking them down with her. She couldn\u2019t fight Rufus, but Mia and Camelia? She could\u2019ve taken them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One for one. If she had to die, she\u2019d drag a few down with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she couldn\u2019t. She didn\u2019t even have the right to die.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Curtis said softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver pulled up at a private styling studio. Curtis had the designers pick out a gown and get her hair and makeup done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana stayed silent the entire time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curtis bailed her out. She owed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Lincoln, everything we found on Adriana is here,\u201d his assistant said, handing over a file while Adriana was changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curtis hadn\u2019t expected it to be this bad. He only ran a basic background check before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he flipped through the file, his face darkened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana had been abandoned as a baby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike the sick or disabled kids at the orphanage, she was the only healthy, bright child there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The director raised her, scraping together every penny to put her through school.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana didn\u2019t waste it. She was brilliant\u2013top of her class every year, all the way to college, where she got into Haldoria University with top scores. She was the orphanage\u2019s pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana had a gift for art and design. She\u2019d won awards in high school, but her teachers stole credit for her work. She\u2019d faced plenty of injustice but stayed positive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She used to dream of a better world. She dreamed of college, the big city, studying abroad, and coming back stronger to protect,\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
the kids who had no one else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But reality was cruel. Orphans don\u2019t climb to the top. The system doesn\u2019t allow it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No matter how hard she worked, rich kids always stepped on her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s jealousy wasn\u2019t just about Adriana\u2019s looks or brains. It was the fact that an orphan like her dared to shine so bright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was with Matthew for four years\u2026 Mr. Lincoln, maybe you should pick someone else to marry. She\u2019s trouble.\u201d The assistant spoke cautiously. He worried getting involved with Adriana would drag Curtis into a mess that wasn\u2019t worth the risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lincolns weren\u2019t afraid of the Langfords, and Curtis definitely wasn\u2019t afraid of Matthew. But business was business. No one\u00a0<\/p>\n
wanted extra enemies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Curtis said nothing. He tossed the tablet aside and leaned back on the couch, watching Adriana step out of the fitting room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana always wore long sleeves and pants. Now, for the first time, she stood there in a strappy, backless gown, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was a gem, but her background had stolen her confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No\u2013maybe not stolen. She\u2019d learned to hide her light. It was second nature by now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Lincoln\u2026 do I really have to wear this?\u201d she asked nervously, tugging at the fabric over her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cChange it. Red,\u201d Curtis ordered, his voice low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana was too reserved, like a jasmine afraid to bloom. But he wanted her to be a rose\u2013bold and in full bloom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stylist switched her into a wine\u2013red gown. Her pale skin glowed under the lights, and with that flawless face, she looked absolutely stunning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGosh\u2026 You\u2019re more beautiful than any actress I\u2019ve ever worked with.\u201d The stylist breathed, fully captivated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pulled the curtain aside for Curtis to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The gown fit like it was made for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adriana stood stiffly, still uneasy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This dress wasn\u2019t much better\u2013too revealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, want to be our exclusive model? We pay really well.\u201d The stylist grinned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy girl doesn\u2019t need your pocket change,\u201d Curtis shot back with a raised brow, shutting it down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stylist just laughed and pushed Adriana into the chair to start makeup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Andy, one of the top celebrity makeup artists, barely needed time\u2013Adriana was naturally flawless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a light smoky eye and red lips, her beauty was simply breathtaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her long black hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders. Red lips, red dress. It was impossible to look away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/4\u00a0<\/p>\n
The assistant swallowed hard, coughing awkwardly, instantly regretting his earlier advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, Adriana is a trouble\u2013but damn, she\u2019s beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But tonight\u2019s banquet\u2026 Matthew would be there too. The assistant couldn\u2019t understand why Curtis insisted on bringing her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wasn\u2019t this just asking for a disaster?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The chapter delicately unravels Adriana\u2019s painful past, revealing the scars left by relentless bullying and the harsh realities of her orphaned life. Despite the cruelty she endured, her resilience shines through, though she has learned to conceal her true self to survive. Curtis\u2019s quiet observation and subtle encouragement to let her light bloom hint at the beginning of a shift in how she sees herself and her worth, even if she remains hesitant and guarded.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this moment of transformation, Adriana stands on the precipice between hiding and embracing her beauty and strength. The contrast between her natural grace and the harshness of her experiences underscores the chapter\u2019s emotional depth, highlighting themes of vulnerability, courage, and the slow, painful journey toward self-acceptance. The looming presence of past conflicts casts a shadow, but the chapter closes with a fragile hope that perhaps, with support, Adriana might finally begin to heal.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the tangled emotions and simmering tensions that surround Adriana and Curtis. As Adriana steps into the spotlight, adorned in a striking red gown that contrasts sharply with her usual reserved demeanor, readers can expect to witness a transformation that is as much internal as it is external. Yet, beneath the surface of this glamorous facade, old wounds and unresolved conflicts linger, threatening to resurface when least expected.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Matthew\u2019s presence looming at the banquet, the stage is set for a collision of past grievances and present alliances. The uneasy dynamics between Adriana, Curtis, and those from her past hint at a night filled with charged encounters and delicate negotiations. As Adriana navigates this world of power and pretense, the question remains: will she find the strength to reclaim her light, or will the shadows of her history prove too daunting to overcome? The emotional stakes are high, and every glance and word exchanged could change the course of their intertwined fates.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
When Time Tried to Heal Me But I Refused to Listen by Kael Niro Senn 10 When Time Tried to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-comeback-queens-crown-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23921\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}