ShanghaiThe day began normally with Sam making it well in time to reach the office, despite making a pit stop at the coffee shop for her breakfast fix. Munching her way up to the cabin, she stopped short.
Her father was sitting there, waiting for her.
Three days ago, Zhu Cheng had occupied the same spot at the same time. What was with the men around her, no respite first thing in the morning?
Dusting the breadcrumbs off her hands, she shut the cabin door and sat at her desk before greeting her father with a raised eyebrow.
"Why? Why are you h.e.l.l bent upon destroying your sister"s marriage? Your enmity is with me. She has never tried to harm you in anyway," he started speaking the minute she was in front of him.
Samantha was stunned to see his burning red eyes.
"What"s wrong? What did I do?" she asked him in confusion.
"Don"t you dare try and pull this innocent act on me. Do you not know that Yimei is pregnant? Cheng and Yimei have been trying to start a family for so long now. That unborn child has done nothing to be put in danger just because you are wis.h.i.+ng a revenge on his father. Now, I know why have you come back," he snarled at her.
Crossing her arms across her chest, she spoke coldly, "do you? So tell me, Mr. Li. Why do you think have I come back?"
He was incensed further with her defiant att.i.tude.
"You couldn"t take the rejection from Zhu Cheng. Maybe you have been bidding your time all the while in wait for an opportunity to get back at him. How is it his fault if he loves Yimei and not you? Are there no other men in this world for you? Must you continue to make a fool of yourself? Do you have no shame, no self-respect? How am I to face Yimei and her mother?" he was shouting now.
Sam"s lips had turned white with anger because of her father"s hurtful words. She couldn"t believe that he thought this lowly of his own blood. She pinched her nose to stop herself from saying something really disrespectful.
"I would like to remind you that just his word against mine shouldn"t be enough for you to condemn me as the guilty person already. I don"t know what rubbish has he said but I haven"t done anything to jeopardise Yimei or her child. I would never do that," she said in measured tone.
Mr. Li snorted in disgust.
"It seems like Zhu Cheng does know you well. When he approached me with this, he already had antic.i.p.ated you behaving like a damsel in distress, claiming that it is someone else"s fault and not yours. He told me that you would try and shrug it off as some sort of manipulative plan of his. It was generous on his part to come to me in private. He could have chosen to humiliate you and me via you, publicly. As for proof, you can see this with your own eyes," he handed over his phone to an increasingly bewildered looking Sam.
The video was grainy initially but cleared up when the people in it, came into focus. Sam"s eyes widened when she saw the back of someone who looked like her trying to cling to Zhu Cheng"s back while he tried to shake her off. This was shot in some restaurant where both their faces were not visible. But she recognised her distinctive clothes, especially her customised jacket, very well. How was this possible?
Looking at her pale face, her father told her, "Zhu Cheng told me that you followed him to this restaurant two nights ago and tried to throw yourself at him. Per chance, one of his friends who was along with him, captured it on his camera. After sending you away from the place, he hurriedly tried to a.s.sure his friend that you were drunk and were simply being mischievous. Not only does the poor guy have to defend his own respect but also that of his wife"s family, all because of your shameless actions. And then it wasn"t enough to sway him, so you sent him some dirty pictures as well? I would like to know how would you explain these. Don"t bother claiming that they are fake because I had someone check them for authenticity. It is definitely you in these photos."
Sam"s shaking fingers scrolled through the set of images. Her face lost whatever colour was remaining. The first one had her face clearly visible and she was stark naked. She had an alluring expression on her face while facing the camera, as if she was posing for it. Most of them had been shot similarly, in various angles. There was no doubt that this was her. What was happening?
The phone clattered from her hand and landed on the table.