Chapter 1 Taking Responsibility

• Blair Pierson had never imagined she would lose her innocence in the boundless heights high in the sky.
• The overlapping voices of the two became more distinct in the dark and cramped space. Blair was pressed against the washbasin, forced to endure the relentless thrusts of the man behind her.
• She struggled desperately, only to provoke him into a more merciless assault. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the man's large hand muffled her cries. His hand stiffened slightly.
• "I'll take responsibility for this." His deep, hoarse voice resonated in her ear with a hint of solemnity. Her face twisted in pain; the irony stung.
• The responsibility taken by a rapist?
• The waves of assault continued, lasting so long that Blair finally passed out from the agony. Only then did he withdraw and leave.
• When she awoke, she painfully sat up and cried as she surveyed the mess around her. She had only fled in the middle of the night to escape an unwanted marriage. Why did she have to encounter such a nightmare on the plane?
• She stood up, noticing a stack of cash left beside her.
• "Bastard, what do you take me for? Do you think money can make this right? That it can erase what happened?"
• Furiously, she swept the cash to the floor, not noticing the man's necklace that slipped into the corner.
• She swore to find this devil and make him pay.
• As she exited the restroom, she realized the plane had already landed. Grabbing her bag, she hurried off the aircraft, only to be intercepted by a stern-faced Isaac Pierson.
• He raised his hand and slapped Blair. It was so hard that her head turned to the side, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
• "Marrying into the Lennons is a blessing you earned in your past life. Run away again, and I will break your legs!"
• After that, bodyguards escorted Blair back to the Piersons.
• Blair was not Isaac's daughter; her mother was Isaac's younger sister, a once-celebrated actress who had scandalized the family by becoming pregnant out of wedlock. She died in childbirth and never disclosed the father, bringing shame to the Piersons.
• Blair grew up in an orphanage.
• The Piersons had used her mother's inheritance to build a modest fortune, eager to climb into the upper echelons of society by connecting with one of the four great families of Acorith.
• Just three years ago, Isaac brought her back to the Piersons.
• Refusing to be a pawn of fate, she had attempted to escape the arranged marriage, only to find herself in even greater despair.
• Blair wiped her tears and soaked herself in water, scrubbing but never feeling clean.
• Meanwhile, at the Lennons' villa, a man in a black suit sat on a sofa, his deep dark eyes swirling with fury.
• He was the business tycoon who ruled Acorith, wielding power single-handedly. A man whose mere footstep could make the entire city tremble. However, very few knew his true identity.
• "Useless! Is it that hard to find a woman!" His voice made the man before him lower his head in shame.
• "Mr. Lennon, by the time I arrived, the plane was empty. Money was scattered everywhere, and we couldn't find the necklace you mentioned." Jacob spoke cautiously, fearing Zachary might kick and send him flying, still haunted by the last time it happened.
• The coldness in Zachary's eyes faded slightly; the necklace was his token left for the woman.
• Recalling the intoxicating sensation of the woman beneath him, he commanded, "Find her."
• "Yes!"
• …
• Back at the Piersons, Isaac locked Blair in her room. As the door was about to close, Blair grabbed the frame, gritting her teeth, asking, "Uncle Isaac, didn't you promise me that if I obeyed and married into the Lennons, you would return my mother's belongings to me?"