Cixi sat quietly in an hotel room. A lot going through her mind. Her phone rang with a call from Sara.

She heard Sara trying to steady her breath and worried whether something bad had happened to her.

"Sara, are you alright?"" Cixi stood up abruptly

"Aunt... I.. I think I am running temperature" Sara managed to say.

"You're sick? What happened? Where are you?" Cixi began to gather her things in order to leave.

"I.. I am in Mr Li's house.." Sara informed.

"Where is he, does he know? He should take you to the nearest hospital. I'll meet you there now"

"No! I.. I don't want him to come close to me right now" Sara rejected.

"What, but why? What is wrong?" Cixi worried since she had never heard her niece sound so down.

"How do you feel honey? tell me"

"My head.. is spinning. I feel very uncomfortable and hot. I just... I don't know"

She immediately opened the hotel room's door and dashed out. "When did it start? How?"

"I was.. I was with Mr Li"

Cixi stopped moving "You were with him?" She asked.

"He was very.. close to me and whispering things"

"What..was he whispering?" Cixi asked curiously.

She heard Sara hesitate before saying "Nau..ghty.. things.."

"Naughty things?" Cixi asked in shock before it turned to amusement.

"I have been trying to calm myself for the past minutes but it isn't working. And I think I'm beginning to fall sick" Sara said in frustration.

"What should I do? Heya's been waiting for me. I'm still hiding in the restroom"

Cixi burst into laughter. "I really think your father is going to kill that CEO for messing with you."

"Aunt!"

Cixi was amused. She turned and head back to her room. There was no way she was going to give Sara any doctorly advice right now. She grinned wickely before saying "Have fun. And don't forget to tease him back." She was very sure Jianjun would kill her also if he found out.

She had raised Sara like her own daughter. So it was not unusual for Sara to call her for advise since she had always been Sara's confidante.

She remembered how Sara had called her phone one morning, crying that she saw blood on her bedsheet when she woke up and was having stomach pain but was scared to tell Jianjun about it.

At that time, Cixi realised she had left the most important teaching aside and had been teaching her to stand up for herself. She also remembered the time Sara first talked to her on the phone about Mo Jinyong and her plans to date him.

When Sara disappeared for over a year, she thought she was going to go crazy. But she had to be strong in order to help Jianjun survive. And thankfully, Sara came back home when they had both lost hope of ever finding her again. Her eyes was dark and cold. She looked thinner and taller in the male's outfit she was wearing. Her hair looked shorter and her complexion, darker.

They were taken aback when they saw her appear in front of their building one day. When they saw the look in her eyes, they knew this was not the same Sara. They knew a lot had changed about her.

Then, she broke down. As if she had been saving the tears all along. Her legs gave her away and she fell to the floor and wailed bitterly.

No one knew what happened. No one knew what she had gone through even till date. For days, Sara said nothing and stared blankly into space. At nights, she was awoken by nightmares and cried even harder. It all continued until she gave birth.

At that time when Sara was gone, Cixi had completely lost herself. She couldn't even pay attention to work anymore since she was trying to console herself and Jianjun also. And one night, after losing herself to alcohol, she met Joreen's father.

Joreen's birth brought Sara back to life. They saw the hesitation in Sara when she tried to touch the new born Joreen. Her skin was dark, had full curly black hair and round eyes. Joreen was simply too cute to be ignored.

When Sara tried to pull her gloved hand away from touching her, Joreen's hand found her finger and wrapped her tiny hand around it.

Sara was shocked and her eyes glistened with tears as she smiled at the new born.

Cixi smiled sadly when she remembered. Then, she thought back to her conversation with Changyu.

"That was for my father" Cixi said after delivering her the slap.

Changyu's face was bent to the corner as a result of the unexpected slap. Even Changyu's handprint was obvious on her cheek.

The bodyguards moved swiftly to where Cixi was, but Changyu stopped them with the raise of a hand.

Cixi smirked at her before instantly hitting her again. It further raised more gasps and surprised looks from everyone there.

"That was for my mother who treated you like her daughter." She said angrily.

Changyu raised her head and shot her a angry look. "Wang Cixi! Are you out of your mind? What do you think you are doing right now?"

"I should be asking you that" Cixi responded in her usual haughty tone. "I must confess, I am really happy to see you. We have a lot of scores to settle you know"

Changyu scoffed in disbelieve. "I have nothing to settle with you or your family so get out of my house this instant or else—"

"You are not trying to threaten me right now are you?" Cixi interrupted before laughing amusedly. "I can't remember the last time I was threatened. That should be in the...50s"

Cixi paused and made a show of thinking before she said "Oh I just remember, I wasn't even born then!"

Changyu glared at her "I do not know what you intend to achieve by doing all of these, but I really am not interested. So get lost!" Changyu thought she must have been crazy to have allowed Cixi in. She had thought Cixi was here to apologize.

"Is that what you say to me?" Cixi yelled angrily.

"Yes! You should be grateful I am not asking them to chop off your hand after hitting me" Changyu scoffed. "Do you even know who I am?"

"You crazy piece of shit!" Cixi screamed as she tried to steady her breath and hold herself back from hitting Changyu one more time.

"After all my family did for you. After how we treated you." Cixi's eyes began to glisten. "You didn't only lie, you also watched them destroy my family. You stood there... And watched your parents ruin my family." A tear dropped from her eyes. Followed by many others.

"What did we ever do to you?" She choked back tears as she looked at Changyu with disappointment and anger.

They had been friends at one point. In fact, she had been playing cupid, trying to matchmake her and Jianjun. "I regret it.. I regret all of it"

Changyu furrowed her brow as she looked at Cixi in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

**

"I have informed your parents about your visit tonight" Changyu's PA informed her.

Changyu didn't say anything in return and signalled her to leave the room.

She sat quietly as Cixi's words kept echoing. "When I thought you have been hiding because you were too embarrassed to apologize." Cixi scoffed. "Song Changyu, I'm not done with you yet. I am going to expose your entire family. I am going to destroy all of you. You really did make it easy for me by coming to the country"

Changyu began to pant heavily and closed her eyes to collect herself. "What is going on?"