Chapter 6
“Help!”
“Ken… Please, save me!”
Her desperate cries echoed across the water. Through her fading vision, Calista saw someone swimming toward her. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her swiftly through the water. Before consciousness slipped away, all she glimpsed was a blurred man’s face…
Meanwhile, Ken’s face darkened with anger as he searched for Calista. “I just asked her to wash a dress, and she runs away?”
Viola hurriedly patted his back. “Let it go. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it. She’ll come back when she calms.
down-”
Better yet, never come back at all.
But her smug smile froze as she spotted a tall figure running toward them, carrying Calista’s limp form.
“Ken! Your sister fell into the pool!”
Ken spun around to see Calista’s face, ghostly pale. He rushed to take her from the man’s arms, his blood running cold at the touch of her frozen skin.
“How… Calista, hold on!”
He carried her inside, calling frantically for the housekeeper to help change her wet clothes. Then he turned to Henry. “What happened?”
Henry, Ken’s closest friend and confidant, explained, “I was passing by when I heard her screaming for help. I found a dress by the pool–maybe she was washing it and fell in?”
Ken’s brows furrowed. “We have hot water in the kitchen. Why would she wash clothes at the pool in this weather?”
Henry sighed heavily. “Ken, this isn’t like you. You have housekeepers–why make Calista do laundry at all? You’ve been too harsh with her lately.”
“You don’t understand,” Ken defended. “She’s too spoiled. It’s not good for her.”
Henry glanced meaningfully at Viola before turning back to Ken. “When she was unconscious, she kept calling your
name.”
Ken’s jaw tightened. “She probably fell in on purpose to get my attention. I don’t know where she learned such manipulation.”
Henry’s expression darkened. Without warning, his fist connected with Ken’s jaw, sending him stumbling into the wall.
Chapter 6
“What the hell?”
Ken’s eyes blazed with fury as he prepared to retaliate, but Henry pinned him against the wall, unmovable.
Viola’s scream pierced the air. “Stop it!”
Henry’s voice was ice–cold as he ground out each word. “Ken, Calista is your beloved sister. How dare you say such cruel things about her?”
Ken shoved Henry’s hands away. “She’s my sister–this is none of your business. Stay out of it.”
After Henry left. Ken stood in Calista’s doorway, watching her unconscious form with conflicted eyes.
Outside, Viola collapsed, trembling. Thank God Henry hadn’t witnessed her forcing Calista to wash the dress in cold
water.
