Too Late for Redemption

My first time meeting Lawrence Seinfield was during my return to a noble family as its heiress. He helped me get out of a sticky situation once, and for that, I spent five years trying to steal his heart. I loved him. Eventually, he became my fiance, but he thought I was beneath him. He thought my lack of education and proper upbringing was bad. My grandfather, the one who raised me, was dying. Just when I needed his help the most, he decided to teach me a lesson and show me my place. Without any help, my grandfather died, and like Lawrence wished, I knew my place. And I lost my love for him. Chapter 1 Disgraced Heiress The moment I was tossed onto the road for everyone to see, I became the butt of everyone's joke. The real heiress of the Marlins—that was me—got into a fight with the fake daughter, and my parents froze my cards as punishment. In a fit of rage, I left home. It seemed like an act of bold defiance, but I had to take out illegal loans, and I failed to pay them back. And thanks to that, I was tortured. The story flew through high society like it had wings. Somehow, they found out where I was left and gathered around me, taking my pictures without a care in the world. Unlike the old me, I did not scream or tell everyone to get lost. I didn't try to save the scraps of my dignity. It was gone. The loan sharks eroded it a long time ago. The moment they made me go on my knees and slap myself, I stopped caring about things like dignity or appearances. The proud, haughty, troublemaking Yvonne Marlin was dead. Her killers? The Marlins and Lawrence Seinfield. They destroyed what pride I had. Then, a fleet of black SUVs came zooming onto the scene. The onlookers—all daughters of rich families—scattered. The leading vehicle seemed almost humble, but I knew who was inside—Lawrence, my fiance. I looked at the car in silence and turned around. I wanted to leave, but then a man in a suit came out. He hurried over to me, but when he saw what I looked like, it surprised him. I knew I was haggard, to say the least. I was in a black dress for my grandfather's funeral, and it was covered in filth. My right hand was full of bruises. Bruises I got from those loan sharks stomping on it. A dirty glove covered my left hand, and my feet had no shoes covering them. My toes were red and swollen. The loan sharks grabbed my ankle and slammed my toes into the stairs. It hurt. A lot. The man looked down with sympathy in his eyes. Or at least I thought it was sympathy. Politely, he said, "Mr. Seinfield is waiting for you, Ms. Marlin." I hung my head low, refusing to look at Lawrence's secretary. I mumbled, "I can walk by myself." I went past the secretary. The secretary was shocked. Everyone knew I thought of Lawrence as my personal messiah, and I'd been hanging around him for five years. Even if he ignored me, I'd try my best to get close to him. Or that was what happened in the past. Now? He was nothing more than a fearsome beast I wanted to get away from. Naturally, the sudden change shocked the secretary. "Yvonne!" A husky voice spoke, and it made me stop. The secretary noticed my eyes. They were red and proof that I had cried. Even so, he only hesitated for a moment before pointing me to the car. I dragged my exhausted body and ignored the secretary, who obviously wanted to talk to me, and I trudged into the car. Yep, Lawrence was inside, just as I had expected. He did not even care about why or how I looked like I just got out of a torture chamber. Instead, he frowned. Displeased, he asked, "It's only been two weeks. You're reduced to a lowly beggar now?" His mockery did not hit me like it used to. I wasn't even disappointed about his blatant ignoring of my bruises. I kept my head low and said, "Sorry." I never wanted to take out any illegal loans. I was duped into it. I never wanted to be tortured, nor would I have asked to slap myself. Did he think I wanted to be tied to a wall like a dog and lick up scraps from the ground? I never wanted to! They forced me! Chapter 2 Retching But I didn't want them digging up my grandfather's coffin either. Lawrence paused for a moment. He looked at me and praised, "So Yvette's idea worked. You are more docile now." Before the Marlins found me, Yvette Marlin was the one who lived in my place. Yvette's grandfather was the only family I knew before that fateful day. Her father died at a construction site, so his wife tossed me to Yvette's grandfather and went MIA. I didn't wonder why he brought up Yvette. Lawrence beckoned me like he would a dog. "Come here." I was in the spot furthest away from Lawrence, and I didn't even spare him a single look after I got into the car. All of a sudden, I was very interested in the rug underneath. I did not do as he said. I refused to. That only made him sterner. "I said, come here." I did not answer. I tensed my back, trying my best to save my crumbling dignity, even though it was gone the moment I begged for mercy from my tormentors. My silence infected the air. Lawrence wasn't used to this kind of quiet, or he probably didn't want to wait, so he extended his arm and got closer to me. My back tensed further the moment he extended his arm, but I was already backed to the window. There was nowhere else I could go. The moment he held my arm, my nose was assailed by the stench of alcohol. That brought up some memories. I did something wrong, and my parents took away my cards. Furious, I stormed off and went to my grandpa's place. My grandfather was seriously ill by the time I got there. Without a single cent to my name, I had no choice but to call my parents, yet I couldn't get through. Then, some rich kids from Astonia showed up, looking gleeful and mischievous. "I heard you need money, Ms. Marlin? How about you get on your knees and grovel to us? Maybe we'll lend you some cash if we feel like it." Every time I closed my eyes, I could see Grandpa coughing on his bed, and every cough seemed to take everything he had. Sometimes he'd even spit out chunks of blood. I went down on my knees without hesitation. The room was quiet, save for the sounds of my groveling. I did it so hard, my forehead was still hurting. When I was done, the rich kids laughed and tossed me a grand total of fifty dollars. "That's how much you're worth, Ms. Marlin. Mr. Seinfield's words, not ours." They left happily. I had no choice but to take out a loan from the loan sharks, but my grandfather died in the end, anyway. He didn't get treated in time. When I was done with the funeral, it was time to pay up. I called Lawrence and asked for a loan, but he sneered and hung up. These memories suffocated me, and goosebumps appeared on the arm Lawrence was holding. It didn't feel like a hand was holding my arm. No, it was more like a serpent coiling its slimy body around me. I could feel my heart freezing up. My head started to spin. Nausea caught up to me, and I wanted to hurl. I swung Lawrence's hand off and bent over, my hand clutching the front seat. I held my neck with my gloved hand and started to retch, but nothing came out. Of course. I barely had anything to eat the last few days. Even so, Lawrence covered his nose with a tissue and looked at me with disgust. "Yvonne!" he warned. I ignored him and kept on retching until I shook off that urge to vomit. Lawrence's veins were starting to throb. I knew that look. He was on the edge of exploding. I did not try to play dumb like I used to. He would not tolerate that kind of behavior from me. My body was weakened, and I was wobbling. I kept my head down, and my hand was still holding the front seat, though it was shaking. Chapter 3 Back Home "Sorry, I… I'll clean it up. I'll take a seat in the car behind us. Sorry I, uh, sorry I dirtied the place." Lawrence stopped moving again and looked at me suspiciously. A tense moment later, he extended his hand and tried to check my temperature. The sight of his encroaching hand made me freeze. I knew I shouldn't move away, or it would make him mad. I used to worry about making him mad. Every time he got angry, he would mock me relentlessly like I was the most worthless thing in the world. It was embarrassing and heartbreaking for me. I remained stiffly in my seat, but I told myself not to move away. However, the moment his fingers touched me, I had that feeling of a slimy serpent coiling itself around my body again, and I dodged his touch. Lawrence's hand froze in midair. He was looking at me, and I could sense his impatience and frustration. My head was starting to spin again. I shook my head, but he was gone. In his place was my grandfather, bedridden and hooked up to all kinds of machines. The hospital stopped my grandfather's treatment because I failed to get a loan and pay the bills. I was kneeling beside my grandfather, crying in an ugly manner. It took my grandfather everything he had just to say something, but he forced a smile and asked, "How are they treating you, sweetheart?" I covered my face and sobbed my heart out. Even though my parents cared about Yvette more than they did about me, even though Yvette was hostile toward me for some reason, even though Lawrence despised me, and even though no one liked me at all, through my sobs, I replied, "They've been treating me great." My grandfather extended his hand, trying to pat me. "You found your family, sweetheart. A loving one." Before I could get closer to him, he closed his eyes. Forever. I blinked, and a drop of tear fell. Lawrence wanted to scold me, but he swallowed his words and looked at me. In the end, he said nothing and coolly told the driver to drive away. I wiped my tears with my sleeve and curled up in the corner, trying my best to stay inconspicuous. Everything around me was blurry. I hugged my legs, thinking, 'If only Lawrence had helped me, Grandpa could've been saved. I could've never taken out that loan. This mess could've never happened.' Yeah, if only. The car came to a stop, but the inertia pushed me ahead, and I bumped my head against the back of the front seat. My wound—now with scabs—threatened to rip open again. Lawrence took a glance at me. "What's with your forehead?" I covered my forehead and said nothing. All I did was shake my head. He didn't press further. Lawrence got out of the car and left me to my devices as he strode into the Marlins' estate. I got into the house and wanted to get upstairs and jump into the shower. When I was undressing myself, I took off the tattered glove, revealing my left hand. There were no wounds, but my pinky was bent at an unnatural angle. I did it to myself. I broke it, and my tormentors laughed in glee before they would give me some scraps. This was also a reminder of my experience. This was something I would carry with me all my life to remind me I must stay vigilant. Always. I took a shower, changed into clean clothes, put on my glove, and went back downstairs. It was time for dinner. My mother couldn't believe I was back. She waved at me and grumbled, "Where have you been? You couldn't even call us?" I thought this was a little unfair to me. Just when I was about to talk to my mother, someone interrupted us. "How do I look, Mom?" Yvette came fluttering down like some kind of fairy. She was in a dress I'd never seen before. Chapter 4 Arrogant Lawrence That grabbed my mother's attention, and she looked away from me. "You look great." Yvette just stood there and smirked at me. "You're wearing an awful lot, Eve." Everyone turned their attention to me. I met Yvette's eyes, and her gaze was sardonic. My heart skipped a beat, but I did not talk back like I used to. I composed myself and was about to say something, but Yvette held my mother's arms, smiling sweetly. "I bought the same dress for Eve, too, Mom." Mom nodded, apparently happy that Yvette was so thoughtful. Yvette looked at me again. I did not miss the malice in her eyes. "Do you want to get changed, Eve?" I stayed quiet, thinking about my scars. I declined, "No, thank you." Yvette looked hurt, and she forced an answer. "O-Oh, alright." Lawrence did not look happy at all. He gave me a glance. Maybe it was a warning, but he didn't make it too obvious. After all, he was a guest in someone else's house. My mother noticed my clothes and frowned. She lectured, "Yvette's just being kind." Yvette paled, as if on command. I had no idea humans could do that. She forced a smile as if Mom had just brought up something sad for her. "It's alright, Mom. I can understand why she hates me." I did not talk back to Mom or call Yvette a hypocrite like I used to. I fell silent for a while and answered, "Thanks for the gift, then." Whatever my mother wanted to say to me, she choked on it. Lawrence was surprised as well. We started dinner, and my mother eagerly filled my plate with food. Unlike my old self, I kept thanking her. That shocked her so much, she nearly checked if I had a fever. I did not. She heaved a sigh of relief and said nothing. Instead, she gave me back the card she had taken from me. "Your father and I were worried sick when you left the house, Eve. We'll never try to control you again. Here's your card. Your father put some money into the bank." I gripped the card tightly and loosened up. This card came too late. Yvette's knuckles were white from how hard she was holding her fork. She kept staring at me, and when I met her eyes, she smiled again. "Law, you still haven't given Eve any present." She leaned forward just to get closer to Lawrence. The necklace that was perched on her collarbone slid down, and it stood out. I remembered that necklace. I saw it in an auction, and Lawrence was there as well. I adored the necklace, but I didn't have enough money. Lawrence told me he would buy the necklace for my birthday if I behaved myself. And now Yvette was wearing it. Lawrence looked at me and, as if he wanted to explain himself, spoke. "The necklace goes better with Yvette, so…" 'So, you gave it to her,' I finished in my mind. I hung my head low and said quietly, "It's alright. You can give the necklace to whoever you want." 'You don't have to tell me. I know you hate me,' I thought. I cleaned my hands and stood up. "Thanks for the food. Enjoy the rest of your dinner, Mom. You, too, Mr. Seinfield." As I expected, Lawrence gave me a surprised but satisfied look. I got to the second floor and ran into him at the corner. Lawrence was leaning on the wall, playing with his lighter. He puffed a ring of smoke, but I stood in my place. I did not pounce at him like the old me would. He arched an eyebrow. This was not what he was used to, but he seemed happy about it. "So, you really have learned your place, Yvonne." Lawrence tucked his lighter away and closed in on me. The stench of tobacco was taking over the air around me. It choked me, and I scrambled backward. Lawrence stopped in his tracks and did not go any further. He looked at me and, as if he was pitying me, spoke. "That necklace belongs to Yvette, but since you behaved yourself, I can also give you a present." Chapter 5 Refusal "Tell me, what do you want?" However, he thought I would make an unreasonable demand, so he quickly added, "Only jewelry, though. You can forget about anything else." I looked at his face, trying to search for a hint of the Lawrence I knew. It was at a banquet where we first met, and the other rich girls were mocking me. It was years ago. Back in that little town, my grandfather was the only one I was close to. He had no idea what was trendy among us girls, and he'd spent most of his savings on my school fees. I would never bother him just to get the latest stuff. Even though my grandfather got me cheap, gaudy clothes, I wore them, nonetheless. He had no idea about jeans or their popularity. Sometimes he would even cut out cloth to make clothing for me. "If a girl wants to look lively, she needs to wear more color." That fashion sense stuck with me even after I was taken back to the Marlins. My mother asked Yvette to teach me, but I could never find her, so I took things into my own hands. And thus, I made an embarrassment out of myself. My self-esteem was nonexistent and I had no idea how to talk back. Lawrence helped me out and mocked them relentlessly. The ladies almost cried. Solemnly, he said to me, "You can't be this much of a coward. If someone tries to push you around, push them back. Punch them in the face if you have to." "What if they don't want to be friends with me?" "Would you rather be bullied or feared? If they don't want to be friends with you, I will." That stuck with me for more than five years, but then, right in public, Lawrence called me a bully and an arrogant toerag. Yet, they were the ones who made the first move. There was not a trace of care or protection left on him. All he had for me was impatience and disdain. He bent his head and urged, "What will it be? Don't push your luck." I put my hands behind my back. With my right hand, I held my left pinky. Yes, the deformed one. The throbbing pain was a constant reminder of the torment I suffered thanks to Lawrence. When I pleaded for mercy, I told my tormentors who I was and gave them Lawrence's number. It was a number I knew by heart, and it was the user behind that number that broke what was left of my dignity. Lawrence answered, "The daughter of the Marlins? Her name is Yvette, not Yvonne! I don't know any woman who goes by that name!" He even castigated the loan sharks, and that made them mad. They had to vent on someone, and that someone was me. They made me slap myself until my face was swollen like a crimson balloon. Even then, they did not stop until my gums were screaming in pain. My swollen face made it hard to eat. Even buns felt like rocks to my teeth. My tormentors squashed the buns underneath their feet and stuffed the black, dirty… thing into my mouth. That memory made my stomach churn. I held back my urge to retch and pinched my deformed pinky. The pain kept me awake. "Sorry, I don't have anything I want right now." A frown creased Lawrence's forehead. He looked at me dubiously and warned, "Remember what you said. Don't come to me later. I don't have any patience for you." "Yeah." All I wanted was for him to leave. "I won't." Lawrence didn't press for answers. Maybe he wasn't planning to give me anything anyway. "You'd better not." He started walking away, but then he stopped. With his back turned to me, he said darkly, "I gave that necklace to Yvette. Don't go after her for that." He strode off before I could say anything.