Lying in bed is Emily Zi, the first daughter of the Zi mansion. She's a young woman of twenty-three years, and someone blessed with natural qualities. She has this long light-orange coloured hair with blue eyes that screamed innocence, her lips were pink and seems soft, and her skin was white like snow. She was a beauty to behold.
Soon, Emily stirs from her sleep. She grabs her head as she seems to be attacked by a sharp pain.
She lets out a groan as she opens her eyes. "Argh... Where are my?" She mumbles, staring at the room with a confused look on her face.
Then she sees her clothes scattered all over the room.
"No, no no!" She mutters as memories began to pour into her head.
....Few hours ago....
It was Emily's twenty-third birthday and she was quite excited about it. Why, because her boyfriend Lucas promised her a birthday party.
She had never had a birthday party before, not even a simple family celebration and being promised one now made her exceptionally happy and she was so much looking forward to it.
She told her best friend, Helen, about it but instead of her to be happy for her, she did otherwise. Her friend told her that she feels something is wrong... That everything about he party didn't feel right but Emily did not want to believe her friend.
After all, it was a birthday present from her boyfriend so what could possibly go wrong?!
That night, Emily had to go to the venue alone, a big hotel owned by her boyfriend's family. She had wanted to go with Helen but the latter refused.
When she got to the place, her boyfriend was already waiting for her. They both ordered drinks and began to have fun with the rest of their friends.
Halfway through the party, her boyfriend got a phone call, he said it was from the office and it was urgent. He promised her he'd come back as fast as possible so they could cut her birthday cake together.
Emily agreed and watched her boyfriend leave. Now, she was left with her boyfriend's friends. Soon, one of them brought a particular drink, said it was specifically prepared for her by her boyfriend. She happily downed the drink without questions and seconds later, her head felt heavy.
Before she knew what was happening, her view became blurry, soon, she saw herself collapsing. One of them caught her immediately before she could reach the ground but she did not fail to see the mocking smile on the faces of all the people there.
They carried her into one of the rooms there and placed her on the bed. They left her there and some moments later, a figure walked into the room and made their way to the bed. That was where her memories from last night stopped.
She clenches the bedsheets as the memories came to an end. She could still feel the stranger's rough grab on her neck, every bit of their touch on her skin. Everything felt so real but at the same time like a dream. Her ordeal with the stranger bothered her but not as much as the set up.
She had been set up by her boyfriend's friends, but why? What could she have done to them that would warrant such wickedness from them?!
The questions filled her head that she didn't know that someone had been knocking on her door. By the time she came back to her senses, the door had been forcefully pushed open and in, walked her boyfriend.
The moment she saw him enter, it felt as though her world had come crashing down on her.
"Babe... I can explain," she muttered bitterly. "It was your friends, they set me up. I was drunk, I didn't know what happened—"
Just as she finished speaking, a lady walked in. She turned her head and the moment her eyes fell on the lady, her world fell completely.
The lady walked into the room, a look of disgust written all over her face.
"Sister, what have you done?" The lady asked her.
"Look, Vida, I can explain. It's not what you all are thinking right now, I promise—"
"Shut up, you cheap slut!" Vida grunted, cutting through Emily's words.
The words came sharp, biting through Emily's skin like fangs. She shook her head frantically, clutching the bedsheet to her chest as if it could shield her from the looks being thrown at her.
"Vida, please listen to me," she said, her voice trembling. "I did not do anything wrong. I was tricked. I was drugged. Lucas left, and his friends gave me a drink. I swear, I lost consciousness after that. I do not even know who that person was."
Vida laughed coldly, her eyes sweeping over the scattered clothes on the floor before returning to Emily with nothing but contempt.
"Do you think anyone would believe such a ridiculous excuse?" She said. "You came to a hotel alone. You drank. You ended up on a man's bed. What else is there to explain?"
Emily's throat tightened. She turned to Lucas instinctively, as if he was her last lifeline.
"Lucas, you know me," she pleaded. "I would never do something like this. You promised me a birthday party. You said you would protect me. Please, tell her. Tell her this is not who I am."
Lucas did not move. His face was expressionless, his eyes cold and distant, as though he was staring at a stranger.
Before Emily could say anything else, the door burst open again.
This time, it was not one person
Several people rushed in at once. Men and women holding cameras. The sound of shutters filled the room instantly. Flashes of light exploded around her, blinding her vision.
Emily screamed. "Stop it. Please stop!" she cried, trying to cover herself as best as she could. Her hands shook as she pulled the blanket tighter around her body.
The paparazzi did not stop. They moved closer, circling the bed like predators.
"Zi family's eldest daughter caught in a scandal." "Lucas Li's girlfriend sleeps with a stranger on her birthday." "Pure on the surface, filthy behind closed doors."
Each word felt like a knife.
"Lucas!" Emily sobbed, turning toward him desperately. "Please make them leave. This is your hotel. You can stop this. Please, I am begging you."
She turned to Vida next, tears streaming down her face.
"Vida, help me. They are ruining me. Please, make them go away."
Vida took a step back instead.
Her lips curled into a smile that Emily had never seen before. It was not warm. It was victorious. "You brought this upon yourself," Vida said calmly. "Why should we help you clean up your own mess?"
Lucas finally spoke. His voice was flat, devoid of any warmth she once knew. "Emily, do not embarrass yourself further," he said. "What happened last night has already spread. There is no point pretending anymore."
Emily stared at him in disbelief. "You do not believe me?" she whispered. "After everything, you do not believe me at all?"
Lucas looked away, as if even meeting her eyes was a waste of time. "I believed you once," he said. "But now, all I see is someone who has ruined my reputation."
Her heart shattered immediately. "So this is it?" she asked weakly. "You are just leaving me like this?"
Lucas nodded slightly. "We are done," he said. "From this moment on, I want nothing to do with you."With that, he turned around and walked out of the room. Vida followed closely behind him. Just before stepping out, she glanced back at Emily one last time. Her eyes were filled with mockery.
Emily was left alone on the bed, surrounded by flashing lights and cruel laughter. Her sobs were drowned out by the sound of cameras clicking nonstop.
That night, her birthday became the day her life was completely destroyed.