Ficorpio
Chapter 1
I shamelessly chased Ethan Sterling for four years.
He grew sick of me.
With a little pressure from him, my terrified family sent me overseas.
“I don’t care what methods you use. Make sure she never bothers me again.”
“Otherwise, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
Drugs. Hypnosis. Electroshock…
Those methods really did work.
I forgot what it felt like to love him.
Even my memories of him faded into a blur.
At last, he relented and allowed me to come home.
After that, I went out of my way to avoid him wherever he appeared.
Mom had warned me that a man as striking as Ethan Sterling was someone I could never afford to offend.
When I saw him kissing my sister, I secretly took out my phone and snapped a picture.
His eyes turned savage and cold.
Terrified, I shrank into the corner, barely able to get the words out.
“I’m sorry. I just thought you two looked perfect together. You make such a great couple…”
I didn’t know why, but the eyes of that famously unreadable man trembled violently.
Ever since I returned from overseas, my mind hadn’t seemed to work quite right.
I spent most of every day asleep.
I thought I might be sick.
Mom assured me there was nothing to worry about.
“You’ve always been my sleepy little piglet. You were never disciplined like your sister.”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s body is different. If you’re tired, go to sleep.”
I poured myself a huge mug of black coffee, hoping it would wake me up.
It didn’t help.
I tapped at my temples, wondering what else I could try, when the front door opened.
The butler announced, “Miss Claire has brought Mr. Sterling home.”
My parents’ faces lit up at once.
Dad hurried out to greet them.
Mom was about to follow when she suddenly remembered something. She turned to me, looking uncomfortable.
“Sweetheart, you…”
I nodded obediently.
“I know. Mr. Sterling doesn’t like me.”
“Claire’s marriage is important. I’ll go upstairs. I could use a nap anyway.”
Mom looked pleased as I yawned.
I had only taken a few steps when I remembered I’d left my coffee mug behind. I wanted to try another cup later.
The moment I turned around, I accidentally met a pair of icy eyes.
My reaction was almost instinctive.
I forgot all about the mug and ran.
It felt as though I would die if I were even a second too slow.
I didn’t stop until I reached my bedroom and locked the door. Then I shoved a table against it.
Only then did my heart sink back down from my throat.
I couldn’t explain it, but every time I saw Ethan Sterling, one overwhelming emotion seized me.
Fear.
Mom said it was because Ethan was born to command. Anyone standing near him would feel the weight of his presence.
“Especially a timid little thing like you.”
She told me not to appear in front of Mr. Sterling.
“Mr. Sterling doesn’t like girls who look cute but aren’t very bright.”
Chapter 2
“He only has eyes for exceptional women like your sister.”
“Do you understand what kind of family the Sterlings are? If we can join our family to theirs, we’ll gain what would otherwise take generations to achieve.”
“You need to be sensible.”
And I was sensible.
So whenever Ethan came to our house, I made sure to stay out of his way.
Mom was pleased with me for that. Sometimes, she even stroked my hair.
It was the greatest reward she ever gave me, and I treasured it.
That was why I never dared tell her the truth.
Even if she hadn’t ordered me to avoid Ethan, I would have done it anyway.
There was something too intimidating about him.
Being near him made me uncomfortable.
Suffocated.
As though someone had wrapped a merciless hand around my heart and squeezed.
And beneath it all was a strange, inexplicable ache.
Laughter drifted up from downstairs.
Surrounded by the sound of their happiness, I sank into a heavy sleep.
When I woke again, the sky outside had darkened.
It was already evening.
The mansion was silent.
Ethan Sterling must have left.
My stomach growled with hunger. I pushed open the door in my white princess nightgown and went downstairs barefoot in search of something to eat.
The floor was cold beneath my feet. The chill seemed to clear my mind a little.
I was standing at the kitchen island, warming a few slices of bread, when the study door suddenly opened.
Ethan Sterling stepped out, dressed in an immaculate suit.
Under the warm golden lights, his features appeared even sharper, his posture straight and commanding. His face looked carved from stone.
Like a god who had descended to decide life and death.
But he was too cold.
The air around him was cold. His gaze was cold.
Even the lead-gray cuff links at his wrists gleamed with an icy light.
Across the long sitting room, his eyes settled lightly on me.
His thin lips pressed into a straight line.
The pressure radiating from him was suffocating.
Almost at once, my mind went blank.
I clutched my head and crouched beneath the dining table, hiding in a way that only made it more obvious I was hiding.
My sister’s footsteps came lightly down the stairs.
Claire hurried straight into Ethan’s arms and linked both hands around his arm, giving it a gentle shake.
“Are you leaving already? You haven’t even seen the photos from my new show. Can’t you stay for dinner before you go?”
Claire was usually cool and distant.
But now, her voice turned sweet and playful, full of girlish charm. It was beautiful.
Like a brightly plumed bird with a lovely, lilting song.
Ethan said nothing. His cold gaze shifted toward me, trembling beneath the table.
Claire’s smile faded.
She bit her lip before saying, “If you’re busy, you can look at them another day. Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
Ethan didn’t move.
The weight of his presence was so oppressive that he seemed not to have heard her at all.
Claire parted her lips, but she didn’t dare say anything more.
Chapter 3
After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.
“All right. I’ll leave after dinner.”
Expressions of surprise and unease flickered across Claire’s and Dad’s faces at the same time.
The corner of Ethan’s mouth lifted slightly.
“What are you afraid of? Hasn’t she forgotten everything?”
He crossed the room with long strides and stopped beside the dining table before crouching down.
His suit trousers outlined the solid lines of his legs.
“Wendy, do you still recognize me?”
I timidly raised my eyes, then lowered them again, too afraid to meet his gaze.
Slowly, I nodded.
But suddenly, sharp pains pricked the tips of my fingers and toes.
It was like an instinctive panic response.
I cried out.
My eyes squeezed shut, and I shook my head desperately.
“I don’t know you! Don’t hit me! I don’t know you!”
The atmosphere at the dinner table was painfully strange.
Mom and Dad did everything they could to keep the conversation going, but Ethan Sterling ate in silence, every movement composed and refined. He clearly had no intention of joining in, which only made my parents’ enthusiasm more awkward.
Claire sat there with a dark expression, refusing to say a word.
I didn’t dare reach for any of the dishes. I kept my head down and ate tiny bites of rice.
At last, dinner ended. Mom and Dad both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
As Ethan turned to leave, something suddenly occurred to me.
“Mr. Sterling, wait.”
Everyone stared at me in surprise.
Ethan included.
His brows drew together, his impatience unmistakable.
“It’ll only take a second. Okay?” I held my thumb and forefinger barely an inch apart.
Then I hurried upstairs and soon returned carrying a small keepsake tin.
Every eye in the room followed me.
I opened the lid and asked, “Mr. Sterling, does this belong to you?”
More than a dozen ID photos lay on top. Some were passport-sized, others slightly larger.
One glance was enough to tell that they hadn’t been obtained through any legitimate means. Some still bore the raised impressions of official seals, while dried glue clung to the backs of others. They had clearly been pried loose from various documents.
Ethan looked younger in the photographs. There was still a trace of boyishness in his eyes and features, though he had already been strikingly handsome.
The tin also held an assortment of random objects: candy wrappers, an empty cigarette pack, spent pen refills, a crumpled exam paper, and more.
Ethan’s piercing gaze settled on me.
I bit my lip before finding the courage to continue.