The Chen family car drove silently through the night. Sara sat by the window, her reflection staring back at her, pale and distant.
Her father leaned back, half-asleep, exhaustion from business weighing on him. But her stepmother's sharp eyes missed nothing.
"You embarrassed yourself tonight," Mrs. Chen said quietly, her words like knives. "Speaking so little, staring at the floor. You should've made yourself more… appealing."
Sara's hands tightened in her lap. "I wasn't there to appeal to anyone."
Her stepmother's lips curved into a cold smile. "Naïve child. You think this world revolves around what you want? You'll learn."
Sara swallowed her anger, knowing her father would not defend her. He rarely did.
The next day, Lina found her at their usual bench in the school courtyard. Sara looked drained, her head resting on her hand.
"How bad was it?" Lina asked.
Sara sighed. "Worse than I thought. My stepmother… she's using me. To make connections, to strengthen her position. And Mr. Li, he looked at me like I was… property."
Lina's jaw tightened. "That witch. And your father?"
"He said nothing," Sara whispered. "But Daniel… he—" She stopped, heat rising in her cheeks.
Lina raised an eyebrow. "Daniel what?"
"He defended me," Sara admitted, almost shyly. "Just once. But it… it meant more than I can explain."
Lina smirked knowingly. "Looks like your prince is showing his armor."
Sara laughed softly, the first real laugh since the dinner.
Meanwhile, at the Li estate, Daniel faced a storm of his own.
His father's study was dimly lit, lined with shelves of heavy books and glass decanters. Mr. Li sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled.
"Daniel," he said, voice low and controlled. "You spoke out of turn tonight."
Daniel's expression remained calm. "I only spoke the truth."
"The truth," Mr. Li snapped, "is irrelevant when it disrupts business. The Chen girl is weak. Her family is useful. That is all you need to remember."
Daniel's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
From the corner, Adrian leaned casually against a chair, arms crossed. "Come on, Uncle Li. Daniel just doesn't like seeing a girl crushed under expectations. It's not exactly a crime."
Ryan scoffed. "I still don't trust her. She looked lost the whole evening."
Leo, ever observant, adjusted his glasses. "Lost, yes. But not stupid. There's a difference. People underestimate girls like her… and regret it later."
Daniel glanced at him, appreciating the subtle defense.
His father's gaze hardened. "Enough. Daniel, remember your duty. Family comes first. Feelings are a distraction."
Daniel bowed his head slightly, concealing the storm in his eyes. "Understood."
But as he left the study, his thoughts lingered not on duty, but on the quiet fire he had seen in Sara's eyes, even when her stepmother tried to snuff it out.
That night, Sara sat by her bedroom window, staring at the stars. Her stepmother's words echoed in her ears, but so did Daniel's: Dreamers build the future.
She pressed a hand to her chest. The world she lived in was filled with masks and shadows, but maybe… just maybe, she wasn't as alone as she thought.
And deep inside, a spark of determination flickered to life.
If her stepmother wanted to control her, if her father refused to see her, then she would learn to fight back. Quietly, carefully, but surely.
Because this was her life. And she wouldn't let anyone else write her story.