With that, the man's scorching breath ghosted into her ear.
Seraphina Quinn shivered, a jolt of both panic and fury.
But he had her pinned against the full-length dressing mirror, her flushed face and body pressed flat against the cold glass.
He held both of her hands in one of his, forcing them above her head and against the mirror as well.
She was completely immobile.
Or rather, any struggle would only serve to stoke the flames of his cruel humiliation.
His warm fingers traced a path down her tailbone, plucking and teasing as his voice dripped with heavy sarcasm:
"Having regrets? Heard I was moving abroad and suddenly you can't bear to part with the sugar daddy who satisfies your insatiable desires in bed? Had a change of heart, decided you can be my mistress again?"
His touch was devious, effortlessly making Seraphina Quinn tremble.
She was on the verge of breaking. "Damian Fairchild, stop it! Your wife is waiting for me outside. How can you do this? Do you have any respect for her at all... Mmph—"
"Miss Quinn, you're the one who should be exercising some self-control."
"Making such loud, wanton noises. Are you afraid people won't know what we're doing in here?"
Just then, Audrey Winslow's voice came from outside the door. "Miss Quinn, do you... need any help?"
Audrey Winslow was standing right at the entrance to the walk-in closet.
Every nerve in Seraphina Quinn's body went taut. She glared at Damian Fairchild, her eyes burning with shame and fury.
Thankfully, Damian Fairchild seemed to possess a shred of conscience. He let her go.
Freed, Seraphina Quinn hurriedly straightened her clothes while calling back to Audrey Winslow, "Uh... no, thank you. I'll be right out."
Audrey Winslow said, "The maid said Damian already went downstairs. He probably stepped out for a smoke. He'll be back in a bit."
Seraphina Quinn finished dressing, turned to shoot a venomous glare at the man who was still standing there, and then said to Audrey Winslow,
"I'm sorry... for the trouble."
Seraphina Quinn walked around Damian Fairchild and out of the closet.
Even though she had composed herself, the flush on her cheeks and in her eyes still made her look unwell.
So when she emerged from the closet, Audrey Winslow's first thought was that she had a fever.
"Miss Quinn... are you running a fever?"
Remembering Damian Fairchild's wicked fingers on her body just moments ago, Seraphina Quinn's ears burned. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
Her cheeks felt even hotter as she replied, her voice strained, "It must be from the rain. It's... it's nothing..."
Before she could finish, Damian Fairchild also stepped out of the walk-in closet.
In stark contrast to the fear and panic in Seraphina Quinn's eyes, Damian Fairchild was the very picture of a gentleman—calm, composed, and utterly unruffled.
He walked nonchalantly over to Audrey Winslow and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Darling, you're so trusting, letting just anyone in. Aren't you worried some woman with ill intentions will snatch your husband away?"
His words were barbed with insinuation, yet delivered like a joke.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell if he was being serious.
Even so, an intuitive woman could sense that something was off.
But Audrey Winslow seemed quite used to this, smiling as she told him, "I trust you." After a pause, she added, "Besides, I don't think Miss Quinn is that kind of person at all."
That last sentence made Seraphina Quinn's stomach churn with a complicated mix of emotions.
She bit her lip, then summoned her courage. "Mrs. Fairchild, you might laugh, but... I came to see Mr. Fairchild today because I... need to borrow some money."
Audrey Winslow was quite surprised by this.
She glanced back at Damian Fairchild. Seeing his impassive expression, she masked her own confusion and asked, "How much... do you need..."
Before Audrey Winslow could finish, Damian Fairchild cut her off.
"Darling, you're far too generous. You don't even know anything about her, and you're already offering her money?"
Audrey Winslow raised an eyebrow. "Oh, isn't she your friend?"
Damian Fairchild scoffed. "Friend? She's an old acquaintance, at best."
Audrey Winslow let out a soft "Oh," then asked Damian Fairchild, "Did Miss Quinn do something to wrong you in the past?"
A woman's intuition is always sharp.
Having grown up amidst the scheming and backstabbing of her own family, Audrey Winslow couldn't feign ignorance now, even if she wanted to.
Damian Fairchild gave her a cryptic half-smile. "What do you think?"
Audrey Winslow frowned slightly, but her expression quickly smoothed over as she said to both Damian Fairchild and Seraphina Quinn,
"Since you're old acquaintances, you must... have a lot to talk about. I'll go... wash some fruit for you."
Audrey Winslow's gentle, virtuous, and tolerant nature left Seraphina Quinn... with an indescribable mix of feelings.
She waited until Audrey Winslow was out of earshot, then turned to Damian Fairchild, her eyes red. "Your wife is such a good person. Can't you act like a decent human being and treat her better?"
"Miss Quinn, what an accusation. With which eye did you see me treating her poorly?"
Seraphina Quinn was furious but didn't dare raise her voice. She could only suppress her anger and say sullenly, "Then why... did you treat me like that just now?"
Damian Fairchild had just returned to the country and hadn't even adjusted to the time difference before dealing with Seraphina Quinn again and again. He was genuinely exhausted now.
Therefore, he was in no mood to argue with her. He cut straight to the point. "What do you really want from me?"
Finally, they were getting to it.
All of Seraphina Quinn's anger evaporated in that moment, replaced by humility. "I... I'm short on money. Can you lend me some?"
Damian Fairchild sneered. "Miss Quinn, you keep telling me I'm not a decent person, yet you show up at my house in the middle of the night, practically naked, trying to seduce me while accusing me of wronging Mrs. Fairchild. And now you're asking me for money? Are you really so noble?"
Seraphina Quinn's eyes welled with tears. "I'm... I'm asking for a loan."
"A loan?"
"What could you possibly use as collateral? You call it a loan, but in the end, it's just a handout, isn't it?"
Damian Fairchild had already decided to cut ties with Seraphina Quinn for good, and he had no intention of giving her any hope.
Unless...
"A loan? No."
"But if you're selling, I might consider it."
Her eyes red, Seraphina Quinn turned and walked away.
She hadn't taken two steps before Damian Fairchild called out to her. "My wife's health is poor. You'd do well not to bother her..."
His words made Seraphina Quinn spin back around. She stared at Damian Fairchild, her eyes still red. "If you don't lend me the money, I'll go tell Mrs. Fairchild right now how you were acting like a man possessed, like you wanted to die on top of me..."
The threat actually seemed to land. Damian Fairchild's dark brows instantly knitted together.
He stared at Seraphina Quinn in silence for a moment before asking impatiently, "How much?"
Seraphina Quinn swallowed hard. "Six hundred thousand."
"I'll give you a million." Damian Fairchild took a step toward her, looking down at her as he pronounced his verdict with utter disgust. "But from now on, if you're going to die, you die far away from me. Don't do anything to disgust me again."
With that, he walked past Seraphina Quinn, his face an icy mask.
As he brushed past, Seraphina Quinn grabbed his arm. "Do you hate me that much?"
Her eyes were red, tears brimming but not falling. Damian Fairchild didn't even glance at her. "No. It's not hate. It's disgust. Understand?"
A sharp pain twisted in Seraphina Quinn's heart, and the color drained from her face. She still held tightly to Damian Fairchild's arm.
"Back then... I had my reasons, I had no choice. Our child..." 'He's still alive.'
The child who, in Damian Fairchild's mind, had long since dissolved into a pool of blood, was a secret wound buried deep in his heart—a wound that could not be touched.
He went berserk, grabbing Seraphina Quinn by the throat. His eyes were bloodshot as he asked in a low, dangerous voice, "Our child? Seraphina Quinn, you actually dare to bring that up."