Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 39 - 38. Paying Back In Installments

Chapter 39: Chapter 38. Paying Back In Installments

After the surprised gasp, the room once again fell into silence. Only the sound of dripping liquid from the tip of neatly styled hair to the expensive fabric below could be heard for a few seconds until the youngest son stood up harshly.

"Mom!" The third son immediately ran to her drenched mother while the third daughter glared at Sarah.

"Y-you bitch! What are you doing?!"

"Ah, my hand slipped..."

Sarah made an unapologetic ’oops’ face, still holding the wine glass and staring at it as if she regretted not filling the glass more. She even glanced at the wine bottle in the middle of the table, a gesture that was not missed by the others.

"Y-you--!"

The utensils were clattering as the third daughter slammed her hands on the table and looked as if she was ready to lunge at Sarah at the first chance.

Even Mason did not foresee this reaction at all. "Lee Seul-ah...?"

Naturally, neither did the third wife. Mina looked at the girl in front of her, whose previously subservient gaze had turned downright poisonous. The nonchalant smile underneath those cold eyes only made it more hateful. She was so flabbergasted that her usually smooth glib fell off her tongue.

"Oh, no...what to do?" Sarah spoke before Mina could open her mouth, letting out a little mocking gasp. "I think that fabric is the type that will be ruined by the wine’s chemical properties. It looks so expensive too..."

"L-Lee Seul-ah!"

The almost cheery lamenting tone dropped as Sarah, once again, reminded everyone that her real name wasn’t something they could utter lightly with their mouth. "It’s Sarah."

"Seul-ah, what is this behavior?" the chairman, who had only been watching with slight amusement all this time, finally furrowed his brow.

Sarah tilted her head, looking at her father with an unamused gaze. The clear lack of regret--or fear of repercussion--caused the third daughter to lose her patience and march toward her half-sister with raised hand before anyone could hold her back.

CRASH!

Her steps, however, halted as she screamed in reflex, staring wide-eyed at the shattering wine glass between her and Sarah.

Ruby stepped back in shock, looking at Sarah with dread. "A-are you crazy?!"

"Ahaha...maybe?"

Sarah giggled and, in a timely manner, Hajin pulled her chair back so she could walk away without stepping through the pieces of glass on the floor. Be it the other family members or the attendants, everyone was too dumbfounded to make a move or even throw out a comment. Only the chairman, with a deepening frown, asked her retreating daughter.

"Where do you think you’re going, Young Lady?"

"To drink my crazy medicine!" Sarah replied with a loud laughter--deep and hearty and just a little bit maniacal.

It reverberated through the silent dining room and told everyone that the Lee Seul-ah they knew had long been dead.

* * *

Sarah walked briskly through the mansion, as if the whole building were a dungeon filled with poison. Perhaps it was. There was nothing but bitter memory in that hellhole after all.

She furrowed her brows all the way, until she reached the garden separating the main house and the annex where she stayed. She stopped gradually as her steps led her to a tiny spot where her mother used to tend to in the past.

Just a small fountain in the corner, with patches of flowers, rather out of the way from the path and obscured by trees. A little request that the previous chairman granted her. It seemed like the new gardener had no idea about its history, and the third wife probably didn’t even know this place existed. Thanks to that, this small piece of tranquility still survived even after Sarah stopped tending to it for five years.

Even then...she would have to destroy it soon.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah unclenched the fist she didn’t even remember had been clenched. No wonder her hands felt numb. She exhaled slowly, tilting her head up to feel the night summer breeze cooling her heated face.

Ah...she had no intention to agitate people this early. She just wanted to enjoy the pointless fluffing of haughty peacocks while making everyone think she was only there to spend the family’s money.

But...

"It’s refreshing, isn’t it?" Hajin asked with a smile.

Sarah closed her eyes, and before she knew it, a crips laughter slipped past her lips. She bent her waist and laughed between the rustling of the wind, laughing for her meek past and the unsaid fury. Unlike the villainous laugh in the dining room, this one was light and mirthful, as if she were shedding the poison accumulating in her heart.

Of course, it was only the beginning.

"Since it already came to this..." she chuckled and plopped down on the side of the non-functioning fountain. "I should go for a deranged daughter route instead."

"Doesn’t sound too bad," Hajin chuckled and lowered himself to the ground, gently taking his master’s numb hand to massage it. "It’d make people reluctant to get closer."

It would mean fewer people loitering around the annex, and whatever they do, they could just say they were crazy.

As for Hajin...it had a bonus effect of spending more time alone with his master. It was harder than he thought, only staying still against the wall, separated from the one he should be protecting.

Sarah laughed again, letting the bodyguard loosen up her stiff hand. Warm, comforting massage climbed to her arm, making her realize that her body had been stiff all evening--or perhaps...it had been so since she returned to this mansion. As the tension unraveled, the exhaustion was seeping in.

"Should we go back, Master?" Hajin observed the dulled black eyes. "It’s better to rest indoors--I can give you a better massage if you’d like."

Sarah arched her brow. "You have a wide repertoire of skills, J."

Through a charming smirk, Hajin replied nonchalantly. "I learned this one from a masseuse I slept with in the past."

Sarah tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at the upward curl of the handsome lips. Was this an effort to elicit jealousy? Sarah curled her eyes--what a cute pup.

"I’m glad you can put your plethora of experiences to good use," she pinched the bodyguard’s chin, smirking in return when the smile retreated from Hajin’s lips. "Let’s go, then. I hate these heels--let’s find something less pointy next time."

Hajin chuckled helplessly while helping Sarah stand up. "Isn’t it better if it’s pointy? Useful for stabbing."

"Not in this country," Sarah rolled her eyes. "Better use something blunt and blame it on the environment."

"In that case, I shall prepare heavier footwear," Hajin replied with a soft laugh, nodding while imagining Sarah in thick-soled boots.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

"Ugh..."

"What’s wrong, Master?" Hajin asked in surprise, grasping Sarah’s hand and looking down, checking on her feet. "Did you hurt somewhere?"

He had checked earlier for any injuries from the shattered glass, but was there a place he missed?

Sarah, however, touched her stomach and muttered in a daze. "I’m hungry..."

She had no appetite during lunch, too anxious about the first family dinner after five years. Obviously, she couldn’t even finish her appetizer before storming out of the dining room, so she was starving.

Hajin blinked slowly for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. "Alright, I’ll fix up something for you quickly once we arrive, Master."

"It was good that you went for groceries earlier," Sarah nodded. Thankfully for them, Hajin used his time effectively, shopping for ingredients while Sarah was with her hairdresser earlier.

"How else could I provide adequate meals for you? The fastest we can ask for logistics is tomorrow," Hajin shrugged.

"True," Sarah nodded lightly, and walked with even lighter steps.

She couldn’t say it was a good night--if anything, she hadn’t felt this angry in a long time. Still...being able to fight back the hurtful words and walking out of an annoying situation was something she could only dream of in the past.

As Hajin said, it was refreshing.

It was even better once they reached the annex, a quiet corner where she didn’t have to worry about anything--at least, as long as Hajin was there. She watched in amusement as Hajin started to work on the building, checking every nook and cranny for any tapping device after giving her a plate of fruit as an appetizer.

"Hey...forget proper meal or whatever," Sarah called out to the man who was happily taking out groceries from a cooling box. "Just make me some ramyeon."

Hajin looked up with widened eyes and parted lips, as if feeling betrayed. "W-why?"

Biting her lips, Sarah muttered while nibbling on a strawberry. "Just...I never got to eat those...before."

Ah...the prim and proper young lady who had to eat healthily while watching her calorie intake. Hajin sighed inwardly--he did not approve of such unhealthy food himself, but...

How could he say no in front of that expectant, shy gaze?

"Alright," he exhaled in defeat. "I shall make the best ramyeon you’ll ever eat."

Sarah wanted to say that she hadn’t eaten enough ramyeon, so anything would taste like the best for her, but she couldn’t help laughing when Hajin rolled up his sleeve with a determined look as if he was going to compete in a cooking show.

Hajin did not play, though. He added ingredients to make the broth richer, and was careful with the noodles’ bounciness while putting on toppings that would skyrocket the ramyeon’s price a hundredfold.

Didn’t matter. What mattered was the satisfied laugh Sarah made after slurping the broth and the noodles.

And while it was still there, Hajin heard less groaning from the bedroom that night.

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