Ava Thompson glanced at the drink Mark Zhang had handed her. Just as she took a sip, her phone rang.
The bar was loud, so she stepped into the restroom to answer.
On the other end was Fiona Bell, her cold and displeased voice immediately cutting through the noise. “Ava Thompson, have you grown wings? I’ve been calling you, but you took forever to answer. Do you still see me as your second aunt? Where are you? Why is it so noisy? Are you out messing around again?”
“Is there something you need?” Ava’s tone was flat. She had grown accustomed to Fiona’s biting remarks since moving in with her uncle after her father passed away.
In the Thompson household, Fiona had often ridiculed her, and her uncle had taken control of her father’s company, Thompson Group, under the guise of her being a minor. Now, he had transferred all the shares into his name.
Ava was left with no choice but to depend on them for support to complete her education. Additionally, her grandmother was in a nursing home, and the treatment costs would run into hundreds of thousands. She couldn’t afford to leave.
She was studying at Starlight Media Academy and was about to graduate.
Once she graduated, she could work to earn money for her grandmother’s medical expenses and finally break free from the Thompson family.
“Ava Thompson, what kind of tone is that? Don’t forget, your father died early, and your shameless mother ran off with someone else. If it weren’t for me and your uncle giving you food to eat, you’d be starving on the streets by now. And your grandmother lying in the nursing home like a corpse—who do you think is paying for her medical expenses? And…” Fiona launched into her usual tirade of insults.
Ava had heard these words countless times before and had long since become immune to them, choosing never to respond.
After years of practice, her ability to endure had become remarkably strong.
She held the phone away from her ear, unable to focus on Fiona’s insults anymore, as dizziness started to engulf her, and her body felt hot and uncomfortable.
This sensation was unfamiliar—an intense burning in her lower abdomen that felt like something gnawing at her.
As soon as she entered the restroom, she sensed something was off, and now the discomfort was only intensifying.
“Come back immediately; I have something important to tell you,” Fiona snapped before hanging up.
Ava put her phone away and splashed cold water on her face. Looking in the mirror, she froze for a moment.
Her once fair skin was now flushed crimson, and her rosy lips resembled vibrant red roses.
What was happening to her?
Why was her face so hot, her body so warm, and why did she feel so unwell?
Suddenly, her eyes flickered, and she recalled the drink Mark had given her. Realization hit her hard—she had been drugged.
And it was definitely Mark Zhang.
But she couldn’t fathom why he would do that; they were classmates with no animosity between them.
Feeling increasingly ill, Ava leaned against the wall, the cold tile providing some relief to her racing mind.
But she knew this situation was untenable.
She needed to get out of there.
After washing her face again with cold water to try to stay awake, she pulled open the restroom door and stepped outside.
Dizzy and unsteady, she barely took a few steps before bumping into a man reeking of alcohol.
The man shouted, “Who the hell doesn’t watch where they’re going?”
Ava looked up to see a middle-aged man with a big beer belly, dressed in a suit, resembling a boss type.
Since she was the one who had bumped into him, Ava quickly apologized, “I’m sorry.”
The middle-aged man was about to continue cursing, but when he noticed Ava’s flushed face, exquisite features, and the youthful charm in her shallow brown eyes, his demeanor changed completely.
A vile, excited grin spread across his face, his eyes lighting up. “Wow! You’re quite a pretty little thing! Come here, let uncle give you a kiss.”
As he staggered toward her, Ava’s heart raced in fear.