Xu Xinya still remembered the following day that was like a nightmare for her.
It was the day when her approaching tragedy was revealed to her. Her Aunt had come to her room and slowly explained everything. From the beginning to the end.
That day, she had realized who that man was, who was that man whom she had dared to slap that drunken night.
Lu Mingyu.
"This can't be happening. This-This is impossible." She didn't want to believe it. What were the odds? Out of all the people, it had to be him?
One wouldn't know the name of the President of the country but one would know his name.
So naturally, Xu Xinya knew about this notorious 'Lu' family and even more notorious young master of the family:- Lu Mingyu.
Lu Mingyu didn't like to make appearances in the media. No Journalist or media channel dared to go against his wish. So his face was always shrouded in mystery. The explanation from those who had seen his face in real life explained him as an 'Untouchable Lucifer'. They said his presence was enough to make one freeze. Something about his aura would choke one to death.
So Xu Xinya could never have seen him before.
And all the rumors that circulated about him in social circles were not good at all.
They said he was a frivolous man who kept a lot of women at a time. For him, women were just like clothes. Used once and then thrown away. But the thing was, he never threw them away. Once using them, he would simply have them locked away in one of his mansions. He didn't like others to touch what once had been his.
So there were once rumors that he had one of his mistresses ravaged just because she wore something in public that displeased him. And there was a rumor he annihilated the whole family of his mistress because she talked to some other man.
And when she was told that she was to go live at his residence as his woman in a month's time, she couldn't bring herself to face reality.
Her whole world shattered.
What about the great plans she had for her life?
What about the top universities she had applied for?
What about her dreams?
"Aunt Bao, No. Please, I don't want to be his woman!" She cried; her eyes silently pleaded to her Aunt. She wasn't ready to accept reality.
Tears brimmed in her eyes.
To be the woman of such a hateful man; a man she didn't love. How could she accept it?
Her Aunt glanced at her; pain filled her heart. She had nurtured Xu Xinya as her own daughter. And no one wanted more than her to fulfill her dreams and live the way she wanted to.
"Sweetheart we don't have a choice," She said softly and pulled Xu Xinya in her embrace.
"No." Xu Xinya felt helpless. She was full of denial. That man's cold smile appeared in her mind. She was terrified. "Why? Why must it be me?"
Her Aunt sighed. Xu Xinya was always a kind-hearted person. She knew that Xu Xinya would never object to sacrificing herself for her family's sake. "No matter what happens, just remember we are always with you." What truly worried her was what if Xu Xinya did something to offend that man due to her unrestrained nature.
After consoling her all she could, her Aunt left Xu Xinya to mend her heart on her own and gave her some time for her wounds to heal.
And the following days, Xu Xinya kept herself closed in her room. She would stay in her bed the whole day, curled up in a ball, and would cry herself to sleep. She even stopped eating and lost a lot of weight.
She would hardly come out of her room. Forget about smiling, it had been a week since she last talked to them.
Her family members were getting worried about her.
"Did I do the wrong thing by not telling her?" Xu Jiang's voice was raspy. Something was stuck in his throat. He had eye bags behind his eyes and had thinned a lot as he was skipping meals for some days.
Deep down he felt all the guilt on himself, on his inability to protect his sister. He had slapped his sister but it was the most hurtful thing he had done in his entire life.
And the grief was eating him alive.
"You didn't" His mother's voice was gentle. "Look what she had made of herself in just a week. At least she lived last year being herself. If we would have told her sooner, she would have been depressed the whole year and wasted her time with us."
"But what if she doesn't come out of her shock?" Xu Jiang was worried, "Mr. Lu looked already very angry at her behavior the other day. It took me a lot of effort to make him forget and leave without any hard feelings. We only have three weeks until her birthday. If she still says that she doesn't want to be his mistress..."
"She won't" His mother interjected. "Xu Xinya is a very sensible child. She won't ever be putting her family at risk." Xu Bao sighed. If only it was not for the Xu family's survival, she would never agree to hand over Xu Xinya.
Because that man was interested in Xu Xinya. And he was very powerful. So if he wanted her, he would get her one way or another. The only way to avoid maximum damage was to go by his wishes. Both for their family and Xu Xinya. "I hope that he doesn't hurt out Ya'er."
Xu Jiang was still worried.
At that time Xu Xinya finally came out of her room and walked down the stairs after a week of drowning herself in depression and self-pity.
There were some consequences that couldn't be avoided then no matter what.