STIGMA

In a dim pub filled with the smoke of burning cigarettes, people were ecstatically raising toasts to one another. At one corner, however, a woman could be seen downing a shot of whiskey before filling it up again and raising her glass. Tears were in her eyes.

"Consuela, you're drunk."

Upon seeing that Consuela Xia was working towards getting herself dead drunk, Sheryl Xia immediately snatched her glass away from her.

What nobody noticed was how she discretely slipped a sinister looking pill into the said glass.

"Why are you here?" Consuela Xia asked as she giggled like a little school girl. Her liveliness, however, severely contrasted with the lifelessness behind her eyes.

"Look at yourself. How could a woman let herself get this dunk?! Our parents will definitely get mad at you if you go home like this!" Sheryl Xia nagged, convincingly feigning anger.

"If that's the case, then I guess I'm not going home!" Consuela Xia answered, her tone firm and dismissive. She was "dancing"—swaying carelessly from left to right—making it clear that she had already taken in too much alcohol.

Sheryl Xia took deep breaths upon hearing Consuela's words. She hated her younger sister so much.

Ever since their childhood, their parents had treated them differently. She wouldn't be allowed to do what she wanted, but they would let Consuela Xia have all the fun. Because of that, she had no choice but to behave herself. Consuela Xia, on the other hand, had no rules and did whatever her heart desired. Weren't they sisters? Why were they treated so unfairly? Why was Consuela Xia treated like the Xia Family's princess while she was treated like a poor girl?

Sheryl Xia subconsciously clenched her fists as she felt fury grip her heart. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in an attempt to relax herself. Before she spoke again, she put on a gentle smile for her sister. "I knew you'd say that. I've already booked you a room. 316. You..."

Sheryl Xia's phone rang before she finished what she was about to say.

Hurriedly, she fished her phone from her purse to check out who it was. After scanning the screen, she gestured to Consuela Xia that she needed to go out first to answer the phone.

When Sheryl Xia came back, the first thing she saw was Consuela Xia's empty glass on the bar counter. A glint of hatred and satisfaction flashed across her eyes. She was barely able to conceal her excitement when she turned to her sister and said, "Consuela, will you be able to go to the room by yourself? I am so sorry but I just have to meet with someone right now! Don't worry! I wouldn't take long! I'll go straight to Room 316 once I'm done with what I have to do!"

Consuela Xia saw the concern and worry in her sister's face. She really didn't care if she left her alone. With that, she nodded and urged her to go where she needed to be.

As soon as Sheryl Xia turned around, a vicious expression appeared on her face. Once again, no one, including her sister, noticed it happen.

After waving goodbye to her sister, Consuela Xia began her journey towards Room 316. It took her a while but she was able to successfully stagger to the said room after some time. It was open and so she went straight in without thinking twice. A terrible headache was already starting to form inside her head, and all she wanted to do at that time was lie in bed and hopefully sleep.

It wasn't long before she was able to locate the bed and lie down. She immediately drifted off to sleep, but somehow, her consciousness was active enough to feel that her body temperature was steadily climbing. Soon, a strange feeling took over her. She opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, as if she was in a trance.

Slowly, she tried to look around, but to her surprise, a man's face came into her view. He was sitting on a sofa with eyes closed. His forehead was sweating, and his face was red. Although her head was pounding, she tried to get up to approach him and know what happened to him. But at that exact moment, the man opened his eyes. Consuelo Xia noted how his body language seemed like he just let go of his sanity, making her fear for her safety. Then, all of a sudden, the man lunged at her and held her by her shoulders. His eyes were crazed and bloodshot, and the expression on his face only relayed one thing: he had lost control.

Consuelo Xia didn't realize how terrible the situation was until the man starting tearing her clothes away and inappropriately kissing her. Though she tried her best to stave off the man's advances, she found that her strength was no match against his.

But with enough effort, she was finally able to free herself from the man's grasp and flee to one corner of the room.

"No! Go away!" she said with a sob.