Derek's POV
Sally slowly rose from her seat, and only then did I realize that beneath her long wool coat, her legs from the knees down were entirely mechanical.
"Your legs..." I was taken aback.
Sally, her lips painted a bright red, smiled and said, "Surprised? You should have known anything could happen when you left me."
Her explanation did little to satisfy me, and I chose not to address it.
"Tell me, what do you want?" I asked coldly.
Sally didn't expect me to be so indifferent after seeing her legs, a hint of displeasure faintly visible in her pupils.
She masked her irritation with a forced smile and replied, "I know you have plenty of money, so I'm not asking for anything material. I want you to spend the night with me."
My fingers faltered as I held the photo, unsure if I had heard correctly.
"What did you say?"
Sally appeared unashamed, with a glint of madness in her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned in to embrace me from behind.
I furrowed my brows and forcefully pulled her away.
Her unsteady mechanical legs buckled, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Derek, you are still so heartless," Sally said, tears welling in her eyes.
I pushed the chair back and stood up, my voice laced with coldness. "You're still as delusional as ever, Sally. I told you five years ago that I didn't like you."
A self-mocking smile crossed Sally's face. "Back then, you chose to sponsor me because of my face, didn't you?"
Without hesitation, I answered, "Yes, you do resemble her somewhat, especially in profile."
Sally's POV
The truth was too brutal, but I had always harbored illusions.
Ten years ago, Derek sponsored me—a girl from a disadvantaged background with excellent academic achievements.
I persevered through countless hardships, moving from a small village to Seattle to finally meet the benefactor I had longed for.
Despite Derek's cold demeanor, he was generous with material support.
Even after I suffered from school bullying, he took me into his villa.
Though he was often busy and traveled frequently, I was thrilled to see him a few times a year.
I worked harder to improve myself, aspiring to transform from an ugly duckling into a swan.
Others saw me as a pampered rich girl, unaware of my past—even I had forgotten it.
On my eighteenth birthday, I confessed my feelings to Derek, believing I was special to him.
I always thought I was special to Derek. Even though he never intentionally acted intimately toward me, he would often stare at my face absent-mindedly.
Naively, I thought Derek liked me, only to be met with rejection instead of sweet romance after my confession.
He explicitly refused me, stating that his help was out of sympathy and bore no romantic affection whatsoever.
To make me give up, he even changed the university I had applied for and wanted to send me abroad.
I didn't know what went wrong. I clearly felt that Derek was different to me. If it wasn't liking, then why did he choose me out of so many people?
Confused by his actions and feeling his affection was different, I made a drastic decision: I arranged for my own kidnapping to test Derek's feelings.
The result was clear—I meant nothing to him.
That extreme act of kidnapping resulted in me losing both legs.
He didn't come to see me once. Only my furious brother went to confront him.
After blocking his company building for a week, my brother finally saw him, and he refused to visit me.
He asked my brother to deliver a message, "From now on, our lives are unrelated."