Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 10

10 Damn, She Is Beautiful

Joe nodded. “That was four years ago. Back then, Rufus and a few other kids from powerful families attacked her. Left Adriana deaf in her left ear, shattered the bone in her right pinky, bruises all over her body.

The memory of that bullying incident haunted Joe. He’d probably carry it to his grave.

That year, he failed as a detective–couldn’t catch the suspect who killed his brother. After getting demoted, he still couldn’t protect Adriana.

Curtis stood quietly, saying nothing.

The lawyer also remained silent. Nobody could read Curtis’s mind.

To him, Adriana was just some stranger. Even if she agreed to marry him on paper, it was strictly business. Curtis wasn’t the type to meddle in someone else’s mess.

When Adriana walked out of the holding cell, Curtis was waiting for her in the yard.

“Thank you…” she mumbled, awkward and uneasy.

She never thought he’d show up himself.

“Am I making you late for your party?” she asked softly.

Curtis gave her a look, held her gaze for a beat, then spoke, “No.”

On the way back, he asked, “Why’d you hit him?”

“I just… lost it.” Adriana forced a bitter smile. She didn’t want to get into it.

She’d already troubled him enough today.

“That bruise on your leg yesterday was not from the car accident, was it?” He looked at her.

Adriana stayed silent.

Most of the injuries were from Camelia kicking her into the pond, but some were from the crash.

“You could tell the police.” Curtis frowned. “If they started it, you’ve got a case. If you let people walk all over you, they’ll just keep doing it.”

If you don’t fight back after everything they’ve done… you’re just handing them power.

“How do you know I never fought back, Mr. Lincoln?” Her voice trembled, emotions breaking loose. “Someone like you, with your background, even if you don’t fight back, no one dares touch you. But if you’re an orphan? No one behind you? Fighting back only

worsens it.”

Her voice shook harder.

Four years ago, Rufus, Mia, and Camelia bullied her like maniacs–because she did fight back.

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It started when Rufus confessed. Adriana turned him down.

Then came the stalking, the harassment. She reported him to the school, called the cops…

She did everything she could–and they just doubled down.

They dragged her into a public toilet, dumped buckets of water on her, stripped her, took pictures… The day that happened, she’d just called the cops. As soon as the officers left, they kicked her into a stall.

They weren’t scared. Why would they be? As long as nobody died, their families could always make it go away.

Even if someone did die…

Adriana’s eyes turned red. She looked away, breathing hard, forcing back her tears. “Mr. Lincoln… I’m sorry.”

She’d lost control.

“You’ve probably looked into me. I’m an orphan. No parents. Easy to control. No one to back me up, but plenty to threaten–37 kids still stuck in that orphanage, and the director who raised me. They’re my weak spots.”

She recalled the day in the equipment room. When they locked her in that wooden crate, she seriously considered taking them down with her. She couldn’t fight Rufus, but Mia and Camelia? She could’ve taken them.

One for one. If she had to die, she’d drag a few down with her.

But she couldn’t. She didn’t even have the right to die.

“I’m sorry,” Curtis said softly.

The driver pulled up at a private styling studio. Curtis had the designers pick out a gown and get her hair and makeup done.

Adriana stayed silent the entire time.

Curtis bailed her out. She owed him.

“Mr. Lincoln, everything we found on Adriana is here,” his assistant said, handing over a file while Adriana was changing.

Curtis hadn’t expected it to be this bad. He only ran a basic background check before.

As he flipped through the file, his face darkened.

Adriana had been abandoned as a baby.

Unlike the sick or disabled kids at the orphanage, she was the only healthy, bright child there.

The director raised her, scraping together every penny to put her through school.

Adriana didn’t waste it. She was brilliant–top of her class every year, all the way to college, where she got into Haldoria University with top scores. She was the orphanage’s pride.

Adriana had a gift for art and design. She’d won awards in high school, but her teachers stole credit for her work. She’d faced plenty of injustice but stayed positive.

She used to dream of a better world. She dreamed of college, the big city, studying abroad, and coming back stronger to protect,

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the kids who had no one else.

But reality was cruel. Orphans don’t climb to the top. The system doesn’t allow it.

No matter how hard she worked, rich kids always stepped on her.

Mia’s jealousy wasn’t just about Adriana’s looks or brains. It was the fact that an orphan like her dared to shine so bright.

“She was with Matthew for four years… Mr. Lincoln, maybe you should pick someone else to marry. She’s trouble.” The assistant spoke cautiously. He worried getting involved with Adriana would drag Curtis into a mess that wasn’t worth the risk.

The Lincolns weren’t afraid of the Langfords, and Curtis definitely wasn’t afraid of Matthew. But business was business. No one

wanted extra enemies.

Curtis said nothing. He tossed the tablet aside and leaned back on the couch, watching Adriana step out of the fitting room.

Adriana always wore long sleeves and pants. Now, for the first time, she stood there in a strappy, backless gown, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

She was a gem, but her background had stolen her confidence.

No–maybe not stolen. She’d learned to hide her light. It was second nature by now.

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