6 Deep end (1)

Reeling from the physical assault received from her uncle, Zhang Mi shakingly reached for her handbag which had fallen to the floor during the squabble. Pulling out her phone, she dialed her personal driver, who only saw her off when she initially walked in for the meeting. At present he was standing at the lobby ready to spring into action at any time.

On hearing the shaking voice of his young miss, the young man dashed through the lobby as though chased by a mob.

Getting there and seeing the Zhang heiress looking so lost on the floor, sprung him into action. He removed his dark coat, carefully draping it over her head, effectively shielding her from prying eyes. Gently, Yang Lin pulled her up, in such a way that her head was resting against his shoulder. Together, they stumbled out of the conference room, towards the elevator that would take them away from the place that had brought great shame to the Zhang heiress.

As they walked by, curious gazes were cast in their direction, some stopped to stare hard at them, casting suspicious looks at them.

Thinking that her nightmare was over, Zhang Mi did not expect to see a horde of reporters waiting at the entrance, unfortunately Yang Lin wasn't aware of this, since he was at the lobby of the very floor where his young miss was and therefore, could not predict that reporters this many would be present at Zhang Corporation. Apparently, someone had tipped the press about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the Zhang heiress. Knowing that this was too newsworthy to pass up, they all arrived en-masse outside Zhang Corporation.

"Miss Zhang! You must be Miss Zhang, right? Is it true that you are no longer with Zhang Corporation?!"

Caught off guard by the unexpected emergence of the press, Zhang Mi continued to clench tightly at the covering over her head. Refusing to neither accept nor deny the claim, inwardly she was shaking with dread.

"That has to be her! Who else could it be?! The young man standing by her side is rumored to be her very own driver!"

The rest of reporters agreed in solidarity to the words spoken by one of their own, there was so much heat coming off because of all of them being crammed into a small space.

For some unknown reason, probably due to fatigue, Zhang Mi's hand had loosened its grip from the coat hiding her identity, in a flash the covering was ripped off by the numerous hand surrounding her, not even her driver could shield her well enough to prevent the occurrence from taking place.

In gleeful excitement, flashes from cameras went on continuously, the camera zoomed in for live coverage of the disgraced Zhang heiress.

Desperate to protect the last shred of dignity of his young miss, Yang Lin shoved with all his might, luckily, he was able to create a space within the pack of reporters, big enough to drag her through. Some yelped in pain from the force of his action. Running with reporters at their tail, Lang Lin kept flagging at the cabs that drove by, until finally they were able to get into one that was brave enough to stop for them.

"Faster! We will pay you ten times the price."

The elderly man behind the wheel happily sped through the late morning road, heedless of the traffic they might face. The drive went on for a while, until they lost the reporters on their tail. Yang Lin then made a call to one of the heiress's driver on reserve, passing the information needed to meet them at a safe place.

The cab pulled up a couple of blocks away from the Zhang villa, on getting there one of Zhang Mi's luxurious car was waiting for them. The cab driver drove away on receiving his handsome payment.

This time it was Yang Lin that drove, the Zhang heiress was at the back seat, while the other driver that brought the car sat at the front passenger seat. Shortly after they drove through the gate, the Zhang heiress with drooped shoulders walked into the villa, without asking any of the maids for assistance, she punched in the secret code to the wine cellar located at the basement, its thick metal door slid open. It had been a long time since she has been there. Taking a bottle from the middle rack showcasing a variety of large collections of vintage wine, Zhang Mi balanced one on each hand, carefully walking out of the wine cellar. On afterthought, she reached into the kitchen's top cabinet for a wine cup before heading upstairs to her room.

After she was in, Zhang Mi bolted the door behind her, with a heavy thud she sat on the furnished floor of her room, snapping the wine bottle open and filling her cup with its fluid richness.

Gulping glass after glass, the Zhang heiress continued to drink away her sorrows, tears continue to run down her cheeks with no end sight.