CHAPTER 2: HE'S A BASTARD.

CHAPTER 2: HE'S A BASTARD.

Isabella got up as best she could, clenched her hands helplessly, and looked at Marcus's ruthless face in astonishment. Her chest felt like it had been pierced by an arrow, and the tears couldn't stop flowing.

"Sleep with him?" Isabella shook her head as disbelief still struck her. "Marcus, did you ask me to come here just to send me to another man's bed?"

"And what did you expect?" The man's eyes narrowed coldly, and he smiled wickedly. "Did you think I wanted to fix my relationship with you?"

Amanda, who was enjoying the spectacle, approached Marcus and gave Isabella a sarcastic smile.

"Love, don't say that, can't you see my little cousin dressed up just for you? Although..." Amanda deliberately caressed Marcus's bare chest. "...your attempts are useless, dear. Your husband wants me, not a loser like you."

Isabella's lips trembled with helplessness, but she refused to let herself be humiliated.

"Don't worry, Amanda. You and he are made for each other; you're both the same kind of trash."

"Honey... did you hear what she called us?" Amanda stepped towards Isabella and pointed her finger at her. "Since you haven't been a proper wife to Marcus for six years, the least you can do now is obey. Go to that room and sleep with Mr. Higgins."

There was a malicious and mocking glint in Amanda's eyes.

Malcolm Higgins was the owner of the state's main bank and had a certain preference for young women. When Marcus went to the bank to request a loan to inject capital into his company, he was denied. Then he investigated a bit, and Amanda gave him this idea. Originally, he thought Mr. Higgins would refuse, but to his surprise, he was quite happy.

And for Marcus, it wasn't a problem for Isabella to satisfy Mr. Higgins for the sake of his company; after all, he never had feelings for her.

"I'm not going!" she exclaimed, standing up.

Marcus gritted his teeth and took a step towards her, only to slap her for the second time.

"Who do you think you are to contradict me?! If you don't do as I say..."

"I want a divorce!" she exclaimed defiantly. "I'm more than eager to get away from you!"

Marcus was taken aback for a moment, as was Amanda, but they quickly hid their emotions. Then he thought of the only way to break her.

"Divorce you?" he laughed with amusement. "Fine, then I'll make sure you never set foot in the family vault again. You won't see your son."

Isabella froze when she heard this, and her eyes widened in panic. Her little one had been born dead, and that was a wound that had never healed; visiting him was her only solace.

"No... You wouldn't dare... Don't do it, Marcus," she grabbed the man's robe and begged with a choked voice. "How can you... how can you say that? Our son is there, our little one... are you really that inhuman?!"

Amanda's face suddenly darkened with jealousy at seeing Isabella's closeness.

"Please, tell her the truth, darling!" she pushed Isabella away roughly, making her stagger backward. "Tell her that child is a bastard."

"What?! No, my son is not a bastard!"

"Oh, please, wake up," Amanda mocked deliberately. "That child is not Marcus's son."

Hearing this, Isabella froze.

"What do you mean?" she looked at both of them. "Marcus, what does she mean? What is she saying?!"

Marcus's eyes were cold, and he no longer wanted to pretend.

"She's telling the truth," he wrapped his arm around Amanda's waist and gave his wife a mocking smile. "The man who got you pregnant that night wasn't me."

Isabella's heart stopped for a moment, and her blood froze.

"What...? No... no... that..."

"And I have to tell you something else," he interrupted, his black eyes full of malice staring at her. "The child isn't dead... he's alive, and I... sold him."

"What... did you say...?"

"What you heard... your son is alive. I made you believe he died, but I actually sold him," Marcus shrugged nonchalantly. "I got good money for him."

Isabella shook her head in disbelief.

"No, it's a lie... you..." her lips trembled along with her heart. "My son..."

For Marcus, the situation became annoying; in his opinion, Isabella was someone too easy to manipulate, and this time would be no exception.

"I said, you slept with another man back then! And today I'm asking you to do it again; how complicated is that, Isabella?!"

Nausea hit her hard; she had just realized she had been married to a monster all this time.

"If the man that night wasn't him, who was the father of her baby? And why did he marry her?"

The questions piled up in her head, repeating over and over again.

"Isabella, as long as you please Mr. Higgins tonight, maybe you can get alimony after the divorce. But that's all you'll get!" Amanda knew her cousin's weak spot. "As you can see, I'm pregnant, and my baby..."

"Baby..."

Isabella's gaze shifted to Amanda's stomach.

"So, the pregnancy is true too?" Isabella smiled bitterly. "Selling me to a man, divorce, baby..."

At that moment, the rage mixed with the helplessness of having been a fool for too long took its toll on her.

"Marcus, you're a bastard!! Give me back my son! Where is my son!" her emotions collapsed, and she lunged at Marcus hysterically. "You're a bastard! Tell me where he is!"

Marcus's face turned black with rage, and he quickly grabbed her hair.

"How dare you touch me?!" he grabbed her forcefully and made her look into his eyes. "You better go right now and spread your legs, or else I'll make you see hell."

Isabella's face was red with anger. However, a wave of bravery persisted within her. She looked at Marcus and said word by word.

"I won't go! I'll never let you get your way! You'll have to kill me first!"

He gave her a macabre smile.

"Fine, since you leave me no choice, then it'll be my way."

A second later, Amanda, who was behind Isabella, covered her nose with a cloth, making her faint. Isabella's consciousness gradually clouded, and everything in front of her turned to darkness...

Once she lost consciousness and fell into Marcus's arms, Amanda injected a liquid into her neck.

"Is she ready?" Marcus asked impatiently.

"Yes, the drug will take effect as soon as she wakes up."

"Good." Marcus looked towards a door inside the room. "Come in!"

Then, two hotel employees entered, took Isabella, and carried her straight to Mr. Higgins's room.