Just as she was about to speak, however, Zoey swallowed her words and opted to devise an excuse. “It’s not that; I just feel a bit cold.”Laurence turned up the thermostat and touched her hand again. It seemed to be as cold as ever. He frowned, seemingly displeased. “Layer up more if you’re cold.”Zoey wasn’t paying attention as she nodded. She knew that she hadn’t stepped on anyone else’s toes, and Sarah wasn’t childish enough to send gory pictures to her to scare her. It was most likely someone had mistakenly sent them to her.Zoey was now a bit more collected, and so she continued her studies under Laurence seriously. Time flew by. It took an hour for Laurence to explain all the words Zoey had marked earlier. She pulled out her phone and transferred the agreed five hundred dollars to Laurence on the spot. He accepted the payment without protest.Zoey was taken aback. She had thought that he would decline out of embarrassment.Laurence couldn’t stop his chuckle when he saw the blank
Immediately after she pulled out of her parking space, a man with a scar on his face stepped out from behind a stone pillar. His expression was dark as he made a phone call to his fellow accomplice. “She’s driven off. Follow her. She’s a wary one; we can’t let her escape!”Zoey had no idea what danger loomed over her.The house that Shawn bought was in the less populated part of the suburbs. The further away they got from the city, the less cars there were.Zoey parked her car outside of the house. Just as she was about to get out of the car, something flashed in the rearview mirror. Zoey whipped her head around to see a man standing nearby. The cap that he wore obscured most of his face.Alarm bells rang in Zoey’s mind. The moment she opened the door, the man charged at her like a mad bull. Fortunately, she was quick. She buckled herself in and was ready to drive away at a moment’s notice.The man hurled a cigarette butt to the ground and stamped on it before calmly making a phone cal
Zoey’s survival instincts were stronger than she thought. She no longer wished to live in a nightmare again. Did honor matter? Did dignity matter? Surviving was the highest priority right now.Zoey stumbled to her feet and gripped the car window tightly. Hot tears streamed down her face, her eyes already swollen from her tears. She didn’t care how much of a mess she looked now as she cried out through her sobs, “I’m begging you, Shawn. Please, help me.”Shawn’s breath caught in his throat for a moment when he saw her cry. But then he returned to being callous again as he averted his gaze from her, seemingly unmoved by her plight. “Drive,” he ordered the chauffeur coldly.The chauffeur did not dare disobey Shawn’s orders and stepped on the gas.Shawn had an icy expression on his face; the coldness of his expression somehow accentuated his killer looks. He placed his hands on his thighs and fought the urge to show Zoey a moment of kindness. He shouldn’t have shown her mercy, for it didn’
“Good,” George said.George had been unhinged in the last few days. He had gone looking for others to help free his son, but no one would help, shutting their doors in his face.Laurence’s play had been very smooth. He was undoubtedly aiming for the Cole family’s downfall. Laurence wasn’t about to play nice with the Coles, and if it meant going down with them as well, then so be it.George tossed a black suitcase at the men filled with cash and the new identification documents they would need while crossing the border, for these men were wanted criminals on death row.The scarred man picked up the suitcase to leave, but then George called after him, “Don’t you want Laurence dead? He’s the reason behind your situation now.”The scarred man stopped in his tracks. George did have a point. He looked back to eye Zoey, who was still tied up. “You sure this is his wife?” he asked.George had been driven insane by Laurence. Now, he was a twisted man capable of doing anything for revenge. He sm
It most certainly wasn’t a lie that Zoey created to protect herself.The inside of Zoey’s wrist was rubbed raw. She didn’t dare move, afraid that the wire would cut into a major artery and make her bleed to death. Her body was already weak enough; she didn’t have the physical strength to fight these kidnappers.George, however, thought that she was downplaying her relationship with Laurence. He laughed, his tone light as he said, “Do you expect me to believe you when Laurence brought you everywhere with him?”Zoey couldn’t be bothered to explain that Laurence only brought her with him because she was useful that way.George would not believe her. In his eyes, Zoey and Laurence were thick as thieves. They couldn’t possibly have different ideas and motives. His mood took a turn for the worse as he paced in front of Zoey in irritation. A few circles later, his hands began to shake but he was still able to maintain his grip on the knife he held.George waited another half an hour before he
Laurence calmly nodded. “I believe everyone here is capable.”…Laurence loosened his necktie inside his car as he returned to the hotel. It was impossible to see his expression in the dark. “Did you get through to her?” he asked Larry.Larry was about to speak when he stopped, but then he gathered his nerve again. “Yes.”A few seconds later, Laurence asked him again, “Who picked up the phone?”Larry averted his gaze. “George Cole.”Laurence didn’t seem surprised as he rubbed his temples. “What did he say?”Larry recounted George’s conversation word-for-word to Laurence. George had been obnoxious during the phone call, braying for Laurence’s blood and demanding Laurence to immediately come begging for mercy.Laurence didn’t immediately speak, already anticipating George’s behavior. He chuckled. “Did he demand me to beg for mercy?”Naturally, Larry didn’t dare to answer that question.Laurence’s voice took on a sharp tone. “Have you gone mute? I’m asking you a question!” Larry couldn’t
George wasn’t as good at reining in his emotions as Zoey was; Laurence’s calmness had stoked his fury. He smashed the items and furniture inside the factory in anger. Once he was done letting off steam, he sat, panting. At his age, he no longer cared about decorum.George couldn’t believe that Laurence didn’t feel anything during the phone call earlier. Could Zoey really be no one in his eyes since he didn’t care about her life even though she was his wife? But how could a husband be heartless enough not to care about his wife?George shifted his rage at Laurence to Zoey. He grabbed her by her hair and forced her to look up. “How long have you been married to him?”Zoey didn’t answer.George flung her down and began to mutter to himself, “It’s been at least a year and a half by now. He’s got to have slept with you several times, right? So why the fuck does he not feel anything for you?”Zoey’s head hurt. Her body ached. The floor was cold, and the metal pipes digging into her back were
George blew up, and his voice immediately rose in anger. “Where is he? Get him to answer the call!”“Mr. Scott has returned to his hotel to rest,” the assistant replied.George was unstable. He shoved the phone into Zoey’s hand. “Speak with him.”Zoey could instantly tell that Matthew was the person on the other end of the line. She gripped the phone, staring at the screen. All of a sudden, her throat went dry, and she couldn’t squeeze a word out.George gave her a hard kick. Zoey didn’t want to butt heads with him. The fewer confrontations she had with him, the better. To her, she didn’t deserve this treatment.Zoey gulped before she spoke. “Matthew, is Mr. Scott in?” Her voice sounded weak, as though she was lethargic.Matthew paused, and in the end, he gave in. “Please hold on, Miss Jenner.”A moment later, Zoey heard a familiar voice.Laurence’s tone was still as calm and even as ever, no different from how it usually was. She couldn’t detect any hint of panic in it. Zoey initially