As soon as Kelsey spoke, she heard footsteps coming from the door.“Don't worry, Jerome. I’ve got my eyes on them, they’re not going to get away!”The footsteps were followed by the deep, bellowing voice of a man.“Zara is here, the boss will be pleased!”Kelsey’s face dropped the moment she heard the man’s voice.Jerome?Jerome from Shadow Gale?She did not expect Barton, a mafia from overseas to have connections with the local organization, Shadow Gale.They were referring to Barton as the boss.It seemed like Barton had somehow managed to acquire Shadow Gale some time ago.While she was still pondering about this, the door was opened.One of the men who kidnapped them just now stepped inside with two containers filled with food.“Eat.”He ordered icily while tossing the lunch boxes on the floor.“It's on the floor, how am I supposed to eat that?” Zara grumbled.She would never eat anything that had been put on the floor.“I don’t care even if you don’t eat it!” He sn
The man’s reaction was frosty. “Let her suffer…”With that, he turned around and prepared to leave as if the matter did not concern him at all.At least it seemed like he was no longer interested in forcing Zara to eat the food that had been tossed on the floor and take pictures of her.At the same time, he was not interested in helping her.Upon noting this, Kelsey hurriedly chased after him.“You can't just leave her be! Your boss wants her. What are you going to do if something happens to her?” She tried to persuade the man.The man seemed to consider this for a moment.Zara continued pretending to be in pain. “Ugh, it hurts so bad… I’m going to die!”She forced herself to cry and made her suffering seem as realistic as possible.The man glared at her icily and grumbled irritably, “I’m not a doctor, what am I supposed to do about her stomach hurting?”“Can’t you take her to the hospital?” Kelsey suggested nonchalantly.“What hospital?” The man yelled angrily, “We’ll have
“You two better stop right there!”Bang, bang, bang!They heard the deafening sound of gunshots after the man shouted.Kelsey was not expecting the man to have a gun.Zara was horrified and shrieked.“Stop screaming and run!”Kelsey was getting annoyed.Zara trembled. “But… He has a gun…”Kelsey glared at her severely. “That’s exactly why we have to run faster! Do you want to get shot?”Zara shook her head vehemently after hearing this, and then she zipped her lips and sprinted as fast as she could.Kelsey ran like she had never run before.They had to keep running until their legs gave out, they could not risk stopping.If they were caught and brought back there, the consequences would have been dire.At the moment, their only objective was to run as fast as they could and get as far away from the factory as humanly possible.However, she overestimated Zara’s stamina.After running for a while, she was fatigued and stopped. She could not run anymore.“No, I can't do th
Kelsey suspected that Zara was taking advantage of the situation to get her killed.She would have loved it if the man shot Kelsey right in the head when instigated to get revenge for his friend.Zara had been trying to get rid of Kelsey for a while.“So it was you! You were the one who came up with the idea!”The man believed Zara's claims and aimed the gun at Kelsey.“I didn't kill your friend, he just passed out.” Kelsey tried to plead her case.The man glowered. “But you two still ran away, I’ll have to kill you!”Zara swooped in again with her rhetoric. “If you’re going to kill someone, just kill her! Your boss wants me alive, how are you going to explain killing me to him?”The man paused for a moment, he pondered it in his mind.Zara continued to incite him. “She’s different, she has no value for you anymore and if you kill her, you can also get revenge for your friend.”With that, the man aimed his gun at Kelsey again.He cocked back the safety and was ready to fire
“It doesn’t matter how it ends for me. Either way, I know you’re going to end up dead in front of me because I am more useful to them,” Zara tossed her hair and declared haughtily.Kelsey was speechless.Even in such a dire situation, Zara still had it in her head that it was a competition to see who would live longer.Why was Zara so desperate to compete with her?“Shut up!” Kelsey shouted impatiently.She did not have time to argue with Zara now.She had to think about how she was going to protect herself.Jerome’s sudden appearance was beyond her expectations. Furthermore, he did not seem to press the issue of their escape attempt and even ordered them to be taken to a cleaner room. It was very bizarre.She knew Barton wanted to get his hands on Zara, which was why she was untouchable.What about her? Why did they let her off so easily?She doubted it was because Jerome had a moment of epiphany and wanted to do the right thing.Even the man who chased them down wanted to
In Kelsey’s past life, she considered that night a humiliation.It ended up causing Cooper to resent her, which made her project the same resentment toward Tyler instead.Now, she ended up discovering a shocking reveal after Shadow Gale kidnapped her.All this time, Cooper was involved with Shadow Gale.Cooper had been deceiving her from the beginning.He had never crossed Shadow Gale, they were never trying to kill him in the first place.It was all a cover story to convince her to sleep with Tyler.Cooper was using her to seduce Tyler so that she would later on get to manipulate Tyler according to Cooper’s will.This was the only way Cooper would ever get to defeat Tyler.Kelsey was fuming at this point.If she had not coincidentally overheard the conversation between those two men outside just now, she would never find out how deep the plot went.All this time, she assumed Shadow Gale and Cooper were enemies.She had even considered using Shadow Gale against Cooper to ta
Tyler frowned.He shoved away Zara who was glued to him, then he went straight for Kelsey.“I’m sorry I took so long!”He took Kelsey in his arms and whispered a sincere apology.Kelsey shook her head and smiled., “Don’t worry, you came just in time!”“Did they do anything to you?” Tyler pulled away and nervously inspected her from head to toe.“I’m fine, let's get out of here.” Kelsey grabbed his hand and assured him.They could worry about the details once they got out of there.They needed to get out of this wretched place as soon as they could.Tyler fixed a look at her and nodded.He was aware of the dangers of prolonging their stay here. He wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and prepared to walk out of the room.“Wait, don't leave me!” Zara cried out anxiously.Without even waiting for a response, she went up to Tyler and took his free hand.Kelsey was unsettled by how Zara was so comfortable with being physical with Tyler.Even if they were not going to leave
There was a sudden loud explosion before Jerome even pulled the trigger.It came from behind Jerome and his men.Half of the structure of the abandoned factory crumbled.At the same time, the alarm blared across the air.One of Jerome’s men went up to him to report, “This is bad, Jerome. The cops are here!”Jerome glared grimly at Tyler. “Did you call the cops?”Tyler sneered. “Did you think I would come here without being prepared?”Jerome’s face twisted with anger. “It’s only a matter of time before I get you, Tyler!”He had hoped to lure Tyler here with Kelsey so that he would get to have his way with Tyler.He did not expect Tyler to willingly submit himself into the trap. As it turned out, it was because Tyler was ready for this scenario the entire time!Everything had been planned from the start.Tyler's men and the police had surrounded the factory.If Jerome did not leave now, he would be caught.He had no time to waste and retreated right away.Despite the urgenc
Steve mounted Megan and punched her face left and right. Megan would hurl abuse at him at first, but her tirade quickly turned into pleading. Steve smacked Megan over two dozen times, only stopping when Megan lay limp on the floor. He turned to Tyler, his grimacing face replaced with ingratiation. “I have taught the bitch a lesson, Mr. Lang.” Stoic-faced, Tyler did not spare a glance at Steve. Steve was irrelevant to Tyler. Tyler took strides to Kelsey and grabbed her hands. He murmured in her ear, “Do you feel better now?” Kelsey looked back at Megan’s swollen face and curled her lips. “She’s not worth my time anyway.” The constant struggles with Charlie and Megan over the years had hardened Kelsey emotionally.Megan’s verbal abuse was like water off a duck’s back. Besides, Charlie had kicked Megan out of the house. Megan’s words were nothing more than a desperate cry now. Steve was no better than Charlie, and Megan had it coming. Despite his age, Steve went
Megan widened her eyes in disbelief at Steve. “D-Did you just hit me?” The last thing Megan expected was Steve to attack her. She thought she had compromised enough by dating a man so much older.Steve had been spoiling her rotten lately, giving her everything she wanted. Megan had gotten a big head. She thought she had Steve in the bag. Yet, to her dismay, Steve assaulted her. “Bitch!” Steve made a face of disgust. “Why did you slander Ms. Young?” In Steve’s opinion, Megan was more trouble than she was worth. Steve had gone to great lengths to curry favor with Tyler. Megan had gone and insulted Tyler’s woman right in his face. To make matters worse, Steve was caught up in the mess too. Steve regretted spoiling Megan, and she had gone in over her head. Megan’s eyes welled up. “Steve…” Her lips quivered as she looked at Steve with a hurt expression. Paying her no mind, Steve was occupied with ideas to please Tyler. “She’s just an escort to me, Mr. La
Steve felt embarrassed. He had been wanting to make Tyler’s acquaintance, but a chance to meet him was hard to come by. Now that he ran into Tyler, Steve was determined to make the most out of it. “Let me be a host to you today, Mr. Lang—” Megan cut Steve off. “Mr. Lang, you might not know this, but Kelsey’s father is facing bankruptcy. He’s deep in debt too. Kelsey and her father are just going to be your burden. Don’t let Kelsey’s seemingly innocence fool you. They are just going to leech off you. My daughter, Josephine, is a nice and sensible girl. She’s a better companion than Kelsey. I’ll be delighted to introduce you to her.” Kelsey was impressed with Megan. Even now, Megan had not given up on pushing Josephine into Tyler’s arms. In Kelsey’s past life, Megan went to lengths to matchmake Josephine and Tyler. Nevertheless, Tyler never took an interest in Josephine. Megan was just as delusional as ever. However, Kelsey had no idea that Charlie owed a lot of mon
“She’s just a bitch.” Megan hissed through clenched teeth, her jealousy showing. She had a hunch. The sudden change in the manager’s attitude toward Kelsey was likely due to Tyler. Megan wished she had Kelsey’s luck to meet a good-looking and rich man. Steve did not believe Megan. If Kelsey was just an ordinary woman, the manager would not take her up to the exclusive top floor. That was a height Steve could never reach despite a lifetime of hard work. However, Kelsey had no plans to accept the manager’s invitation to dine on the top floor. Since Charlie would not be attending or taking Susan out of the nursing home, Kelsey had no reason to dine alone on the top floor. Kelsey was better off getting back to her new office and ordering a takeout. Her discussion with Rosette about the costume design for Adrienne’s new film would continue this afternoon.However, the manager stopped her from leaving and apologized to her frantically. “Please see it in your heart not to
It was upsetting enough for Kelsey since Charlie managed to deceive her once more. However, Megan had to gloat. “What did I tell you? I told you Charlie can’t afford this place. He can’t even show his face because he’s expected to pay the bill.” “Oh, quit it!” Kelsey glared at Megan. To think Kelsey would give her an attitude. Megan had Steve on her side now. She was no longer the other woman who lived off Charlie’s good graces. Surely, Megan earned the right to mock Charlie. “You’re the manager. Has St. Gills lost its exclusivity? It’s a disgrace that you let just about anyone in,” Megan said sarcastically. Kelsey retaliated. “Oh, aren’t you a picture of poise, Megan? With your sugar daddy, you can’t even make it past security.” “You!” Megan looked daggers at Kelsey. Livid, Megan commanded the manager, “Throw the bitch out now before I’ll make sure your establishment ceases to operate.” The manager narrowed his eyes on Kelsey and Megan. Judging by Kelsey’s mod
“Kelsey, what are you doing here?” Megan asked harshly.With Megan and Steve approaching, the manager drew close and welcomed them. It then dawned on Kelsey that Megan and Steve were the VIPs who took the private lounge from Charlie. The manager explained the situation, and Megan sneered. “Charlie is going broke. I doubt he can afford to dine at St. Gill’s. With his mounting debts, he’s embarrassing himself when the time comes to pay the bill.” Kelsey narrowed her eyes. Charlie must be using Susan’s birthday as a pretext to ask for more money from Tyler since the family business was going bust. However, Tyler had given Charlie a large sum of money. It was puzzling how Charlie managed to burn through it. Kelsey snapped back with a smirk. “Even so, Charlie is paying with his own money, unlike some people who can’t live a day without a sugar daddy.” Color drained from Megan’s face. Kelsey was basically calling her a gold digger. Megan would not be in this position in th
Kelsey and Rosette discussed the specifics of auditioning for Adrienne’s new film’s costume design role.As the time neared noon, Kelsey glanced at her phone. Tyler had not replied to her text message. It was nearly time for Susan’s birthday celebration at St. Gill’s. Kelsey decided to go ahead to St. Gill’s. While on the way, she gave Charlie a call to inform that Tyler would not be available for the celebration. Charlie’s voice reflected his disappointment. “What’s this? Why can’t Tyler make it?” Kelsey bit the bullet and explained, “I haven’t been able to reach him.” “I thought Tyler adored you. Why couldn’t you get in touch with him? Did you upset him?” Charlie grilled her. Kelsey refuted, “Things have been going well for us, thanks for asking. He has an emergency today.” Her bond with Tyler could not be stronger. Heck, they nearly went all the way this morning. The nerve of her father to put her down. Charlie was furious. “I knew I couldn’t count on you.” He
Kelsey frowned. “What are you up to now?” She doubted Charlie was so nice to want the family to be together for her grandmother, Susan’s birthday. It was probably an excuse to get close to Tyler. Since Charlie got together with Megan, Kelsey could count on her finger the number of times he had been to the nursing home to visit Susan. Kelsey could not remember the last time Charlie celebrated Susan’s birthday. Charlie could not even remember Susan’s birthdate. Yet, Charlie was so kind to throw her a party. Kelsey could only suspect that Charlie had ulterior motives. “How can you say that about me, Kelsey? I’m your father. Am I wrong to throw your grandmother a birthday party?” Charlie reprimanded. Kelsey was skeptical. “You’re not wrong, but…” It was uncertain whether he had Susan’s interest at heart. “But what?” Charlie asked. He started blaming himself. “I know that I listened to Megan and neglected you and Mom. I’ve gotten rid of her. Now, I just want to be a go
With a predatory glint in his eyes, Tyler pressed his lips against Kelsey’s.“I’ll take your silence as your consent.” “Hang on!” Kelsey pushed him away. She meant business since it was about his sleepwalking last night. “I have a question.” “What is it?” Tyler asked in a raspy voice, his lips still lingering across her skin. His hands eagerly pulled her gown off her. “Do you sleepwalk?” Kelsey asked. Tyler paused, his eyes bearing a weight of emotions. Kelsey knew she was right on the money. Tyler had known about his sleepwalking. “Did you know you were sleepwalking last night?” Kelsey said while fixating earnestly on him. She was more concerned about his health. Tyler seemed healthy. Yet, he wandered off in a sleeping state. Judging by Tyler’s response, it was not his first rodeo. Generally speaking, sleepwalking was associated with trauma or unresolved issues. Kelsey suspected that Tyler had been through some kind of trauma, or something in his past wa