No-Face's voice had a deep and raspy quality, sending a shiver down my spine and leaving a tingling sensation in its wake.I thanked him, expressing my gratitude."Sweetie, why are you being so formal? Cosplay enthusiasts are usually easygoing. You don't need to keep thanking and apologizing," Wendy said, linking her arm with mine. She turned to No-Face with an invitation, "Are you here alone? You're welcome to join us.""Sure," No-Face agreed.Wendy's friendly approach proved to be a good decision. No-Face's tall, broad figure acted as a protective wall, shielding us from the bustling crowd and helping us navigate through the sea of people.Wendy looked pleased with herself.I gently nudged her waist, and she giggled, poking me back.Being ticklish, I squirmed and accidentally bumped into No-Face.He looked down at me, and I was about to apologize again when he said, "We're friends now. You don't need to be so formal with me."I smiled at him, unaware of the fleeting look of
"Bro, which one are we supposed to kidnap?" asked the man holding me as he shoved me into the car.Wendy, a fitness enthusiast, was in much better shape than me. She managed to brace her foot against the car and use the leverage to slam her captor into a nearby vehicle."Feisty bitch!" the man growled through gritted teeth, clearly in pain from the impact. He retaliated by gripping Wendy's throat.Watching Wendy's face contort in pain through the car window, I felt like an ant on a hot pan. Desperate to help, I headbutted the man next to me, trying to break free."Settle down, you!" he snarled, yanking my hair and shoving me back into the seat. The pain in my scalp made me break out in a cold sweat. Before I could recover, Wendy was roughly pushed into the car beside me."Bro, if we take both, it's double the pay. We've hit the jackpot!" exclaimed the heavyset man restraining me, his voice brimming with excitement."Idiot! They only asked for one. What if the client finds out and
"Hurry up and gag her!"The skinny man hesitated, unsure if my words would sway him. Eventually, he let go of Wendy to assist his partner with the tape.Seizing the opportunity, Wendy pushed the man away and reached for the car door, desperately attempting to escape.Reacting swiftly, the skinny man grabbed Wendy's shoulder just as her hand touched the handle and slapped her across the face with force."You bastard!" Wendy snarled.As the heiress of Johnsonville's wealthiest family, Wendy was accustomed to respect and deference. She had never been treated so roughly before.Enraged, she raised her hand to retaliate.However, the man, much stronger than her, seized her collar and prepared to strike again."Stop it!" I shouted.The sound of the slap resonated within me, filling me with a combination of heartache and anger. As the skinny man moved to hit Wendy again, I instinctively slapped him twice in rapid succession."How dare you hit my brother!" the heavyset man yelled, dr
With our hands and feet bound, maintaining balance was challenging. We squirmed on the ground like caterpillars, relying on each other as we struggled to sit up.This simple action drained our energy. We rested for a while, backs pressed together, attempting to untie each other's wrists.Our arms were tied behind our backs, making it impossible to see the knots. We had to rely solely on touch.Closing our eyes heightened our sense of touch.Every slight movement sent a shooting pain through our wrists, but I gritted my teeth and endured it.After several failed attempts, our fingertips finally touched. I could feel Wendy's fingers trembling slightly.Knowing her wrists were as injured as mine, I reassuringly grasped her hand.Encouraged, she continued her efforts.The pain caused beads of cold sweat to form on our foreheads, trickling down our cheeks and dripping onto my body.The sweat stung my eyes. I tried to raise my shoulder to wipe my face, but even this simple action wa
Just as we were about to continue walking in despair, hoping for better luck, a car pulled up next to us.Luke emerged from the back seat. His impeccable suit contrasted sharply with our disheveled appearance.In one swift motion, Luke stood in front of me, examining me from head to toe. "Are you hurt?" His voice sounded urgent, lacking its usual calm. His grip on my shoulders was so tight that I instinctively flinched.Wendy whistled. "Well, well, Luke. You're biased, but I'm still here, mind you!"Wendy's words seemed to awaken Luke from his thoughts. He quickly masked his anxiety, although his eyes remained fixed on me as if afraid I would disappear if he blinked.His intense gaze made me uneasy, and I couldn't meet his eyes. "Mr. Walker... what are you doing here?""I've been looking for you." Luke's Adam's apple moved as he nervously put his slightly trembling hands into his pockets.Then, he noticed the rope marks on my wrists, and his pupils constricted. He grabbed my arm
As my fingers brushed against a round, hard object beneath the fabric of my skirt, I felt a faint electric current. Intrigued, I lifted the hem.Tucked under the short skirt was a smooth, black object that resembled a chess piece."What's that?" Wendy asked, noticing the item in my hand."I'm not sure," I replied. The electric sensation grew stronger as I held it, and I could hear a faint buzzing when I listened closely. "I found it on my skirt."Luke turned around. "Let me see it."Knowing Luke's extensive knowledge, I handed it to him.As our fingertips touched, a tingling sensation shot through my hand.I quickly withdrew my hand.Luke casually examined the "chess piece."He signaled the driver to pull over.Wendy started to speak, but Luke gestured for her to be quiet. Wendy immediately understood that the object was something sinister and fell silent.Luke handed the object to the driver, typing something on his phone.The driver nodded and left the car with the object
The thought of having walked around in front of so many people with my face in such a state made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear."I'll get you some water to clean up," Luke said, as if reading my mind. I kept my head down, not speaking.Wendy chimed in, "Luke, besides water, we need makeup remover too!""This is a hospital. Where's he going to find makeup remover?" I thought Wendy was setting Luke an impossible task."Aren't there any women in the hospital?" Wendy retorted."Being sick isn't gender-specific," I pointed out."There are beauty-conscious women everywhere. Where there are women, there's makeup remover. If Luke uses just a bit of his charm, he could probably get a full set of cosmetics, let alone makeup remover."I was speechless. Wendy was essentially asking Luke to use his looks to get what we needed!With our wrist wounds treated, we could have just gone home and taken antibiotics as prescribed. But because Wendy wanted to make a bigger deal of the incid
Wendy had always been black and white in her feelings. To her, Sarah's arrival had stolen her father's undivided attention, and she treated her stepmother with cold indifference.Over the years, the two had managed a fragile peace.Sarah's affectionate gesture made Wendy instinctively recoil, and she shifted to the far side of the bed.Ignoring Wendy's reaction, Sarah gently touched her forehead. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We're here. No one will hurt you."Wendy smirked coldly.That smirk caused Mr. Smith's expression to harden. "I told you to call your siblings. Where are they?""I've already notified them," Sarah replied. "They were very worried when they heard about Wendy being kidnapped and hospitalized. They should be here soon.""The police have already started investigating the kidnapping! You'd better pray this has nothing to do with them!" Mr. Smith's words were sharp and cold.Sarah hurriedly tried to explain, "They may be a bit irresponsible sometimes, but they're go