Chapter 1 - An Insidious Plan

Elisha Foster stood on both legs, which felt weak. The off-shoulder dress she was wearing showed clearly how her shoulders were shaking.

"You will be able to enjoy my niece for your satisfaction tonight, Sir Baker." It was the voice of Marlon Foster, her uncle, who managed to make Elisha hold her breath for a moment.

She just overheard the conversation. By chance, Elisha saw her uncle in the Social Lounge area, which is not too far from the restaurant where they will have dinner.

She wasn't too sure about her decision. It's just at this time Elisha was hiding behind a pillar, which was not far from where Marlon was sitting.

Elisha bit her lip hard because she felt tense. She then dared to take a peek and wanted to know with who her uncle was talking.

"Where's that pretty niece of yours?" asked a middle-aged man with an annoying grin that Elisha didn't recognize. "You're not just lying to me, are you, Foster? Don't forget that your debt has increased since you lost gambling recently."

"Don't worry, Sir. Don't worry." Marlon said while rubbing his hands together. "I've asked her to come to this hotel for dinner. Coincidentally, today is her twentieth birthday, so that I can have a valid reason. I left her for a while, with the excuse that I wanted to say hello to a friend. She must be waiting dutifully for me in the restaurant, Sir."

Elisha gripped her trembling hands tightly. Everything now became more and more apparent to her. "So, is that why Uncle Marlon suddenly asked me to come home? All his words about missing me and wanting to celebrate my birthday together were nonsense. No wonder he invited me to a place as luxurious as this. He wanted something else."

The venue Marlon had chosen for the dinner this time was the Adorne restaurant, which was on the seventh floor of the Five Seasons hotel. Five Season is an upscale hotel that stands in downtown Chicago.

The fact that her uncle intended to sell her made Elisha so shocked. The reason is, so far, she has considered Marlon as a substitute for a father figure.

"And I'm already so happy because, after three years, Uncle Marlon finally contacted me," Elisha whispered, trying to hold back her tears. "Then, how can Uncle do this to me heartlessly?"

There was a feeling of not being accepted that was now floating and clogging her throat. Even more so when Elisha finally saw the figure of the man who was now talking to her uncle. Dudley Baker.

Dudley Baker had a chubby build with a flabby face. The suit he wore was luxurious, and every stitch was hand-made carefully, Even though, in fact, that thing couldn't cover up the presence of his giant belly, which made the buttons of his suit look like they would be thrown loose at any moment.

It felt as if Elisha was looking at a fat pig wearing a suit that didn't fit at all, standing on its two hind legs. Just looking at him from a distance made her nauseous.

In addition, Dudley Baker was no longer young either. Elisha guessed that the man was at least fifty years old.

"Are you sure that your niece is easy to handle?"

"Don't worry, Sir. Don't worry. She won't give you any trouble. For the last ten years, she has lived steadily in the school's boarding house. So, you can imagine how innocent she is. She believed me when I said I missed her and wanted her to come home."

"Hmm," Dudley muttered as he stroked his chin which was nothing more than a pile of fat. "But what if she refuses and resists when I'm about to, um... enjoy her? She definitely wouldn't want to serve me willingly. I don't like women who make things difficult, Foster!"

"Ah, you don't need to think about it, sir," said Marlon, his face shining with happiness. "I can arrange to mix something into her food and drink. After that, she will fall to you, and you two will have a great time."

After she heard all of this, she had no choice but to stay much longer. Elisha decided to return to the Foster family's residence, packed up all her belongings, then returned to her campus dormitory in Victoria, Australia, with the fastest flight.

But unfortunately, Elisha didn't realize that Marlon had already got up from his seat and walked toward the pillar where she was hiding. "Eli, what are you doing here?"

Several seconds passed in silence. Until then, Elisha managed to regain her consciousness and immediately ran away from the Lounge.

"What for are you guys waiting? Chase her! Now!"

Elisha could hear Dudley Baker growling. She didn't have time to turn around to see how many people were chasing her. In her mind, Elisha immediately crossed out the plan to pack her things at the Foster family's residence and headed straight to the airport.

She arrived just as the lift doors were closing. Unfortunately, the other lifts were still not open yet. Without thinking much, she chose to run down the emergency stairs.

But when she had just reached the fifth floor, Elisha caught the sound of footsteps from downstairs coming towards her. She wasn't stupid enough not to notice that it was the people assigned to see her. 

Reluctantly, Elisha pushed open the emergency exit and entered the fifth-floor corridor. For a moment, she just stood there, dazed.

Oh, Lord. Where should she run now?

***