A young woman was bound to an operating table, her hands and legs spread wide. The blue gown she had put on was folded up to her waist, exposing her lower body. Her face was pale in fear. Her body was trembling non-stop. It was difficult to tell whether she was shaking from the cold or fear.Natasha Wynn looked at the various instruments displayed on her right, including scalpels, forceps, scissors, clamps, and many others whose names she didn't know. Then she moved her gaze to the nurse with a mask on her face, standing next to the operation table. Her heart twisted when she saw her preparing an injection.She was always afraid of the injections. She wriggled but couldn't get her hands and legs free from the clamps that held them to the operating table."Let me go, please," she pleaded. She began to regret agreeing to this arrangement. "I don’t want to do it. Let go of me." The more she spoke, the louder she sounded."Shh…" The nurse pressed her index finger against her lips. "Mainta
Natasha scooted to the far end of the bed and cringed, hugging her knees. She kept her eye on the guy in the black shirt and the black pants. His towering stature was daunting. She shuddered even harder with each step he took toward her.Even though she was terrified, she couldn't take her eyes off him. Because of the black mask, she was unable to see his face other than his eyes, which were cold and intimidating.She gradually realized that she had to sleep with this man. She felt cheated.What a fool she was to put her trust in her aunt.She wanted to flee right away. But she remained speechless, glued to the spot.The man halted his steps, shoving his hands inside his pockets. His mouth twisted in annoyance as he watched her tremble."Tsk…" He clicked his tongue. "You are making me bored. Don’t make me lose interest. Or else, I will send you away."His deep voice vibrated inside her stomach. It was deeper than the man's voice who had brought her here.Natasha felt nothing but chill
The next morning…Natasha woke up with a sore on her lower back. She felt like each muscle in her body was spent. It was as if a road roller had run over her."Mm…" she groaned and sat up, her lower back hurting.She recalled the erotic night she had had with that man. She had been keeping her virginity for her future husband for the past twenty years. But she had lost it last night to a stranger.That man seemed to have lost control. He had tormented her the whole night.When she looked around the room, she didn’t find a trace of him. She dragged herself out of bed, a grimace appearing on her face. Her legs wobbled from the pain down there, yet she maintained her balance.She found her dress lying on the floor. It was not in the state to wear. She remembered how ruthlessly he had ripped the dress."What should I do?" She murmured, looking around. "I can’t stay here any longer. I have to find something to wear."Her wandering gaze landed on the walk-in closet. She limped into it.The
Six years later…In a hospital…Natasha waited in the queue in front of a billing counter for her turn to pay. She was dazedly staring at the invoice in her hand. The bill was more than half her monthly salary.Her son had a congenital heart problem and had to rush to the hospital once again. It was his second hospitalization this month. It took him a week to recover this time.The doctor suggested surgery as soon as possible. If not, his condition would worsen. But Natasha could hardly manage his medications. She had no idea how she would arrange the money for the surgery.Because of surrogacy, she couldn’t complete her drama major. Her dream of becoming an actress never came true. She wouldn’t have faced this money problem if she had fulfilled her dream. Now she was working as a typist in a small company to feed herself and her son.She never complained about her misfortune as she thought she would have a happy life with her son. But her cruel destiny didn’t show her mercy. It had s
The Rolls Royce pulled over in front of a luxurious villa several minutes later. The boy jumped out of the car before the driver could get out and open the door for him. He stomped into the house, his face glum."Master Johnson, watch your steps," the driver cautioned as he pulled out the school bag and the cake box. "You may fall."Johnson hurried in without bothering about his words. He saw his father’s fiancée, Amber, in the hall. His face turned even darker as he muttered in his mind, ‘Bad witch.’"Hey, little wonder." Amber approached him, donning a sweet smile on her face. "You are back from school. Come and sit with me for a while." She stretched her arms wide.Johnson gave her a sidelong gaze and walked up to his room."Oh…" Amber turned around and stared at his back, mouth agape. "What is the matter with him?"She saw the driver coming in. "Why is he so upset?" she asked. "Does anything happen in the school? Do I need to contact his teacher?""I have no idea why his mood has
"When I was young like you, mamma and papa used to take me to Shihai," Natasha said as she walked to the bus stop, holding Jack’s hand. "It is a lovely town in a valley, surrounded by pine trees and away from the city's pollution. I enjoyed visiting there. Uhh…" She sighed deeply. "I haven't been there in years. I am thinking of…"She stopped talking abruptly when she saw Jack staring at something. She followed his gaze and saw nothing but running cars."Are you okay?" she asked, a frown on her face.Jack shifted his attention to her frantically as if he had just come out of his trance. It made Natasha frown even harder."What are you looking at?" she asked.Jack blinked as if puzzled. He then smiled and asked back a question, "Do you like to ride in a car? A luxurious car?"Natasha couldn’t help but laugh. She put her hand under his chin and said, "Of course, I’d like to ride in a car. We will get a car when you grow up and get a good job.""Hmm…" Jack nodded and turned aside.Natash
Jack had been in a sour mood since they returned home. He had not been talking much. He kept himself locked in his room.Natasha wanted to make him happy. She prepared Jack’s favorite chicken noodle soup with a lot of scallions for supper."Yummy soup is ready," she said as she put the bowl of soup on the table. "Come and have it before it gets cold.""…"She cast a sidelong glance at his room and called him, "Jack… I am waiting.""…""Jack…" She turned to his room. "Are you coming?"She walked over there and raised her hand to knock on the door. Her hand froze in the air as she heard him talking. It sounded like he was conversing with someone else. Her eyebrows knitted as she leaned forward and put her ear to the door."Yes… I want specifically that one," she heard him say."Jack…" She knocked on the door."…""What are you doing? Open the door." Natasha pounded on the door harder this time."Coming, mommy."Creak…Jack opened the door after some time. "Yes, mommy." He smiled at her.
When Natasha looked down at herself, she found her black skirt was soiled. There was dirt on her knees as well. Her elbows hurt.She checked her elbows, only to see several scratches. The skin turned red.‘Jack will worry if he sees these.’She brushed the dirt off her skirt and slowly walked ahead to find a public toilet. After looking for a while, she finally found a lavatory and went in.She opened the faucet of the sink and cleaned her elbows first."Hiss…" She winced when the cold water touched her sore skin. After cleaning, she dried her hands with her handkerchief. Then she took two waterproof bandages from her bag and placed one on each of her injured elbows.Bang…She flinched at the loud noise of the door opening and closing. She turned to the entrance frantically and saw a man rushing in. Before she could figure out anything, the man dragged her into a cubicle and closed the door."Shh…" He sealed her mouth with his large palm.Natasha remained affixed to the wall as if she
"Erin…" He yelled and rushed towards the building.Sean had just arrived at the site. He jumped out of the car and dashed over.The fire came out of every hole in the building. It was terrifying. Victor jumped through the fire, and so did Sean."Natasha…""Erin…"There was no one inside. They hurried to the first floor, where the fire was less. However, the smoke made it difficult for them to breathe and see through it. They coughed and looked for her."Sean, I will look here. Go to the upstairs."Sean ran to the second floor, where there was more fire. The raging flames on the threshold stood in his way. Sean took a step back, only to run through the fire. The flames engulfed his back and arms.He took off his jacket and threw it down, stepping on it to put out the fire. He saw her tied with a chair."Natasha…" he rushed over to her.She was unconscious."Shit…" He hurriedly untied her and tapped her cheeks. "Wake up. Look at me. Natasha…"She was unresponsive.Sean picked up his jac
Natasha resumed shooting since Easton assured her he would take care of her. She was delighted Sean had not opposed it. They agreed to change the storyline so that Natasha's character would be replaced with a new character. The team had already begun looking for a new female lead.She was resting in the green room during her break. She received a few messages and frowned at the ‘private number’. Curious, she checked the message. Her face turned ashen in seconds, and the phone slipped from her grasp. Her hands were shaking. Tears seeped through her cheeks."No…" She slumped to the ground, the world around her spinning. She bit her fingertips as she tried to contemplate what to do. At this moment of tension, her brain shut down. She could see no way out.Ding-Dang-Ding-Dang…The phone started ringing. The private number blinked on the screen.Natasha trembled even more. Her muscles were numb, while her heart was pounding.With her shaky hand, she picked up the phone and answered it."Co
Sean arrived at the office and looked for Harry. His secretary hurried over and informed him that Harry had died in a deadly car crash a couple of days ago."What? Why didn’t anybody inform me?"The secretary looked here and there, nervous. "We were all shocked at the unexpected news, and you were on vacation. We thought we shouldn’t disturb you."Sean went silent. He waved his hand, asking her to leave. Gloominess spread across his face as he suspected whether Antony was involved.Harry had been monitoring Antony’s activities recently and had called him two days ago, saying that he had something important to tell him. But he had a car crash that day. This couldn’t be a coincidence.What if it was a planned murder?Sean became worried.Antony had become even more lethal than before. He was always causing minor and major issues in the workplace. He had tried to hurt him several times in the past but had never been successful. All of that paled in comparison to his recent deadly attacks
Sean considered throwing his twins a birthday party after being released from the hospital to cheer them up. However, the unexpected news of his grandmother's illness forced him to return home.He arrived at the mansion and went straight to Helena’s room. He found her sleeping with a nurse changing the IV drip."How is she?" he asked in a low voice, approaching the nurse."She is stable now," the nurse replied. "But still weak. She needs proper rest and care.""Hmm…" Sean nodded. "What happened to her? She was okay a few days ago.""Stomach upset. It is normal at this age. She will be fine.""Mm…" Helena groaned and woke up after hearing their murmurs. "Sean, you are here." She stretched her hand towards him."Grandma…" Sean hurried to him and took her hand, sitting down beside her. "I am here.""Mm…" She whimpered as she tried to get up."No…" Sean held her shoulders and stopped her from moving. "You need rest. Don’t move, and don’t talk.""I am not going to die until I see you marry
Natasha woke up early in the morning and found Sean sleeping beside her. As she glanced around the room, she noticed Jack and Johnson sleeping on the sofa. She remembered falling asleep in the bedroom. What happened overnight to send her to the hospital? How come she didn’t know anything about it?She moved to get up, which awoke Sean. She then laid back, looking into his eyes.He also stared back at her with nostalgia. He pushed the strand of her hair that was stuck on her face and murmured, "Good morning.""Good morning. Why am I here?"He caressed her cheek and kept staring at her. Every time he looked at her, he felt at ease, as if all of his desires had been met. Without her, he couldn’t even imagine his life. He would have died of heartbreak if something bad happened to her. He had never expected to fall so deeply in love with someone.He didn't want to distress her by telling her about the last night’s incident. At the same time, he couldn’t hide it either."The maid in the vil
Victor, Easton’s cousin, paid a visit to him. His sole motive was to take him home according to his grandfather’s instructions. However, he was surprised to find Easton depressed."I have never seen you drink during the daytime," he said as he took a seat on the sofa next to him.Easton chuckled and poured him a glass of whiskey."Thank you." Victor raised his glass. "What is bothering you?" He glanced at him curiously, taking a swig."It is something that no one can help me with," Easton replied, his face solemn."I can do anything for you, and you know it."Easton smiled, which looked ugly on his face. "I love someone. Sadly, she is in love with someone else. And... she is happy with him." His eyes turned watery. "I am happy for her. But this pain…" He rubbed his chest. "It is not going away. It is killing me. I am trying to forget her…" He inhaled and sighed deeply. "I can’t stop thinking about her. Alcohol helps me to numb my brain, and I am able to forget her for a while."He dra
Amber was pale, the chill reaching her bones. She was trapped in a situation from which she had no way out. Despite her displeasure, she had no choice but to obey Antony's orders. Otherwise, she would go to jail or the grave.Buzz-Buzz-Buzz…A sudden vibration of her phone startled her, and she dropped it. Her face turned even paler at the glimpse of Harry’s name on the screen. Antony was ahead of her, and Harry was close behind. One was leading her into the endless darkness, while the other was pleading with her to flee. Standing in between them, she couldn’t decide who to choose.Her heart desired to flee, holding Harry's hand. Her conscience, however, reminded her that she couldn't escape Antony. There was no way she would choose Harry.The phone continued buzzing.Antony glanced down at the phone. "Why are you not answering the call?"Amber was jarred back to reality. She picked up the phone. "It’s not important." She disconnected the call.Antony glanced at her and said, "Keep on
It had been two days since the amusement park incident. Natasha became strangely quiet. She stayed with Jack and Johnson when she returned from the shoot. She avoided Sean completely as if she was upset with him.Sean tried several times to strike up a conversation, but Natasha ignored him. He reasoned that she was still shocked and considered taking them on vacation and celebrating the boys' birthdays.The next day, they arrived on an island where Sean had a villa close to the seashore. The sound of waves could be heard from here. The water was deep blue and crystal clear. Watching the sea was always soothing, despite its restless waves. The palm trees that lined the perimeter added to the majestic view.Natasha stood on the porch, which was outlooking the sea, and watched the tireless waves as restless as her mind. The sound of the gunshots was still resounding in her ears. It brought back the terrifying memories of her past that she had buried within herself.She had lost her biolo
When Sean returned home, he found Natasha sleeping. He was relieved to learn from the maid that she had eaten. He sat down beside her and caressed her cheek. His heart was heavy as he saw the tear streak on her cheeks. Despite so much security, he was unable to stop those goons from attacking them. He wondered which enemy had become so audacious that they wanted to kill him and his family.He suspected his uncle as he knew about his involvement with the underworld. But he could do nothing without proof."I will always protect you and my sons," he murmured.Knock-Knock…He glanced at the door and walked over to open it. He found Angus outside the room."Any update."Angus nodded, his serious demeanor maintained.Sean walked into the study, followed by Angus. He sat on his seat, beckoning him to take his seat.Angus only glanced at the chair but didn’t sit down. "We were able to catch one of them alive. He admitted that Mr. Antony had sent them to kill you all."Sean squinted at him, hi