Pearl beamed, then closed the door while deep in thought. After she came out of the bathroom, Tanner placed a glass of warm water on the table and left the bedroom. She sat on the bed and looked at the glass of water. She couldn't help but sense the irony as she took the glass and lay back down. When she woke up again, it was already afternoon. She felt better, and the heaviness lifted too.She walked out of the room and sighed in relief when she didn’t see Tanner around. She made some spaghetti in the kitchen, and since Tanner had taken her phone and there were guards outside, she hadn’t been able to speak to her family in more than a month. Even if she went out, he had to agree to it first, and someone would follow her. She lived in torture and faced nothing other than pain. The only time she could relax was when he wasn’t around. However, he returned very soon and saw that she was making food. He walked over. “Is your fever gone?”Pearl nodded. “Yes.”He loosened his tie.
Mr. Saldana was in a good mood, so he didn’t mind her request and gave her some wine. “We have plenty of alcohol. Drink whatever you want.”Tanner smiled, but his eyes weren’t smiling. “You seem happy with the woman I brought over.”“You have great taste. I’m happy with this one.” Mr. Saldana put his arm on the back of the couch and smiled. “I wonder if you’re willing to hand her to me?”Tanner’s hand that was pouring froze, then he put the bottle down next to his hand. “You like this one?”“Of course, she’s a pretty lady.” Mr. Saldana looked her up and down and touched his chin. “She’s different from the other girls I see here. She looks pretty decent. If she didn’t show up with you, I would have thought that she was from an affluent family. Where did you find her?”Pearl grabbed the wine glass tightly.Tanner looked at her, and his eyes grew dark. “As long as you’re happy with her.”He drank all the wine in his glass. At that moment, two girls who worked at the club walked in,
“Mr. Hannigan, I’ve followed your request—” Before Pearl could finish, he suddenly slapped her. Her face turned, and she stood there on the spot. The slap wasn’t too hard, but it hit straight into her heart, which was already shattered in pieces. Tanner grabbed her shoulder, pushed her against the wall, and looked toward a certain spot. He grabbed her face to force her to look at him. “Pearl, you’re just a broken shoe that nobody wants to wear, so don’t even think that you will ever escape me!”Pearl’s eyes welled up, but she held the tears back. Tanner looked away from her and pulled her into the elevator.The man who was hiding in the dark immediately walked back into the private room after they left. He walked to Mr. Saldana. “Sir, it looks like the rumors were true. The marriage between the two didn’t work out because he thinks that Ms. Santiago is unwanted. He’s too reckless to make her an escort and even assaulted her outside. He warned that she won’t be able to escape him.
Tanner looked back, started the car, and drove away. When they returned to the apartment, Pearl took a shower. When she was done, Tanner, who was smoking on the bed, crushed the cigarette bud in the ashtray. “You can go home tomorrow.”He got up and walked toward her, then placed his hand on her cheeks and kissed her.Pearl didn’t fight back but instead fell into his arms and made herself accept his kisses—her eyes were still empty.He didn’t tie her up that night but instead kissed her when he felt like it. They were in a heated situation, but she just felt cold. She couldn’t see the sympathy in his eyes in the dark, and he couldn't see her hatred. The next day, at the Santiagos…Tanner sent Pearl there, and Mrs. Santiago walked quickly over after he got out of the car. “Pearl!”She pulled her into a tight hug, her heart aching. “I’m sorry.” She let go of Pearl and touched her face. “You’ve lost so much weight. Are you unhappy?”After she said that, she looked at Tanner, who
Tanner laughed, and his facial expression stiffened slightly. However, he did not say anything in return.Helios looked at the horse rider on the racecourse and said, “We've known each other for quite a long time, and I know you're someone who wouldn't give up on a relationship that easily. Although I don't know what is happening between you and her, Mr. Santiago seems to be very worried about his daughter.”“Helios,” Tanner smiled, “It's better for you to stay out of my business with Pearl.”“I don’t plan to interfere,” Helios replied as he sipped on his coffee. “But here's some advice for you. Stop before it's too late.”Tanner fell silent.After a short while, Tanner left. Helios looked at his figure and fell into contemplation.Meanwhile, at Soul…“Mr. Santiago asked Helios to persuade Tanner?” Maisie looked at Barbara.Sitting on the couch, Barbara sipped on her tea and smiled. “Yeah. He came to the mansion the other day and asked my husband to persuade Tanner to leave his
Pearl did not say anything in return. Tanner let out a scoff, and his face turned even grimmer. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”He tightened his grip on her chin and continued. “I won't let you die so easily. After all, there are many ways to torture you.”Her face turned pale slightly, and her breathing became heavy. Tanner flung her back into her seat and quickly drove away. Tanner dragged her into the bathroom when they were back in the apartment. He filled the bathtub with cold water and threw her into it without any hesitation.The water soaked through her clothes and splashed all over him. The biting cold water wrapped around her, and she was so cold that she shivered. Before she could do anything, Tanner grabbed her hair and hissed. “Why must you force me to do this? Do you really want to die so much?”He pushed her head into the water, causing her to struggle with all her might. She gasped heavily for air when he scooped her out of the water. However, he pushed her into
Maisie nodded. “Well, I expected this.”Barbara summoned the waiter and continued. “She’s living in Mr. Hannigan’s apartment now, but I think he’s holding her captive.” She ordered a cup of Blue Mountain coffee, and after the waiter had gone away, she asked, “Aren't you curious about what she said when I told her that you wanted to see her?”Maisie was holding a cup of coffee, and she was stunned for a moment. After a short while, she took a sip from the coffee and asked, “What did she say?”“She said she doesn’t want to see you.”Seeing the crack on Maisie’s face, Barbara giggled and added, “Alright, alright. I’ll stop messing with you.”Maisie crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at Barbara.Barbara leaned forward and said with a smile on her face, “It's true that she didn't say she doesn't want to see you, but she didn't say when either.”Maisie nodded. “That means she doesn’t want to see me. It’s just that she doesn’t want to say it out explicitly.”Barbara l
Ryleigh carefully carried the baby in her arms. She was stunned when the baby grabbed her thumb with his little fingers. “So, all babies are so tiny when they are born.”“That’s right. Louis was this tiny as well when I gave birth to him. His skin was all wrinkled up, and he was ugly,” Larrisa chimed in.Louis was rendered speechless, and Ryleigh chuckled.Louis sat at the side of the bed and took the baby over from Ryleigh. The baby started crying as soon as he was in Louis' arms. He panicked and asked, "Why is he crying?" Maisie walked over. “Come, let me carry him.”She took over the baby from Louis and held him in her arms. She patted the baby gently with practiced ease. After a minute, the baby stopped crying.Larrisa came over and laughed. "It seems like he likes you very much, Maisie.”The nurse brought the baby back to the nursery.Maisie and Barbara did not stay back since they knew Ryleigh needed to rest, so both of them left the hospital.…Late at night, Tanner s