Renee glanced at Annie, who appeared drunken and dazed, feeling somewhat disoriented herself. Since the principal and the others had already departed, she decided to treat this drink as her last before finding an excuse to leave. She assumed that, after taking a sobering pill, a small glass of alcohol wouldn't be an issue.As she prepared to take a drink, the door to the room swung open behind her. Carl walked in, emitting a chilling aura, causing the three men to immediately tone down their behavior.One of the men, eager to please, asked, "Mr. Grey, what happened to your lip? Are you alright?"Carl casually touched his lip and replied pointedly, "It was bitten."Renee's cheeks flushed upon hearing his words.Believing that he must have accidentally bitten his own lip, the three men did not dwell on it. Instead, they gestured towards Annie, who was resting her head on her hand."Mr. Grey, it appears that Ms. Simmons has had too much to drink."Upon hearing this, Carl walked ove
"You! You fucking bitch!""I suggest you watch your tone," Renee responded coldly. "Oh, and by the way, I was recording while you were forcing me to drink. The video is with my roommate. If I don't show up at the dorm on time, this recording will be all over the news tomorrow. You've worked hard for years to build your careers—wouldn't want to throw it all away because of me, would you?"The three men exchanged glances, but they weren't too worried. One of them sneered, "Tonight was a celebration dinner. We came out of respect for the principal. A little drinking is only natural. Besides, we can easily claim that you hinted you were interested."Another man added with a laugh, "Look at the way you're dressed—clearly, you came here to seduce us! People online don't care about a woman being mistreated; they love stories of women who bring it upon themselves."The last man chimed in, "There are three of us and only one of you. Do you really think people will believe you, a woman just
Hospital.When Renee woke up, a sense of panic engulfed her. She was in complete darkness, with only the distant sound of footsteps audible."Who's there?!" she shouted, her voice hoarse. In a state of fear, she blindly grabbed an object and threw it towards the sound.Her frantic actions stunned everyone in the room.Suddenly, a choked sob broke the silence, and a figure hurriedly approached."Renee, Renee, what's wrong? It's Mom!" Susanne cried, tears streaming down her face.Renee's hand froze mid-air, fear trembling in her voice. "Mom, where are you? Why can't I see you?"Susanne's eyes widened in horror. Forgetting her own tears, she called out desperately, "Renee! Don't scare me like this!"Renee stared into empty space, her voice trembling, "Mom..."The room fell into a suffocating silence.Then, with anguished sobs, Susanne screamed, "Doctor! Doctor!"The doctor who arrived was a friend of Carl's. After a thorough examination, his expression grew increasingly grave,
Seeing the two greasy, ugly men standing there, Susanne couldn't even begin to imagine the fate of any young woman who might fall into their hands."Officer," Susanne said firmly, "we demand a thorough investigation!"The faces of the two men turned pale when they heard this. The bruises and swelling on their faces made them look even more sinister and frightening. Though they had some notoriety, they were nothing compared to the power of the Grey family. How could they possibly fight back?The two exchanged glances, then decided to throw caution to the wind. With a hint of desperation, they said, "Mrs. Grey, we're men, and after drinking, we couldn't resist when we were tempted. We made a mistake, but for the sake of everyone's reputation, we hope you can be lenient."Susanne's eyes widened in disbelief, her voice rising sharply. "Tempted? Are you trying to say that my daughter seduced the three of you?"The men hesitated, then nodded awkwardly. "Yes, it was Ms. Lacey's intention
"Not a big deal?"Renee let out a cold laugh, her gaze dropping as she spoke. "Officer, you've heard it yourselves. They're denying everything. Ms. Simmons here has even vouched for them. As the accuser, I demand that these three produce evidence to refute the evidence I will provide.""And especially," she added, "I want to see the evidence they claim proves I was 'seducing' or 'tempting' them.""And let's not forget. Ms. Simmons was so sure in her accusations that I was trying to climb the ladder by taking shortcuts. Where is her proof?""You're all law enforcement. I trust your body cams are recording everything they're saying. They can't change their story now, can they?Her words left the three men dumbfounded, their faces paling as they grasped the gravity of the situation. Annie, who had been sitting smugly just moments ago, now looked utterly shocked. What was once a safe position suddenly felt perilous, and it was clear that none of them would escape unscathed.The offic
As Annie wiped away her tears, she inched closer to Carl, her gaze warning the two men to remember whose woman she was.The two men felt their breath catch in their throats and a chill run down their spines as they recalled their companion lying unconscious in a hospital bed. They would rather die than cross Carl Grey, as their lives would be worse than death.With no other choice, they bowed their heads and apologized, "We're sorry, Ms. Lacey. We were drunk and let our desires get the better of us. Please forgive us.""Forgive you?" Renee scoffed coldly. "If I forgive you today, you'll just think you can get away with it. And who knows who your next victim will be? What happened today is your own doing. You chose to believe the wrong words, and now you're paying the price."Her words were laced with sarcasm, causing Annie's face to tighten in barely concealed anger, though she didn't dare speak out. The two desperate men, realizing their careers were on the line, ignored the polic
Annie's cheeks reddened further, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She didn't dare show her anger, instead forcing a look of hurt as she reached out to grab Carl's hand.Carl casually adjusted his sleeve, avoiding her touch."Carl, I'm your fiancée," Annie pleaded, her eyes glistening.Carl glanced at her coldly. "Yes, fiancée. Not wife."Annie's expression froze, and she stood there stunned.He leaned in slightly. "You're still an outsider. Renee, however, is legally the Grey family's second daughter. At the very least, she's not to be bullied by outsiders. As for our arrangement, we both know the truth."With that, Carl stuffed the number slip into Annie's hand and turned to leave.Annie looked on in disbelief. Unwilling to give up, she stood to follow Carl but was blocked by Jackson's outstretched arm."Ms. Simmons, please sit down.""Carl... Carl..."Unable to push past Jackson, Annie could only grit her teeth and sit back down.Looking at the slip, she realized it wa
She didn't blame Linda for her concerns."Travis, the weather has been quite unpredictable lately. Linda hasn't been feeling well. You should go check on her," Renee suggested, having already thought up an excuse.Travis looked at her with a wry smile. "Alright, I'll head out then.""Take care."After Travis left, Renee became aware of an unpleasant taste in her mouth. The lingering alcohol mixed with the rice pudding nearly made her gag. Despite changing into a hospital gown, the smell of spilled food and drink from earlier was becoming unbearable.Fortunately, she was familiar with the layout of this hospital from previous visits. Renee carefully got out of bed, took a couple of steps forward until she felt the wardrobe door, and opened it to find the clothes Susanne had brought her. She then made her way to the adjoining bathroom.Turning on the shower, she smoothed her hair and bent down, intending to wash it first. But due to her condition, it proved difficult.As she reach