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Chapter 3

Author: Sterling
The hallway was eerily quiet.

Elena covered her mouth.

"Oh my God, Lia.

"What were you two doing in there?"

"Shut up."

I glared at her.

"You drugged me."

Elena went pale and hid in Marco's arms.

"Marco, I didn't.

"I only saw that she wasn't feeling well, so I took her somewhere to rest.

"I had no idea there was a man in there.

"Lia must have misunderstood."

Marco's face was dark with fury.

I thought he'd notice my bleeding hand and the state I was in.

But he just walked up to me and looked at me coldly.

"I don't care what really happened in there.

"As far as everyone here tonight is concerned, a servant made a mistake and locked Mrs. Ferrante and a waiter in the lounge."

I went cold all over.

"Marco, he almost..."

"Enough."

He slapped me across the face.

I fell to the floor, my injured hand striking the broken glass and tearing open the cut again.

Marco looked down at me with nothing but disgust in his eyes.

"You've humiliated me.

"Lock her in the basement. Nobody lets her out without my permission."

As two bodyguards dragged me away, Elena leaned against Marco.

She stroked the emerald, a smug little smile on her lips.

The basement was cold and damp.

As the night wore on, I developed a fever from the untreated cut.

I had no choice but to ring for a servant.

An impatient voice came from outside the door.

"Mr. Ferrante is with Ms. Vidal tonight.

"Don't act like a princess, Mrs. Ferrante.

"You still think you're the spoiled rich girl you used to be?"

I lay on the bed and listened to the footsteps fade.

Suddenly, someone pushed the window open.

I was so feverish I could barely think.

It was Nico.

He saw the blood on my hand but didn't ask what had happened, as if he already knew.

He cleaned my wound, gave me medicine, and laid a wet towel on my forehead.

I was burning up, and without thinking, I grabbed his tie.

"Nico..."

He leaned down close to me.

My lips touched his.

Nico went still.

He cradled the back of my neck, but he stopped before the kiss went any deeper.

"Lia.

"Don't kiss me when you're too feverish to know what you're doing."

He kissed my forehead and tucked me back under the covers.

"Go to sleep.

"I'm here."

When I woke up in the morning, Nico was gone.

There was medicine and some white camellias by the bed.

Not long after, the door swung open.

A maid was standing outside.

"Mr. Ferrante says you can go back now."

I looked at her. I didn't recognize her.

When I didn't move, the maid urged me on. "Mr. Ferrante is waiting for you."

I hesitated, then followed her out of the basement.

We'd just reached the landing when the maid stopped short.

Before I could say anything, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my neck.

Everything went black.

When I woke up again, I was lying in an abandoned warehouse.

My hands were tied behind my back, and my ankles were bound with rope too.

Several men I didn't recognize guarded the door.

The click, click, click of high heels came closer and closer.
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