Chapter 3: The Sadistic Partner

A week passed like an eternity. Merin lived in Aries’s mansion like a wandering spirit. She was confined to the luxurious bedroom, which was now nothing more than an empty golden cage. During the day, she was allowed to walk in the garden, but the watchful eyes of bodyguards followed her every move. Her every step was confined to the territory drawn by Aries.

Every night… the nightmare returned in the form of reality. Aries would come to her room, performing her task of using her body with the same violence and brutality as always. She never spoke, never showed any emotion other than the desire to possess and release. Merin learned not to resist, not to cry out, and to act like a lifeless doll so that the pain would pass as quickly as possible.

Her body began to grow accustomed to the pain, but her mind grew increasingly numb. She became listless, her eyes empty, indifferent to everything. The gourmet food, the expensive clothes—everything lavished upon her was meaningless in her eyes.

Until one afternoon, as she was staring blankly at the white roses in the garden, the sound of a car pulling up in front of the mansion brought her back to her senses.

A tall, slender figure in a tight, fiery red dress stepped out of a luxury sports car. Her long, jet-black hair, beautifully curled, swayed in the wind. Her skin was as white as porcelain, a perfect contrast to the red of her dress and lips. She was as beautiful as a queen, but the smile at the corner of her mouth held a cunning and chilling danger.

The bodyguards watching Merin hurried over to bow respectfully, indicating that this woman was no ordinary person.

“Is Lady Aries inside?” Her voice was as sweet as a glass bell, yet tinged with arrogance.

“My lady is waiting for you in her office, Ms. Lisena.”

Lisena… Merin repeated the name in her mind, then quickly lowered her head when the female Alpha turned to look her way. Her sharp, razor-like eyes swept over Merin from head to toe, before a small smile formed on her lips as she disappeared into the mansion.

Merin had a bad feeling she couldn’t explain. Lisena’s aura was completely different from Aries’s. If Aries was a raging, cold blizzard, Lisena was like a scorching flame, ready to burn everything to ashes. It was the scent of fine wine mixed with the faint, burnt smell of sulfur—a scent that was both alluring and dangerous.

An hour later, the same housekeeper came to fetch her. “The two ladies wish to see you, miss.”

Merin’s heart skipped a beat. Two ladies? She was led to Aries’s office on the ground floor. The room was decorated in the usual black and silver tones. Aries sat behind her large desk in a simple white shirt, while Lisena sat cross-legged on a long black leather sofa, leisurely sipping red wine.

“Come in,” Aries said when she saw Merin standing, trembling, at the door.

Merin had no choice but to step into the room. She walked to the center of the room and stood there, her head bowed, not daring to meet the eyes of the two Alphas.

Lisena was the one to break the silence. She stood up and walked slowly towards Merin, the sound of her high heels clicking on the marble floor a heart-pounding rhythm. “Is this… the new toy you just got?” she said to Aries, but her eyes remained fixed on Merin.

“Just something to cure boredom,” Aries replied flatly, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms, looking at the scene before her with indifference.

Lisena circled Merin as if inspecting merchandise. She raised a hand, her long, slender fingers tracing Merin’s jawline lightly before forcing her chin up to meet her gaze.

“Hmm… interesting,” she smiled at the corner of her mouth. “There’s still a hint of defiance hidden deep in these eyes, but the body is screaming that it’s ready to surrender everything.”

Merin quickly averted her gaze. It was a gaze that saw right through to her soul, making her feel as if she were naked before this wicked Alpha.

“I heard you were rather… aggressive with this toy, Aries,” Lisena said, her thumb gently caressing Merin’s lower lip. “But it seems your method hasn’t been very effective. There’s still some stubbornness left.”

“And you have a better way?” Aries retorted.

Lisena chuckled. “Of course,” she turned to smile slyly at Aries. “My method might not be as fast or as violent as yours, but it can break down the walls from the inside… Let me borrow her for training. Consider it a quality test before we start our new project.”

Aries was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on Merin, who was trembling with fear. “As you wish,” she finally gave her permission. “But don’t break her. I paid a pretty penny.”

“Don’t worry,” Lisena’s smile widened with satisfaction. “I will polish this diamond until she’s so beautiful you’ll be stunned.”

That permission was like a sentence, sending Merin to a deeper hell. Lisena released Merin’s chin, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“Let’s go, good girl,” she whispered in Merin’s ear, her voice as sweet as honey-laced poison. “It’s time for your first lesson… My training… will teach you a pleasure you could never have imagined.”

Lisena led Merin out of Aries’s office. She didn’t take Merin upstairs, but instead led her down another staircase that descended deep into the ground. Cold and darkness began to creep in. Merin’s instincts screamed that danger awaited, but she had no choice but to follow the Alpha who was her new owner in silence.

Her new hell was about to begin, in the basement that had been converted into Lisena’s ‘playroom’… a high-class sadist who would teach her the lesson of control to her very core.