Chapter 5

Ashton was completely stunned.

"I never did anything!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Damien suddenly rushed out, pointing at Ashton and accusing him in a hoarse voice, "Ashton Rivers! I've been putting up with you for far too long! Why do you just insist on trying to ruin me again and again?"

Then, Damien ripped open the front of his shirt, revealing whipping bruises all over his body.

"Is this what you mean by not doing anything to me? If Jazzy never arrived with her people in time, I would have already been whipped to death!"

Jezebel's face grew even more grim as she saw the injuries on Damien's body.

"Ashton Rivers! How dare you do such a thing! I've already told you that if you ever dared to scheme against Damien again, I would never let you off the hook! Why the hell are you still so stubborn about this?"

Ashton tried his best to explain.

"I didn't do it! It wasn't me. You can investigate the matter if you don't believe me!"

"You still say you never did it?" Jezebel roared, her eyes completely bloodshot. "I really thought you never cared anymore, Ashton, which was why you burned up all those things. But as it turns out, you were just trying to lower my guard so you could target Damien again!

"Have you forgotten that I am the one giving you every single thing you have right now? I didn't give you all the money just for you to defy me!

"Guards! Take Ashton to the underground club! Let them teach him a good lesson on how to behave properly as a gigolo!"

A bomb went right off in Ashton's mind. His throat felt like it was clogged with cement. He couldn't breathe anymore. His body trembled as he chuckled lightly.

"You're actually sending me to a place like that, Jezebel?"

Jezebel's expression was cold, and her tone was completely flat. "You should have known from the moment you began targeting Damien that you'd have to pay the price eventually!"

Ashton felt as though his heart was ripped out of his chest.

The underground club was infamous for being a literal underground torture chamber. Anyone who walked in would almost always come out dead, if not out of their minds. No one had ever been able to escape it unscathed.

And yet, to think that Jezebel would personally send him there just for Damien's sake!

Ashton's eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to fight off the bodyguards restraining him. He then rushed over to the table, grabbed the fruit knife in the fruit bowl, and pressed the blade against his neck.

"I'd rather you kill me right now than send me to a place like that!"

Jezebel's eyes widened. She froze completely. Terror and worry filled her eyes as she very nearly blurted out, "Don't do this! Don't be impulsive, Ash! We can talk this out…"

Yet, when Damien saw that Jezebel was about to soften her stance, his eyes hardened menacingly and grew even more ruthless. He gritted his teeth and rushed out to the balcony, interrupting Jezebel mid-thought.

"Forget about it! It was all just wishful thinking on my part! I deserved to be beaten to death! How could I ever be the reason the son-in-law of the Vesper family has to atone for his sins!

"You know that he's just putting on a show, Jazzy! And yet, you still believe him? I am the one who was nearly beaten to death! I nearly died!"

Then, Damien flipped over the balcony railing and jumped down from the second floor, landing heavily in the backyard bushes with a loud thump.

"Damien!"

Jezebel froze again. She let out a heart-wrenching scream and stumbled out of the room.

Ashton was still in shock.

He let his arms fall limply to the side, only snapping out of his daze when the fruit knife clattered to the ground. Then, he followed Jezebel out.

Damien lay slumped in a pool of blood. The balcony hadn't been very high off the ground, and the bushes had absorbed most of his impact, cushioning his fall. So, Damien was still conscious despite his injuries.

He leaned painfully against Jezebel's chest, sobbing, "Jazzy… Don't worry about me… Just let me die…"

Jezebel held him tightly in her arms, her face turning as dark as thunder.

"Stop spouting nonsense! I'll never let Ashton off the hook for doing this to you. I'll make sure justice is served!

"Just hold on a little longer, okay? The ambulance will be here soon."

Damien slowly raised his eyes, his gaze passing over Jezebel's shoulder to Ashton, who was standing not too far away from them.

A sinister smile gradually stretched across his face. His eyes were filled with a triumphant mockery as though he was silently telling Ashton that he was completely done for.

When the ambulance arrived, Jezebel told her bodyguards to lift Damien onto the stretcher. Before leaving, she glared at Ashton, her eyes completely devoid of any warmth. Then, she turned to her bodyguards.

"What are you all still standing there for? Take him to the underground club now to be punished!"

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and forcefully pinned the still-dazed Ashton to the ground. His cheek was pressed hard against a sharp rock, instantly drawing blood and causing a searing pain across his face.

Jezebel then looked down on him condescendingly, watching the blood flowing from his face without any emotion.

"I'll get someone to let you out three hours later. Take this as a proper lesson. Don't you ever test my limits again!"

With that, she turned around and left without another backward glance.

The bodyguards dragged Ashton off forcefully like a broken ragdoll, throwing him into the cold, cruel hell that was the underground club.

The moment the door closed on him, the surrounding lights switched on at once, and a dozen or so men slowly approached Ashton with whips in their hands.