Chapter 5

Elijah's POV

When I regained consciousness, I found myself chained inside a specially constructed water dungeon with iron shackles binding me in place. There was only one man standing before me.

Wesley held a whip in his hand and slowly turned to face me. "Do you remember the rules the Powell family laid down for you?"

I felt a jolt of fear in my heart. Of course I remembered.

Every time I harmed my employer, whether intentionally or accidentally, I would be subjected to 99 lashes. I'd expected this punishment, but I never imagined Wesley would be the one to carry it out.

What frightened me even more was the gleam in his eyes as he spoke softly.

Wesley hissed, "Why were you staring at Sinead's stomach that day? Could it be… that she's carrying your child?"

He would never allow that child to be born!

Forcing myself to remain calm, I gritted my teeth and replied, "I take my pills every time. Don't make baseless assumptions."

Wesley smiled faintly. "It's fine if you won't admit it. Even if that child is born, they'll end up just like you and be a slave to my child."

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression shifted. He raised the whip and lashed me viciously.

The barbed whip sliced through the air, tearing into the side of my neck before traveling down to my abdomen. When he yanked it back, the barbs ripped through my flesh, splattering blood and torn skin around.

I'd known all along that Wesley was no harmless man, but his cruelty exceeded anything I'd imagined. I couldn't help crying out in pain, and my body convulsed.

And that was only the first lash.

The underground dungeon echoed with the crack of the whip cutting through the air and my muffled groans as I endured the agony.

Then came the second lash and the third…

Every strike was merciless.

By the time the torture finally ended, there wasn't a single uninjured patch of skin left on my body. I was drenched in blood and barely clinging to life.

Following a heavy creak, the door to the water dungeon opened, and Sinead walked in.

Her gaze lingered on my battered body. For a moment, there was a pained look in her eyes, but it was quickly buried beneath her usual indifference. She took the whip from Wesley and tossed it aside before pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

"He wasn't worth your trouble," she said.

Then, she turned to me and asked, "Why haven't you thanked Mr. White for your punishment?"

Silence filled the room. Wesley smirked as he watched me smugly.

Despair consumed me. With great difficulty, I struggled to get up. The chains binding me rattled faintly as I moved.

"Thank you, Mr. White, for your punishment…"

I prostrated myself and bowed my head against the floor. Then, I lost consciousness completely.

Someone later carried me out of the water dungeon and took me to my room. There, the Powell family's doctor examined me and began treating my injuries.

Basin after basin of bloody water was carried out of the room. Sinead happened to visit while the treatment was underway. The sight was so disturbing that she retched. In the end, she could no longer keep her pregnancy a secret.

When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was Sinead's strikingly beautiful yet cold side profile.

She asked, "Why didn't you tell me you knew I was pregnant?"

I remained silent.

She immediately grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at her. "Were you planning to use this child to blackmail me?"

Her grip hurt, but it was her next sentence that sent a chill through my entire body.

"Stop dreaming. Even if I give birth to your child, your position in the Powell family won't change one bit."

Sinead then lowered her gaze to her flat stomach. "But this child can grow up alongside Wesley's child. The two of them will be brothers, after all. That's better than having some outsider around."

It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck me. In an instant, I understood exactly what she meant.

For the rest of my life, I'd never be able to hold my head up in front of Wesley. And the child I fathered would be condemned to serve his child as a slave and attendant.

My body trembled faintly as her hand brushed across my cheek.

"Be good and know your place. That way, you'll be able to stay in the Powell family for a long time."

After saying that, Sinead sighed.

Just then, an attendant called softly from outside, "Mr. White is looking for you."

Sinead left without any hesitation.

I was left alone in the cramped room. I propped myself up with great difficulty and turned my head. My gaze landed on an airline ticket tucked beneath the lamp on the bedside table.

Five more days, and I'd finally be free of this place.

As I put the ticket away, I couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.

But before I could even recover from my injuries, several attendants dragged me out of bed that night and brought me to Wesley's room.

His spacious bedroom, which was nearly a thousand square feet, was brightly lit. Wesley was propped up against the bed, his face pale.

Beside him, the doctor explained, "Mr. White suffered a sudden episode of shock that caused him to faint."

A sense of dread welled up inside me.

Sure enough, the doctor turned to me the next second and continued, "This is urgent. We must find someone born around the same date as Mr. White. We need their blood to cure his condition."