Chapter 7: The Punishment

Adrin threw Iliyana down onto the cold, hard floor with full force.

A sharp pain shot through her back. Dust flew into her mouth, and she tasted blood from her split lip.

Before she could move, Adrin pressed his heavy weight on top of her. He held her jaw tightly and smiled like a monster.

"Welcome to your wedding room, sweetheart," he whispered with an evil laugh.

"Get off me!" Iliyana cried out, pushing his chest with both hands.

She kicked and thrashed, but he was too heavy. Fear filled her heart, but in that dark moment, only one person came to her mind—Alex. She hated Alex, but right now, she wished he would appear out of nowhere and save her.

"You don't know what you're doing," Iliyana spat, looking into his eyes. "If Alex finds out, he will burn you alive. He will kill you!"

Adrin laughed loudly. "Alex? You think he cares about you? He only bought you for your body. Once he gets bored, he will throw you away like garbage. A girl like you can never be a wife. You are only good enough to be a slave. And today, I will make you mine."

Hearing this, Iliyana lost her mind in anger.

With all the strength left in her, she freed her right hand and scratched his face with her sharp nails.

Adrin screamed in pain. Deep red cuts opened on his cheek, and blood started coming out. He pulled back, holding his face.

Iliyana quickly rolled away, stood up, and ran toward the door.

She only took three steps before Adrin grabbed her hair from behind and pulled hard.

"You bitch!" he yelled, smashing her head straight into the stone wall.

A terrible pain exploded in her skull. Her vision blurred, but she did not give up. She did not faint.

Adrin trapped her against the wall, pressing his entire body against hers so she couldn't move. Even with her head spinning, Iliyana kept fighting. She shoved his chest with her palms, tried to scratch him again, and kicked at his legs with everything she had left.

"Don't touch me!" she gasped, struggling desperately against the cold stone.

Adrin’s eyes burned with pure fury. Her resistance only made him angrier.

"You still have the guts to fight me?!" he growled. "Now watch what I do to you!"

He grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them high above her head against the rough wall with one hand. With his other hand, he gripped her jaw tightly, forcing her face to the side and exposing her neck.

He leaned down and sank his sharp teeth hard into her skin.

Iliyana let out a painful scream. He bit deeper and deeper until fresh blood started dripping down her skin. All her strength left her body. Her arms dropped, and her eyes began to close.

Suddenly, a loud, terrifying sound broke through the room.

Scrrrrt.

It was the sound of heavy iron being dragged slowly across the rough floor.

Adrin froze. The dirty smile vanished from his face. He slowly turned his head toward the door.

Standing in the doorway was John Alex.

He was holding a huge iron hammer in one hand, dragging it against the ground as he walked. Behind him stood his armed men, surrounding the entire place in dead silence.

Alex’s eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with pure murder.

Iliyana saw his face through her blurry vision. A quiet breath left her chest: "Alex..."

Her eyes shut, and she fell completely unconscious.

Alex stopped right in front of Adrin.

Adrin fell onto his knees, shaking with fear. "A-Alex... please forgive me! David took the money, it was his fault! I won't touch her again, I swear! Please let me go!"

A dark, deadly smile appeared on Alex’s lips.

"You made the biggest mistake of your life, Adrin," Alex said in a deep, cold voice. "And sadly, you don't have enough life left to fix it."

"Alex, please—"

"How dare you touch my wife?"

Alex swung his fist and punched Adrin straight in the face. Bones cracked, and blood poured from Adrin’s mouth.

Alex grabbed his collar, dragged him up, and said, "Enough talk. You don't deserve to live."

He threw Adrin to the floor. Alex lifted the heavy iron hammer high into the air with both hands.

Adrin cried like a dog, "No! Stop, please—!"

CRACK.

The hammer came down.

Alex did not stop. He struck again and again, with full fury, until the screaming stopped and Adrin’s face and body were completely destroyed. Blood splattered all over Alex’s shirt and hands.

Finally, Alex threw the bloody hammer onto the floor.

He took a deep breath. Using the back of his sleeve, he wiped the blood off his face. He turned around and walked toward Iliyana, who was lying motionless by the wall.

He knelt beside her and reached his hand out to touch her bruised face.

But just as his fingers were inches from her skin, he stopped.

He looked down at his own hand. His knuckles and fingers were covered in thick, dark blood.

He pulled his hand back. He couldn't bring himself to touch her with that filth. Alex rubbed his hands hard against his clothes.

Only then did he reach out again.

With gentle fingers, he touched her cold cheek, brushing the loose hair from her face, his thumb lightly grazing the bleeding bite mark on her neck.

A painful look crossed his cold eyes.

"Why do you always do this, Iliyana?" he whispered quietly, his deep voice trembling with anger and pain. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

He scooped her up into his arms. Her head rested against his chest as he carried her out into the open air.

Outside, all the guards quickly looked down at the ground. No one dared to look at the Boss carrying his wounded bride.

Net ran forward and opened the front car door. Alex placed Iliyana gently on the seat, put the seatbelt on her, and closed the door.

He turned his cold eyes to Net. "That bastard's body is inside. Take it to the woods and throw it to our wild dogs."

Net’s face turned pale in shock, but he quickly bowed. "Yes, Boss."

"Make sure nothing is left," Alex said, getting into the driver's seat. He started the engine and drove away at high speed.

Net turned to his men. "Go inside."

When Net and the guards walked in and turned on their flashlights, their breath caught in their throats. One guard turned around and vomited on the floor.

The heavy hammer was lying in a pool of dark blood, and the body was completely crushed beyond recognition. Even for ruthless killers, this sight was terrifying.

Net swallowed hard, his hands shaking slightly. "Bring the sheets. Clean this up right now."