Chapter 4

Before I could even speak, Chelsea raised her chin and someone immediately started recording with their phone.

"Get a load of this, folks—a live strip show! Don't miss this free show. You claim to love your daughter so much, yet you won't even do this one tiny thing for her?"

Violet's face had turned purple from suffocation, so I had no choice.

Biting back the humiliation, I took off my jacket with trembling hands.

Chelsea, beaming with satisfaction, pressed the inhaler into Violet's mouth.

Violet frantically clutched the inhaler and gasped greedily, but that only enraged Chelsea.

"Don't touch me, you filthy brat!"

Before her slap could land, I quickly took off my top.

"Stop! That's the second piece of clothing!"

Chelsea resentfully pressed the inhaler again.

"Continue!"

With a cold expression, I took off the third piece, leaving only my skirt.

The onlookers stared at me like wolves. Just as I tremblingly reached behind my back to continue undressing, a jacket was suddenly draped over me.

"Enough! Tammy, are you really that cheap? You'd throw away all dignity for a brat?" Colin roared angrily.

I looked at his darkened face and replied icily, "I'd let myself die if it meant keeping Violet alive."

Colin whispered in my ear through gritted teeth, "I don't need you to die. Be my mistress, and I'll give you 30 thousand dollars a month. How about that?"

I stared him down without saying anything.

I really wanted to see if he could still keep that smug, superior attitude when Jeremiah arrived or if he'd be on his knees begging for mercy.

He secretly slipped me a key card. "Wait for me at Imperial Hotel, Room 1208, tonight."

I looked toward Chelsea, who was standing not far away, and deliberately dropped the key card.

Chelsea's eyes turned red instantly. She lunged and hit Colin.

"Colin, how could you do this to me? How dare you seduce this cheap whore right in front of my face?"

Colin, however, tried to pin it on me. "That's not my card. Tammy gave it to me, but I didn't take it. She set me up on purpose. Why would I ever look twice at some washed-up whore?"

This was the man I once loved?

How utterly repulsive!

During the three years I was with Colin, he was so scared I'd leave that he put me through 99 tests. Even though I passed every single one of them, he still questioned my love for him.

He even took Chelsea's suggestion to drug me and put me into bed with another man.

I was willing to let bygones by bygones, but they'd let their small victory go to their heads and wouldn't stop hounding me.

"Your daughter is about to die, and you're still fooling around? I'll destroy that face of yours today. Let's see how you seduce men after that!"

Chelsea came at me with a pocket knife. But halfway there, Violet—now awake—wrapped her arms around Chelsea's leg.

"No! Don't hurt my mommy!"

Violet might be weak, but her grip was strong.

Chelsea's face twisted with rage as Violet clung to her leg.

"How dare you stop me!"

She kicked Violet's hands away violently.

Violet screamed in pain.

That one kick from Chelsea left Violet's wrist mangled and deformed. I felt like my heart was being ripped out, but the bodyguards had me pinned down from behind. All around me was the sound of Violet wailing.

"Come at me if you want, but Violet has nothing to do with this!"

The next second, the sharp blade cut across my face. Blood trickled down my cheek, but I felt no pain. All I could see was Chelsea's twisted face.

She was about to cut me a second time when Colin stopped her.

"Enough. We have a business meeting with Mr. Atkinson tomorrow. If word of this gets out, it'll hurt my image."

"So what if she dies? Would they dare say anything?" Chelsea shrieked, sweeping her gaze across the crowd one by one. "Would any of you dare?"

Just then, the doors to the competition hall swung open.

The crowd buzzed with whispers.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in shock, "It's Jeremiah Atkinson! The cold-faced king who terrifies all of Baywich! Jeremiah is here!"

Chelsea quickly tucked away her pocket knife and lifted her chin arrogantly.

"Colin, watch closely. Today I'll prove to you that I'm the only woman worthy of being yours."

She pushed me forward eagerly toward Jeremiah. "Mr. Atkinson, someone here actually has the nerve to impersonate your wife and daughter! But don't worry, I've already taught them a lesson."

She waited smugly for praise. "It was my pleasure. This is my husband, Colin Blanchard. He helped teach that mother and daughter a lesson too."