Chapter 1

A month had passed since I was imprisoned and stripped of my voice. Finally, my wife, Kayla Jebb, sent word.

"Go see if that jinx has learned his lesson."

Knowing Kayla was coming back, the maids yanked me out of the cage, unlocked the rusty chains securing my wrists and ankles, and threw me into scalding water to scrub me clean.

The water was so hot that I could barely breathe, yet the maids were shaking with laughter.

"Mr. Reed, we've gone to so much trouble to teach you some discipline these past few days. It hasn't been easy."

"When Ms. Jebb gets home, you know what to do, right?"

I lay sprawled on the floor and nodded numbly, only to be met with another round of mocking laughter.

I was the only son of the Reed family in Jolville. Back then, I controlled the entire economy across Southern Jolville, and none of these maids would have dared treat me this way.

But now, I had nothing left. I was completely at their mercy.

"That's what I'm talking about. As long as you do as we say, we'll be good to you."

A maid dragged me out of the pool and dumped me onto the uneven gravel. The moment my knees hit the ground, I cried out in pain, only to be slapped in the face.

"What are you shouting for? Are you acting all helpless now that you know Ms. Jebb's coming back soon? What? Are you planning to tell on us?"

Trembling, I shook my head as I gritted my teeth against the searing pain.

The maids had drugged me, and I hadn't been able to speak ever since. Even if I could tell Kayla what they had done, she would never stand up for me. Thus, I had no choice but to endure it in silence.

After that, the maids helped me into a clean suit and took me to the villa entrance to wait for Kayla. Some time later, a Rolls-Royce pulled up.

It had been months since I had last seen Kayla. She stepped out first, dressed in a sharp business suit.

Moments later, a man in a tailored suit came out from the other side. It was her childhood sweetheart, Sebastian Miller.

The two of them walked toward me hand in hand, looking like the perfect couple.

Consumed by hatred, I trembled, but I could only grit my teeth and force it down.

I had loved Kayla for ten years and done whatever she asked of me. I even gave her my entire fortune—worth over 100 billion dollars—when she asked for it.

I could see how much time people had left to live, and when I warned her that Sebastian had less than three months, she called me a jinx.

Not only did Kayla knock my teeth out herself, but she also sent me to a remote villa and had the maids teach me a lesson.

Every day, those maids tortured me for sport. They used metal chains to restrain me and forced me to eat dog kibble. They even poured hot water over my head and ripped out my fingernails.

The more I suffered, the more unhinged they became. I tried fighting back, only to suffer an even more brutal beating.

I had once imagined Kayla would come back to rescue me, but all I got was despair and betrayal. Even so, I never once thought of taking my own life.

As long as what I told Kayla came true, she would let me go. And once I was free, I could make them pay for everything I had been through.

But I never expected Kayla to come back with Sebastian. He was supposed to be dead, yet somehow, he was still alive.

As Kayla approached, she merely gave me a sideways glance before walking right past me. She and Sebastian entered the villa, walking so close they were practically touching.

I schooled my expression and followed them, limping all the way.

Once we were back in the living room, Kayla and Sebastian sat on the couch and looked down at me as if I were beneath them.

She looked at me, her brows furrowing slightly as she said coldly, "Isaac Reed, back then, you told me Sebastian had less than three months to live. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

A chill ran through me.

It was true. Back then, I had seen a three-month countdown above Sebastian's head and told her about it.

In fact, I had never gotten anyone else's countdown wrong.