Chapter 4

Death of the Star

"Julian... ah... stop! Don't bite me." Cassie slapped Julian when he bit her lip.

"Keep going like this, and I'll love you," Julian said.

"I regret ever knowing you! I want to leave! Please..." Cassie only wanted to be released from Julian.

"You can't! You are my woman. The kept woman whom I love." Julian continued thrusting his hips; of course, Cassie was forced to have sex until the man found pleasure, despite having a legal wife on the side.

Every day, he forced Cassie to be his plaything because his legal wife was an honourable lady who would never submit to a man, let alone indulge Julian's sexual desires. Only Cassie was the woman who would submit to him.

That night gave way to morning; as usual, Julian was not beside Cassie. She decided the suffering she endured was enough. She stared at the mirror in the bedroom; her face was pale, her eyes vacant. Her body was thin, and there were whip marks because Julian had forced her to have sex by whipping her first the night before.

"I have to get out of here. I can't stay forever with a madman like him. I love him, but he can't treat me like this."

The next day, the opportunity came sooner than expected. Julian's legal wife, Elena, arrived wearing a white coat; her face was still elegantly beautiful even without make-up, but it looked cold.

The woman approached Cassie, who was about to escape through the window.

Cassie panicked when Elena caught her. "Why are you in my room? I just want to escape from your man. Let me go! Miss Elena, I can't stand being here anymore."

"I know Julian is holding you captive here. I know you are my husband's secret lover," Elena replied.

"Have you come to kill me? Have you come to make sure I can't escape? Are you going to tell Julian?" Cassie asked.

"No. I came... to end this. I want you to leave Julian's life. But I can't kill you."

Elena placed a car key on the small table beside the bed and then said: "Go. There's a car in the back garage. There will be no guards there for the next two hours. I sent them away and turned off the CCTV in this mansion."

"Why are you helping me?" Cassie hesitated to accept Elena's kindness.

"Because I want Julian to live with the same sense of loss that I once felt. I don't want you to bother me with Julian anymore."

Cassie didn't have time to think. She grabbed the key and ran out of the mansion, getting into the car. She quickly drove away from the place before Julian returned.

Cassie drove the white car as fast as she could, navigating the steep road out of the city. The night wind struck her face; her hair was messy, but her chest felt light — for the first time in years, she felt free.

"Goodbye, Julian. I will never meet you again," she muttered amidst the roar of the engine. "You won't hurt me anymore."

But suddenly—

Screech!

The steering wheel felt strange.

The car shook violently. Cassie turned the wheel, but the brakes did not respond.

"No... no! What is happening? What's wrong with this car?"

The engine screeched, a tyre burst, and the car slid wildly towards the roadside barrier.

In seconds, the car broke through the barrier and plunged into the ravine.

Cassie screamed — the car's headlights spun, the world flipped upside down, and then a huge explosion sounded.

Boom!

Flames licked the night sky.

In the distance, patrol car sirens wailed.

The next morning, the news spread rapidly: Actress Cassandra Vance died in a tragic accident.

Photos of her face filled television screens, accompanied by a sweet statement from Julian Sterling in front of the media:

"Cassandra was a talented and kind woman. The world lost a great star today. Although she was involved in a scandal, she remained a gifted artist at my company."

All her fans cried. Despite being involved in a scandal, she was still a big artist whose talent was undoubtedly proven by the many awards she had won over the past five years.

In a distant spot, at the bottom of the ravine, amidst burnt metal and lingering smoke, something moved.

A man in a black coat emerged from the shadows. His face was hidden beneath a hat, his eyes sharp as he stared at the half-burnt body — still breathing faintly.

The man lifted Cassie into his arms.

"Calm down... you're not dead yet. I will save you."

The man immediately took Cassie to a nearby hospital. Her beautiful, angelic face was now a scarred face full of burn wounds.

That morning, Cassie woke up and looked around, seeing a man guarding her. Her voice was hoarse, and her body ached terribly from the car crash.

"Are you awake?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" Cassie asked.

"I'm the one who saved you from that car accident," the handsome man replied.

At the same time, the television in front of Cassie was reporting that she had been pronounced dead. Even Julian was clarifying at that moment that his favourite artist had indeed died in the accident.

Cassie stared at the television screen and wept.

'I am here, Julian! Because of you, I suffered. I know this was definitely all your plan, to destroy me. From betrayal, scandal, being your lust doll, and even my death was planned by you.'

"Don't worry, I will help you. But when you crashed, several people immediately rushed to your exploded car. I know this was a planned murder," the man said.

"No one could have acted that fast except Julian. It's true this was your doing. One day I will make you regret having discarded me, and even trying to kill me. You couldn't do it yourself; you could only instruct your wife." Cassie's eyes were filled with profound hatred.