Chapter 3

I shouted, "You can punish me however you want afterward. I'll also explain everything to you!"

Hannah lifted my chin and wiped away my tears. Then, she pushed my face away. "It's too bad you're putting on this act too late. Otherwise, seeing you on your knees and begging like this might have made me feel sorry for you."

She continued, "You probably don't know this, but I work for Gabriella now. Freddie brought me into the team. He saw potential in me and gave me a shot. Cyril went after him more than once, and now he's lying through his teeth again!

"It's a good thing I already knew what kind of guy you were. You're just trying to smooth-talk your way into tearing them apart again."

I rolled up my sleeves and tugged down my collar to show her the cuts and scrapes on my body. I replied, "It wasn't what you think. I was trying to protect you, to keep you far away from all the chaos surrounding our family.

"You saw it yourself that there are people who want Gabriella dead. Meanwhile, Cyril's done nothing but charity work. He doesn't deserve to pay the price for any of this."

I humbled myself as much as I could, trying desperately to explain everything.

Just then, my phone rang. Cyril's weak voice came through the speaker.

Then, an unfamiliar voice said, "We're taking this man with us. Tell Gabriella that since she loves playing games so much, why not guess where we've taken her husband? If she guesses correctly, she can pay us 100 million dollars to get him back. But if she's wrong…"

A chilling laugh followed, and the call abruptly ended.

Hannah's eyes darkened when she heard the voice. "Fine. I'll help you."

I thought that she finally believed what I was saying, but then she looked me up and down and said, "Take off your clothes. For every piece you remove, I'll send one bodyguard with you."

My blood ran cold, but I bit my lip hard and nodded without hesitation. "Fine."

Compared to the pain Cyril endured to protect me, this humiliation was nothing.

Cars occasionally passed by the mansion, and guests from the lively party inside immediately came out to watch when they realized that something scandalous was going on.

With unbearable shame crawling over my skin, I stripped down until all I had left was a thin pair of boxers. My hands rested on the waistband, and my fingertips went completely numb under everyone's burning gazes.

Hannah gave my body a once-over and scoffed. "Not even close to my boyfriend's build. I can't believe I ever had a crush on you. Didn't you say that you'd risk your life to save Cyril? What's wrong? Too scared to keep going? Do you think you can find Cyril with just two bodyguards? Is this what your so-called brotherhood means?"

A surveillance camera above Hannah's head swiveled toward me, and the big screen in the courtyard flickered to life.

Freddie had his arm around Gabriella's waist, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ms. Rutherfurd, so this is the off-site game you mentioned? How interesting! I love these psychological games the most."

Gabriella was seated at the arena. It was now down to the final three rounds of the Squid Game. Like a queen, she looked down at me with disdain.

She said, "Vance, you really have thrown away all your dignity. Did you forget how bad things got the last time you tried getting between us? Do I really need to humiliate you again just to prove that you're still the same fool?"

I jerked my head toward the camera. It immediately hit me that Gabriella had been reborn, too!

She leaned comfortably in Freddie's arms and nodded approvingly at Hannah. "You did well today. I know his stubborn personality better than anyone, and this is exactly how he should be dealt with!"

She added, "When one plan fails, he'll just make another. This time, he even hired actors for the abduction and made the phone call in front of you. What a flawless performance!"