Chapter 8

Elena squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment before being forced to open them again under Julian's unyielding grip. Her chest heaved with a turbulent mix of fear, shame, and rising anger.

This man was an absolute bastard. Elena felt as though she had walked straight into a meticulously crafted tiger's trap. A deep, bitter pang of regret washed over her for being desperate enough to accept her brother-in-law's insane proposition.

However, the damage was already done. She had no other options left, especially after discovering that Julian had cleared her entire university tuition fees until graduation in a matter of mere hours.

Amidst the suffocating panic, Elena desperately gathered the remaining shreds of her courage. She had to attempt to negotiate before she drowned completely inside this dark room.

"Julian," she spoke up, her voice trembling but straining to sound firm.

"What if I want out? I will return every single cent you paid to the university. I promise I will pay you back in monthly installments until it's fully settled, as long as you release me from this agreement."

Hearing her words, Julian stopped the movement of his fingers against Elena's chin. The man straightened his posture, then walked around the sofa to stand directly in front of her.

A faint, lethal smirk curved across his handsome lips. "Be my guest, Elena. I never hold anyone back who wishes to leave," he stated with a casual tone that made it sound deceptively simple.

Elena's eyes lit up instantly. A massive wave of relief washed through her chest. She genuinely thought escaping the clutches of this billionaire would be that easy.

However, the hopeful spark in her eyes vanished into thin air the moment she saw Julian lift the black remote control in his hand once more.

"But before you take a single step out of that door, you need to see this first," he continued flatly. The man pressed a red button at the edge of the remote.

Instantly, the explicit adult film on the massive television screen cut out, replaced by a crystal-clear, high-definition video recording. Elena froze, her eyes stretching wide. 

Her heart seemingly stopped beating at the visual displayed before her. It was a secret recording from hotel room 808 last night.

From the moment she steps in, to the trembling scene as she unzips her dress, to the super detailed footage of her climbing onto Julian's lap, to her completely naked body, without a single thread.

The sound of Elena's breathless, submissive moans echoed loudly, filling the quiet room. "Are you insane, Julian?!"

The girl bolted up from the sofa. She shrieked hysterically, her face turning deathly pale from the sheer shock. Her entire frame shook violently. "You recorded it?! This is against the law! I can report you to the police!"

Julian remained entirely unfazed by Elena's explosive fury. Instead, he flashed a wicked smirk, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at her with utter disdain.

"Against the law?" he chuckled, a deep, masculine sound that struck Elena's ears as incredibly cruel.

"Tell me, do you truly believe that selling yourself on that online website complies with the law, hm? In your opinion, if this video falls into Richard's hands or the public eye, who do you think will be ruined first?

Me? Or you, who will be branded as a whore who seduced her own brother-in-law for money?"

Julian's words dealt a devastating blow to Elena's sanity. The girl gasped for air, feeling as though the oxygen in the room had vanished.

Tears of pure frustration began to pool in her eyes. Julian was right. The public would never lay the blame on a powerful billionaire. They would tear her apart until nothing was left.

The man stepped forward, closing the distance between them until Elena could smell the crisp scent of his masculine cologne. 

"Now, make your choice, Elena Thorne. Do you wish to continue our agreement compliantly, or walk out of this room right now and bear the full consequences?"

The girl stood entirely paralyzed. Her lips were sealed tight, unable to utter a single word to defend herself. Every single avenue of escape had been thoroughly blocked by Julian.

"Good. I know your answer," the man murmured, deeply satisfied by the sheer submission in his stepsister-in-law's eyes.

He sat back down on the sofa, patting the empty space beside him. "Now sit down, and study the footage carefully. I expect to see the results of your lesson after this."

With heavy steps and a shattered heart, Elena sat back down next to Julian. Her emotions were a chaotic storm of humiliation, fear, and hatred. However, as time ticked away, the atmosphere inside the red-and-black room began to warp.

The display on the television screen switched back to the blue film. The scenes playing out had become vastly more intense and explicit.

The couple in the video began utilizing highly sensual leather and beaded erotic implements to heighten their arousal. The explicit sounds echoing through the soundproofed room slowly began to poison Elena's innocent thoughts.

Beyond her control, Elena's breathing began to hitch in an uneven rhythm. Her skin flushed hot, and a strange, pooling sensation began to stir deep within her lower abdomen.

The innocence of her body could not lie against her biological responses. The explicit imagery unfolding before her was gradually awakening a hidden desire.

Elena's thighs unconsciously clamped tightly together, desperately trying to contain the scorching heat spreading through her veins.

Noticing the drastic shift in his woman's physical response, Julian turned his head from beside her. A triumphant smile, thick with dark arousal, etched clearly across his handsome features.

The man shifted his position, pressing his frame flush against hers until there was zero space left between them, before sliding his warm hand over Elena's tensed thigh.

"What is it, Baby?" he murmured, his baritone voice dropping into an incredibly deep, sensual growl. "Are you unable to hold back anymore, and want to practice it on me right away?"

Elena didn't answer. She kept her mouth tightly shut, choosing to bite her lower lip fiercely to hold back a moan that was dangerously close to escaping her throat.

What Julian said was undeniably true, and that reality made her feel as though her pride were being completely trampled upon.

‘Damn it!’ she cursed repeatedly in her mind, loathing her own body for betraying her sanity. The burning rush of desire swirling in her stomach caused Elena to completely lose focus on her surroundings.

She didn't even notice that Julian's large, warm hand had already slipped beneath her skirt, crawling slowly up the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

The friction of his calloused, practiced touch sent an immediate jolt through Elena's body like an electric shock. Julian leaned his frame forward, pressing his lips against her flushing earlobe.

"You're already wet, Baby," he whispered triumphantly.