Chapter 2

I looked at him in shock. Did I hear him correctly?

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” I blurted at him, my voice shaking.

He shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if it meant nothing.

“I’ve never been good at telling jokes. I meant what I just said.”

That was it.

I stood up from the floor immediately and faced him.

“Have you gone crazy? What am I even saying—you are crazy!”

My chest was rising fast. I was mad as hell.

“What kind of person are you?” I screamed at him. “You know what, I think I know why you are here.”

“Ethan and Lila sent you to humiliate me, right? I’m sure they told you to make me miserable.”

I pushed his chest hard.

“Go and tell them how miserable I have become. Go on.”I kept pushing him. But he didn’t move.

Not even a step.

His expression stayed the same… unreadable.

“You’re mistaken. No one sent me.”

His voice was cold, with no emotion in it.

“Just stop!” I held my head tightly.

The rain was still pouring heavily, soaking into my skin.

“Why is everyone doing this to me?” I cried out loudly.

My breathing became uneven. My chest felt tight.

Suddenly, my head started pounding seriously.

“What… what’s happening to me…?” I muttered.

My vision blurred slowly. Everything started spinning.

I tried to take a step back, but my legs felt weak, like they couldn’t carry me anymore.

My body swayed sideways. I was losing control.

“No… no…” I whispered under my breath.

Everything around me was fading.

The last thing I felt was a strong arm catching me before I hit the ground.

Then darkness.

*********

The next time I opened my eyes, I was in a room I didn’t recognize.

“Where am I…?” I muttered, my voice weak.

This wasn’t my house.

Slowly, I sat up and tried lifting my hand, then I noticed a drip attached to it.

“This isn’t the hospital…” I whispered.

I took a quick glance around.

The room was clean and well decorated. I could tell from the interior that whoever owned this place was definitely rich.

But who is the owner?

I dragged the drip out of my hand, ignoring the slight sting.

I needed to know what was going on.

The last thing I remembered was arguing with that strange man… then everything went blank.

I stood up from the bed.

“Wait…”

My hand moved to my clothes.

“What happened to what I was wearing?”

Panic rushed through me. I quickly walked to the mirror in the corner of the room and looked at myself.

I had on a flower flare gown. The mud in my hair was gone. Someone had cleaned me up.

My heart started beating fast.“My God… who did this to me?”

“I need to get out of here.”I rushed to the door and opened it, stepping out quickly.

I walked through the hallway, my heart racing, my eyes moving around.

This was a big house by the time I got downstairs—

I saw him.

That same man from the burial. He was sitting calmly, reading a paper.

Anger rose in me immediately. I rushed to him.

“What did you do to me?!” I screamed.

He closed the paper slowly and looked at me.

“You’re awake.”

Realization hit me instantly. My hands wrapped around my body tightly.

No… it can’t be what I think…

I cleared my throat.“Did you…” I couldn’t complete the sentence.

My body shifted back slightly. Fear crept into my chest. The words were too heavy to say.

His expression hardened slightly.

“No. I do not take advantage of women,” he said. “And even if I’m to do anything to a woman, trust me, I like my women conscious.”

I swallowed hard.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Caroline,” he called out.

A woman in her forties came out of the kitchen.

“You called for me, sir?”

“Yes,” he said, pointing slightly at me. “When I brought her in, what happened afterwards?”

She turned to me.“You were unconscious. He dropped you on the bed and left. I cleaned you up. I was once a nurse, so I treated you.”

I stepped back immediately.

“Liars! Ethan and Lila must have hired you both to take explicit videos of me!”

“Caroline, you can continue what you were doing,” he said calmly.

She bowed and left.

“Come back here!” I shouted at her, but she ignored me until she was out of sight.

I turned back at him .“You’re trying to trick me! What more do they want from me?!”

The man stood up and walked toward me.

“I believe all of this is happening because I didn’t fully introduce myself before you fainted.”

He stretched his hand slightly.

“I’m Sebastian Knight. A multi-billionaire. You might not have heard of me, but I have companies all over the city. So there’s no way your silly ex-husband and his chicken can ever pay me to do anything to you. Even if I give them a price, they won’t be able to afford it in their lifetime.”

I ignored his hands and glanced around the house again.

Now I noticed it.

There were portraits of him holding awards. He even had one with the president.

My breath caught slightly.

He wasn’t lying. But what business did he have with me?

I shook my head.

“Listen, I don’t know the plans you have, but I’m leaving.”

I brushed past him and headed to the door.

“Don’t you want revenge?”I heard him behind me.

My steps slowed but I didn't turn.

“You can’t do anything to Ethan without power, Ariana,” he said. “You need power. And right now, you’ve lost that.”

His voice was calm… but every word landed.

“The only thing you are now… is a crybaby. And that won’t help you.”

“Don’t insult me!” I snapped at him. This man was cold and arrogant. I hated his guts.

“I’m not. It’s the truth. Go on, run away. I must have been mistaken thinking you were strong enough to fight them.”

He sighed.“I guess they didn’t hurt you enough.”

My chest tightened painfully.

“You’re weak, Ariana.”

His final words hit deep.

I turned immediately and walked toward him angrily.

“You think you know me?” my voice broke, tears falling again. “You know nothing about me. Nothing!”

He didn’t even glance at me. His eyes were still on the paper he was reading.

“You just proved me right. You can’t fight them with that weak heart of yours, you need power and I have that! I am willing to give it to you ….in my own terms”