Chapter 4

I stood there, staring at Charis as she convulsed on the floor at my feet, completely stunned.

It wasn't long before the guest room door burst open. Adrian rushed in with the family doctor and several security guards.

He shoved me aside and scooped Charis off the floor, his voice trembling. "Charis! Charis, what's wrong?"

Charis leaned weakly against him and pointed at me, barely managing to speak. "Adrian... Maybel said... if I died, she'd get to be Mrs. Whitaker. I feel awful..."

With that, her head lolled to the side, and she passed out. The doctor hurried forward and gave her an antihistamine injection.

Adrian whipped around, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me. The look on his face made it seem like he wanted to tear me apart.

"Maybel!" he roared through gritted teeth. "Because you saved my life, I've given you chance after chance. I even let you stay at my estate and enjoy a life of luxury! And you're vicious enough to poison Charis?"

He strode toward me and struck me hard across the face.

Smack!

The force snapped my head to the side, and I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth.

"You've disappointed me beyond belief!" Adrian shouted, his face filled with hurt and fury.

I covered my numb cheek and watched him rage while my mind raced.

Trying to kill his fiancee was a serious offence. If he called the police, I'd be looking at months behind bars at the very least.

But Adrian wouldn't call them. He'd want to keep the scandal quiet.

Sure enough, Adrian's body went rigid.

"You think I wouldn't dare kill you?! You think saving my life gives you the right to do whatever you want!" He spoke through clenched teeth, but in the end, he still didn't do anything more severe.

"Guards! Maybel is dangerous. Lock her in the basement! No one is allowed to see her without my permission!"

The security guards grabbed me.

I couldn't fight them off, and they dragged me out of the guest room.

The basement was cold and damp, and the air smelled of mildew and dust. After shoving me inside, the guards locked the metal door and left.

In the middle of the night, I reached into my pocket with practiced ease.

Adrian must have been so furious that he'd forgotten one thing. The position he'd given me was "personal housekeeper."

On my first day on the job, the estate manager had handed me a ring of spare keys to every room in the house so I could clean them.

Talk about a stroke of luck!

I pulled out the keys and quietly unlocked the basement door.

Avoiding the security cameras, I climbed over the back wall of the estate and struggled my way out of the wealthy neighborhood.

The moment I breathed in the free air outside, I almost threw my head back and laughed.

Screw Adrian and his controlling billionaire act. Screw that scheming Charis, too. I was done playing their stupid games!

I rushed to the private hospital outside Ashbourne that same night.

Nico hadn't slept. He was sitting beside the hospital bed, staring out the window.

At the knock on the door, he immediately got to his feet, alert. It wasn't until he heard my voice that he yanked the door open.

The moment he saw me covered in dust with my hair a mess, his eyes turned red. He pulled me tightly into his arms, shielding me against his chest.

"Honey... you've been through hell." His voice trembled as he held me close.

That night, we hired a private car and headed straight for Seabrook. We were finally free to go wherever we wanted.

Meanwhile, dawn was just beginning to break over the hillside estate.

With dark circles under his eyes, Adrian had spent the entire night sitting in his study. Charis's allergic reaction had subsided long ago, and he'd already finished dealing with the endless company emails.

He looked at the agreement lying on his desk, already drawn up to keep Maybel as his generously compensated mistress, and a confident smile curved his lips.

Adrian toyed with the custom pen in his hand and leisurely asked Caleb, who stood beside him, "How are things in the basement? Has Maybel realized what she did wrong? Did she spend the whole night crying and demanding to see me?"

Caleb bent slightly at the waist, desperately trying to figure out how to answer.

Adrian waved him off with a quiet scoff, smug satisfaction flashing in his eyes. "Forget it. A little suffering will do her good. Maybe next time she won't use the fact that she saved my life as an excuse to get jealous and cause trouble for Charis."

He stood, picked up the agreement, and headed for the basement with Caleb, full of anticipation.

"Maybel, I know you only lost your head for a moment..."

But when the bodyguard pushed open the heavy metal door, the smile froze on Adrian's face.

Nothing answered him but silence. The room was empty.

Adrian's heart plummeted. For the first time in his life, a wave of panic seized his heart.