Chapter 1 Sold to a Cruel Mafia
“Help, let me go!” Emily screamed, shattering the silence of the old warehouse that smelled damp and dusty.
“Shut up!” one of the burly kidnappers barked.
The man stepped closer and, without warning, grabbed Emily’s cheek tightly.
“You can scream as loud as you want, Miss. No one will come to save you.”
“Spit!” Emily spat straight into the man’s face. “Who sent you?” she demanded.
Smack! Smack!
A hard slap landed on Emily’s face. The man then yanked her hair forcefully, throwing her down until she curled up on the damp floor.
“Damn whore. If not for Madam’s order not to touch you, I would’ve ended your life right now.”
Emily struggled when the man slowly reached for her body.
“Let go!” Emily screamed.
The man laughed darkly. “Your body isn’t bad at all. Too bad Madam is so kind she won’t let me touch you.”
But unable to resist Emily’s beauty and allure, he tore at her shirt until it ripped.
“Bastard, let me go!” Emily screamed again.
But all her cries were swallowed by the dark shadows no one outside could hear her.
She had been locked up here for two days. Her body was weak, her heart filled with fear, not knowing what crime she had committed to deserve this.
“What are you doing?!” a woman shouted from the hallway.
The sound of heels grew closer. Two women appeared slowly, cold smiles decorating their faces. Beside them stood a man with an icy gaze.
Smack!
A hard slap landed on the kidnapper’s face.
“Idiot!” the older woman snapped. “You almost ruined my plan.”
Emily stared at the two women.
“Aunt Helen … Elina … so this was all your doing?” Emily said in disbelief.
Elina, her stepsister, smiled smugly, her eyes glowing with victory. Beside her, a handsome man tightly held Elina’s hand. His calm, cold stare made Emily’s chest ache.
“Richard, you’re here too?” she said bitterly, searching for answers in the eyes of the man she loved.
Richard, Emily’s lover, looked at her without emotion without even a trace of pity.
“Have you realized your mistake yet, Emily?”
“I don’t understand,” Emily replied, close to tears. “Richard, please … let me go.”
“Let you go? Don’t be ridiculous. Tonight, you will marry Mr. Ethan,” Helena cut in coldly, clearly enjoying Emily’s suffering as if it were entertainment.
“What?!” Emily screamed stiffly, her blood seeming to freeze in her veins.
Helena stepped closer, her face terrifying, eyes dark enough to swallow the light in the room. Roughly, she grabbed Emily’s hair, forcing her head up helplessly.
“Yes. I’ve sold you to Mr. Ethan. You know who he is, don’t you?” Helena challenged her, a cold smile never leaving her lips.
“Aunt, I beg you, let me go!”
“Let you go?” Helena repeated, laughing.
“I promise, Aunt, I’ll pay off all of Father’s debts to that man.”
“With what, huh? If you refuse this marriage, do you know the consequences? Your father the one you love so much, I will erase him from this world,” Helena said sharply, her evil aura radiating from head to toe.
“No … please, Aunt!” Emily begged, kneeling at Helena’s feet.
Helena pulled Emily’s hair again and stared straight into her eyes. “So, you agree to marry Mr. Ethan?”
“Yes … yes, I agree,” Emily answered in surrender.
“Good. About time you obey your mother for once,” Helena said with a satisfied laugh.
Emily’s heart shattered. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Though her father had never believed in his wife’s cruelty, Emily knew she had no other choice.
The two women laughed in satisfaction, but Emily’s gaze immediately turned to Richard.
“Since when are you close to Elina?” she asked, shocked and disappointed.
“None of your business,” Richard replied flatly.
Emily exhaled and smiled bitterly. “I knew it … for the past month you—”
“Enough, Emily,” Elina interrupted mockingly. “Brother Richard knows which woman is best for him.”
“Best? So I was the bad woman all along?” Emily snapped. “You’re truly evil, Elina!” she screamed.
Elina quickly hugged Richard tightly. “Brother Richard, you see now how cruel my sister has always been to me, don’t you?”
Emily smiled bitterly, her heart completely broken.
At that moment, two guards sent by Mr. Ethan entered carrying a stack of money. Helena accepted it with a wide smile and forcibly handed Emily over to them.
“Take care over there, dear. Aunt will visit you often once you become Mr. Ethan’s wife,” Helena said shamelessly.
Emily was forced to stand. Her body trembled as she looked at Richard one last time.
“Richard, I pray you go bankrupt soon. Remember my oath.”
Before she could say more, Elina stepped forward and slapped Emily hard.
Smack!
“Emily, haven’t you taken enough of Brother Richard’s wealth, and now you dare curse him?”
Emily held back her tears, confused. “What do you mean?”
Seeing the tension rise, Helena leaned in anxiously but still controlled the situation.
“Enough! Take this woman to Mr. Ethan. Tell your master our debt is settled, and he must never disturb our lives again.”
Emily smiled bitterly as she was forced forward. Her heart screamed silently, drowning in fear and betrayal by those closest to her.
She glanced at Richard once more, but he remained frozen cold and untouched by guilt.
Elina wasn’t satisfied yet. She leaned in and whispered, “Welcome to your long suffering, Emily. You’ll enjoy your life with Mr. Ethan a cruel, dangerous man, and worse, that old man is ugly and fat.”
Elina’s mocking laughter made Emily grit her teeth, her heart pounding. Before she could respond, Elina suddenly pretended to fall.
“Ow!” Elina cried dramatically. “Emily, you pushed me?!”
Emily was stunned, but before she could react, Richard’s voice cut in coldly from behind.
“Enough, Emily. You’ve gone too far. You know Elina is pregnant with my child.”
Emily stared at him in disbelief, her breath catching. “What?”
“Yes, my dear sister,” Elina said calmly with a triumphant smile. “I’m carrying Brother Richard’s child.”
Emily shook her head in disbelief. Her heart felt shredded. Elina’s laughter and Richard’s cold gaze trapped her, leaving her powerless.
“You’re disgusting!” Emily screamed.
Not wanting Richard’s heart to waver, Elina began groaning in fake pain. Richard immediately turned, lifting Elina into his arms and carrying her away. From his embrace, Elina looked back at Emily, smiling victoriously.
Helena laughed as well, pleased to see her stepdaughter suffer, while Emily could only watch them leave, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.
One of Mr. Ethan’s guards approached. “Miss Emily, please.”
Emily nodded weakly and followed them. Each step felt heavy, as if she were walking toward death. In her mind, the image of Mr. Ethan a cruel, cold, blooded man loomed, making her heart race uncontrollably.
She knew her life now stood at the edge of a cliff, with no one left to save her.
Upon arriving at Mr. Ethan’s residence, Emily was taken to the back pavilion. The door opened, and she stepped into a quiet room. A few servants and guards were busy with their duties, but there was no sign of the master.
“Madam, please wait here for a moment. Mr. Ethan will meet you shortly,” one servant said politely.
“Yes, thank you,” Emily replied softly.
After the servant left, Emily looked around. The room was spacious and elegant not as terrifying as she had heard. Still, her heart raced. Her intuition whispered that the real danger was about to come closer than she imagined.
“So tonight, I really will marry that cruel man?” she murmured, fear and despair clinging to her, making every breath feel heavy.
As Emily stood by the window, a shadow moved near the door. A man entered, his steps calm and alert.
Emily’s eyes widened, her heart pounding faster. “You … you’re Mr. Ethan’s guard?” she asked, a mix of fear and curiosity.
The servant behind him was about to explain, but the man raised a finger sharply, signaling silence.
“Where is your cruel master?” Emily asked boldly.
The man looked at her for a moment, silent. His cold aura nearly drained Emily of her courage.
