Chapter4

The coarse hemp rope bit viciously into my wrists, looping tightly around the spoiler struts to tether my helpless body to the rear bumper. They had deliberately left a length of slack, forcing my lower body to slump heavily against the unforgiving gravel and asphalt.

Liam slid smoothly into the driver's seat as Chloe ducked into the passenger side.

Chloe shot me a glance through the rearview mirror, her syrupy voice floating out the window. "Liam, isn't this a little too harsh? What if she dies..."

Liam chuckled dismissively. "Did she think about the consequences when she went crazy and scratched your face? It's just to scare her. Street trash like this has a very hard life to break."

I screamed desperately toward the back of the exhaust. "Liam! Three years together, and you never loved me for a single second?! Let me go, or you're both going to regret this!"

Vroom—!

The only answer I got was the deafening roar of a floored gas pedal. A scorching wave of exhaust heat blasted directly into my face.

The car surged forward violently.

"Ah—!!"

A blood-curdling shriek shredded my throat. My knees and shins were dragged mercilessly across the jagged pavement. The campus quad was lined with rushing students filming the spectacle; the flash of camera lenses and their piercing laughter ground my dignity down into the dirt.

Through the rear windshield, I vaguely saw Chloe climbing over the center console, pressing her entire body against Liam. They were in my car, making out wildly, without a single shred of shame.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and the last flicker of warmth in my heart burned down to dead ash.

The car finally slammed to a halt.

Someone used a pocketknife to slash through the thick rope. I collapsed on the ground, fresh blood dripping straight down my calves.

The fraternity president, a guy who had spent years feeding off Liam's financial favors, squatted down and aimed a finger perfectly at my face. "Grand theft auto, plus violent assault. The Ivy League won't keep a cancer like you. We're handing you straight to the local PD."

Two heavy-set guys stepped over and grabbed my shoulders.

"Wait!" My voice shattered into pieces in my throat. "The proof of purchase is in the hidden compartment under the passenger seat! It has my name on it! Let me get it out!"

Liam pushed open his door and stepped onto the pavement, Chloe clinging instantly to his arm right behind him. He looked down on me from his high horse and casually shrugged. "Let her get it. Let her realize it's over."

Summoning the absolute last ounce of my strength, I leaned against the door to drag myself upright. I yanked the passenger door open, my trembling hand reaching blindly into the hidden compartment.

I touched the leather folder and pulled it out.

Empty.

The certificate worth tens of millions was entirely gone.

An incredibly synthetic gasp sounded from behind me. Chloe pulled a red-stamped paper from her Hermès bag, aggressively displaying it for everyone to witness. "Temporary Certificate of Title. Owner: Chloe."

"Looking for this?" She mocked with a victorious tilt of her head. "Liam handed it over to me last night. You're a garage manager's lowly daughter, what exactly are you fighting me with?"

A sensation like plunging through the ice of a frozen lake consumed me. I stiffly turned my head to glare at Liam.

He was truly ruthless. The second he asked to borrow the car yesterday, he had systematically destroyed every single lifeline I possessed!

The frat president waved a hand impatiently. "Take her away."

"Liam..." I allowed the boys to drag me backward, locking my eyes with that hypocritical face. "You think a lie lasts a lifetime? One day, the real owner is going to stand right in front of you."

He froze, detaching himself from Chloe to take a slow step forward.

He crouched on the ground in front of me, reaching out to lock his fingers around my jaw.

"Go to the station and be a good girl, don't drag your poor dad down with you." He leaned heavily into my ear, whispering in a sinister tone only the two of us could hear. "Once I clinch the fraternity presidency, marry Chloe, and secure my absolute footing... I'll come get you. Be a smart girl, be my woman in the shadows, and I won't let you suffer."

A wave of supreme nausea washed over me. I violently jerked my head out of his grip and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva squarely onto his expensive leather shoe.

Liam's face instantly darkened to a murderous shade. He stood up, shaking off his disgust to bark out, "Stubborn bitch! Take her away!"

"Hold on a second!" Chloe suddenly called out.

Her heels clicked sharply as she strode over, producing a small tactical pocketknife.

She crouched down, pressing the freezing tip of the blade directly against my cheek.

"You ruined my face." She tilted her head, her bright red lips curving into a brutal arc. "So I'm going to make you remember this face for the rest of your miserable life. From this day forward, whoever looks at you will only see one ugly, hideous scar!"

The cold point of the steel abruptly pushed deeper—

Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum!!!

An ear-splitting, air-shredding explosion of noise detonated without a single warning right above the crowd's heads!

A violent, hurricane-like downdraft instantly swept across the entire plaza, whipping clothes and hair in every direction. Everyone looked up in sheer terror.

Three massive, pitch-black military-grade helicopters hung suspended in the air, hovering perfectly above the quad.

The knife slipped from Chloe's trembling fingers and clattered to the ground, and every trace of color vanished from Liam's face, turning him as pale as paper.