Chapter 1: Die, Then

"Want to save Evan Parker? Tonight, ten o'clock, top-floor VIP suite at Gold Club. Strip for the camera. Live stream the whole thing."

"Try calling the cops, and we'll cut off his fingers one by one and mail them to you."

The call ended.

Sophia stood in the doorway of her studio, trembling all over.

Three years after her mother's death, her father had married the matriarch of the Windsor family. She, Sophia Delgado, had become the Windsors' burden, someone anyone could push around. Evelyn Windsor, in her role as stepsister, had bullied her for three years.

This past year, only Evan had kept her company in the studio, helping her wash paint-covered brushes, telling her that once his new project launched, he'd take her to see the northern lights. They'd been together for 362 days. Three days until their one-year anniversary. Three days until their engagement ceremony. But now, Evan had been kidnapped.

After hanging up, Sophia didn't even grab an umbrella before rushing into the pouring rain, hailing an Uber straight to Gold Club. Her mind was filled with images of Evan covered in blood, held down under a kidnapper's blade.

For him, never mind stripping on camera—she'd give her life if that's what it took.

Sophia pushed open the designated suite at Gold Club. There were no kidnappers inside, nor the bloody scene she'd anticipated. In the center of the room stood a tripod with a running camera mounted on it, and beside it, an entire wall of mirror.

Just then, a mechanical voice processed through a modulator came from the suite's speakers. "Time's up. Strip. Drag your feet, and I'll chop off his fingers right now."

"Ah! Baby, save me! Save me!"

Evan's screams rang out. "Please, I'm begging you, save me! I'm still young, I don't want to become a cripple!"

Sophia took a deep breath, unbuttoned her soaked jacket with trembling hands, and threw it on the floor. Then she reached behind her back and pulled down the zipper of her black dress. The dress slid down her fair shoulders, exposing the snow-white skin beneath and the close-fitting lace lingerie.

"Pfft... she's actually stripping! Look at her, such a slut, she's even wearing lace lingerie!"

An extremely soft, coquettish female laugh sounded in the room.

Sophia opened her eyes. The sound hadn't come from the speakers, but from... the mirror?

Sophia grabbed the fallen dress and held it against her chest. When she moved closer to the mirror surface, the light revealed that it wasn't a mirror at all but one-way glass, and beside it was a hidden door you could make out if you looked carefully.

Humiliation, terror, and a certain realization exploded in her mind.

Sophia didn't hesitate. She stepped back half a pace and kicked the hidden door with all her strength.

Bang.

The scene behind the door crashed into Sophia's eyes without warning.

The thick smell of alcohol and pungent marijuana hit her face instantly, deafening decadent music echoing in the air. Under dim, suggestive lighting, men and women in disheveled clothing were tangled together.

Evan, who should have been covered in blood, was lounging lazily on the sofa. Evelyn was straddling his lap, giggling as she fed him champagne. And on the wall facing them hung a massive screen, playing footage of Sophia half-naked and shivering outside!

Seeing the door suddenly kicked open, the mocking laughter in the suite came to an abrupt halt.

Evelyn froze for a moment, then burst into unrestrained laughter. "Oops, we've been discovered."

She turned to look at Sophia outside the door, biting her lip hard, her gaze contemptuous. "But the one-year bet's expired anyway. Evan, you're really ruthless—for twenty million dollars in investment, you actually made this love-starved burden strip. If I didn't find her so irritating, I really couldn't be bothered to spend this money just to watch her humiliate herself."

Seeing that things were exposed, Evan simply stopped pretending. He set down his glass, tugged at his tie, and spoke with superiority. "Sophia, since you heard everything, hurry up and finish stripping. Don't you love me so much? Taking off your clothes to help me get twenty million in investment shouldn't be anything to you."

Looking at his face, Sophia's trembling body suddenly went still.

She pulled her half-removed dress back on.

"Hey, since you're already in here, why put your clothes back on?" A rich kid nearby whistled. "Keep stripping! The boys are still waiting for the show!"

Sophia ignored him, walked straight to the table, picked up the cigar cutter on it, and slapped it down in front of Evan.

"What are you doing?!" Evan jumped in fright.

"I changed my mind."

"Didn't the phone call say that if I didn't strip, they'd cut off your fingers one by one and then kill you?"

"For scum like you, selling my dignity isn't worth it."

"So die, then. I don't care anymore. The knife's right here—will you cut them yourself, or should I help you?"

Evan's expression changed. "Sophia, have you lost your mind?!"

Evelyn was stunned too. She'd expected to watch Sophia cry her eyes out and strip in humiliation, not for Sophia to flip the table and refuse.

Sophia paid no attention to their shock. She pulled a velvet box from her bag—the anniversary gift she'd custom-ordered for Evan, staying up nights painting for three months and selling two of her prized works to afford it. She raised her hand and threw the box hard at Evan's face.

The velvet box bounced open, the cufflinks rolled out and fell on the carpet.

"Happy one-year anniversary, Evan Parker. You lost the bet. That twenty million—you'll never get it in this lifetime."

With that, Sophia turned and left.

Outside Gold Club, rainwater splashed against her face with the cold wind. Her phone vibrated—a call from her best friend, Mia Carter.

"Mia, I just broke up."

In front of Mia, Sophia finally couldn't hold back her grievance.

"Don't worry, babe. Out with the old, in with the new."

"I actually have a blind date setup. Let's find you someone better!"

"I heard the guy is Sebastian Crawford, a specially appointed professor at Columbia!"

"He's the ruthless power behind the Crawford Group! Nobody in the circle dares to mess with him. They say he stays away from women and his methods are merciless. If you're scared, forget it. We can figure out another way."

Sebastian Crawford.

No one in New York dared to provoke him; everyone avoided him.

But he was also the best protection.

"I'll go. Send me the address."

Columbia University Law School office building, tenth floor.

Sebastian Crawford sat behind his desk, reviewing the documents just delivered to him. His assistant stood three paces away from the desk, breathing softly.

His index finger lightly traced over the name "Sophia."

Ten years. He had finally found her again. This time, he wouldn't let her escape again.