Chapter 5 5
Episode 5
...
“Hey, they say she’s a former prisoner. How could Mr. Grayson bring her here?”
“What is Mr. Grayson thinking?”
“She really does look incredibly beautiful, but if she’s a former prisoner, even her beauty can’t hide how terrifying she is.”
“I even heard she killed her own grandmother.”
“Eww… that’s so horrifying…”
Luna could hear the servants whispering as she walked past them, she let out a heavy sigh and kept walking with her head lowered.
‘How do they know I’m a former prisoner? Did that man deliberately spread it?’
‘Ah, I don’t know. I’m still too shocked about that marriage agreement. I can’t think about anything else.’ Luna sighed heavily several times. Her gaze looked empty, and her expression was extremely tired.
After eating earlier, she had not signed the shocking agreement at all. Luna immediately stood up and walked toward the magnificent room where she had slept the night before.
As she walked through the mansion’s corridor that looked like a castle hallway, Luna saw her reflection in the large wall mirror at the far end.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, then she stopped walking.
She lifted her chin and placed her small hands on her waist.
“Looking at it closely… I really have become beautiful, haven’t I?”
“Just losing weight turned me into someone this beautiful and this seductive.”
“Hmmm.” Luna flipped her long wavy hair, letting it fall beautifully down her back.
“No wonder I got kidnapped. Who could resist beauty like this?” She said it again while smiling proudly at herself.
After leaving prison, Luna had not realized at all that she had become an extremely beautiful woman because of the harsh life she endured there.
But a few seconds later, Luna sighed heavily again and lowered her head weakly.
“What was I thinking just now? Have I gone crazy?”
“At a time like this, I’m still admiring my own beauty.”
“I think after coming out of prison I’ve become a different person.”
“I don’t even know what my life will be like after this.”
“Just thinking about it already makes me tired.”
“Huhu…” Luna walked again with sluggish steps, then threw herself onto the soft bed.
It was still morning, the thin curtains that were left open swayed gently in the breeze, the quiet and peaceful atmosphere made Luna feel sleepy.
Her round eyes stared at the beautifully decorated ceiling for a moment, then slowly, her eyelids closed and she fell asleep just like that.
...
Meanwhile, at the same time…
“Pffft!”
Matthias chuckled softly.
He sat in his large executive chair. He would soon begin a meeting, but first he checked the CCTV cameras in his house through the advanced computer on his desk.
Matthias wanted to see what the strange woman he had brought into his house was doing.
At first, he expected to see Luna trying to escape, but what he saw was completely different.
He watched Luna’s random behavior.
She suddenly posed in the corridor while looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Then only a few seconds later, her mood seemed to change again. She walked with her head lowered until she eventually returned to the bedroom and fell asleep on the bed.
“Sir, it’s time.”
While Matthias was still chuckling softly, Frankenstein entered and reminded him to go to the meeting room.
“Hm.” Matthias replied briefly and stood up.
As he walked, he muttered quietly... “She’s an interesting woman.”
“I wonder what kind of game I’ll play with her.”
“Will she be able to entertain me… even for a moment?” He murmured with a sharp grin.
Matthias knew he would never love Luna, that was certain.
But he believed the woman who would become his temporary wife could at least entertain him for a while.
With long strides, he quickly arrived at the meeting room. The moment he entered, everyone immediately stood up.
Matthias De Grayson was still quite young to replace his father.
Several senior executives who had worked alongside Morgan De Grayson for years believed Matthias was not yet worthy of holding the highest position in the company at such a young age.
It could be said that there were now two factions inside the company. One faction supported Matthias De Grayson because he was the only heir.
The other faction opposed him and supported another candidate to replace Morgan De Grayson, Matthias’s father.
Because of that, the company had become unstable and that would become Matthias’s challenge.
How would he prove that he truly deserved to replace his father?
“Well then, let’s begin.” Matthias said as he sat in the main chair.
He had already read all the documents and reports, and he intended to handle everything firmly.
Including several problems the company was currently facing.
One of them was a leak in an underwater pipeline at one of the company’s mining sites.
The leak had been caused by an earthquake in the area, but many parties were blaming the Grayson company for it.
This problem could become extremely serious if it was not handled properly.
It would become one of the topics of their discussion, and Matthias already had a solution in mind.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
The alumni group chats from Luna Sharon’s middle school, high school, and college were extremely lively and chaotic.
Diana deliberately spread the news that Luna had been released from prison, and of course she added several lies to every message she wrote.
“Luna has been released from prison. She looked terrifying when she came home.”
“She even threatened my mom with a knife. She said if we didn’t give her money, she would stab my mom.”
“She was frightening and dangerous. Because of that, my mom had no choice but to throw her out of the house.”
“Please tell me my mom wasn’t wrong for doing that, right?”
Diana spread the rumors in the group chat, and of course her messages immediately caused an uproar among everyone there.
“Of course your mom wasn’t wrong. She only wanted safety and peace.”
“Just hearing that she’s out of prison gives me chills. What if she sees me on the street and robs me?”
“That’s terrifying.”
“Isn’t there any way to send her back to prison?”
“If she could kill her own grandmother, what about us?”
All of Luna’s former friends believed Diana’s words without hesitation.
The fact that Luna had gone to prison made every accusation Diana made seem believable.
Diana, who was relaxing in her bedroom, laughed when she saw all the replies condemning Luna.
She put her phone down and laughed again with satisfaction.
“Hahaha!”
“Luna… Luna… did you really think your life would become peaceful after leaving prison?”
“You’re going to suffer even more.”
“You’ll wish you were back in prison.”
“I’ll make sure you end up behind those bars forever.”
“I will never allow you to step into this house again or touch my husband.”
“Just wait. Soon you’ll fall into the abyss of despair!” Diana was extremely confident.
For some reason, when she saw Luna in the house yesterday, Diana felt threatened. Luna’s beauty made her incredibly jealous, especially when she realized the way her husband had looked at Luna.
Just remembering it made Diana want to get rid of Luna immediately.
...
Time kept passing. It was already noon moving toward the afternoon, yet Luna still had not woken up. Cold sweat covered her body, and she looked restless as she lay on the bed.
“No… I didn’t do it…”
“I was with Grandma, but I could never do something like that. I love my grandmother.”
“Please believe me.”
Luna appeared to be crying as she shouted while sitting in the chair before the judge. At that moment, Luna had been cornered, and no one believed what she said.
From the audience seats, Luna could see her stepmother crying hysterically. Of course, those tears were fake.
Then time suddenly seemed to slow down. The sound of the gavel striking echoed loudly.
“Luna Sharon, the court finds you guilty and sentences you to two years in prison.”
“BANG… BANG… BANG!”
When the gavel struck for the last time, Luna felt as if the world had stopped spinning. Her cries meant nothing, and her voice was not heard.
Through blurred vision, she faintly saw a small smirk on her stepmother’s lips.
After that moment, Luna could no longer remember what happened. She was too shocked.
And she fainted.
“AH!”
“Hah! Hah!”
Luna woke up from the terrifying dream.
It felt as if she had returned to two years ago. The pain and injustice still made her chest tighten, her body trembled. Her breathing was tight and uneven.
She pressed her hand against her chest and needed several minutes to calm the panic inside her.
“It’s okay… it’s okay, Luna.”
“Everything is over. Everything has passed. Everything will be fine.”
“Yes… you survived. You’re still alive. That’s what matters.”
Still trembling, Luna hugged herself. Her face was pale, and cold sweat covered her skin because the dream had felt so real.
And the worst part was that for two full years she had never been able to sleep peacefully, because that nightmare always returned to her dreams.
Knock… knock… knock…
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Luna was startled instantly. Her eyes widened as she turned toward the door, her heart pounding rapidly.
Her body reflexively remembered prison life, where she was always woken up by shouting and harsh treatment.
When she saw the door handle begin to move, Luna’s heart pounded even harder. Without realizing it, her body became tense.
But then...
“Miss, please come to the next room. Mr. Grayson has ordered us to prepare you for tonight’s event.”
It was the maid who entered Luna’s room, and only then did Luna finally breathe in relief.
“Thank goodness… everything really has passed.”
“Thank goodness… I actually survived all of it.”
Luna sobbed quietly. Her body trembled as she cried, showing how frightened she had been just moments ago.
The maids who had entered her room exchanged glances, confused when they saw Luna crying.
But none of them said anything.
Luna took a long breath, wiped away her tears, and stood up. She forced a stiff smile before following the maids to the room where she would be prepared for tonight’s event, according to the order of Matthias De Grayson.
“Ahem… ahem…”
The makeup artist assigned to prepare Luna looked nervous. Somehow Luna’s status as a former prisoner had spread widely in a very short time.
Because of that, Luna now seemed to be avoided and feared by everyone socially, but Luna said nothing.
She sat quietly, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She knew and had already prepared herself to be mocked by others after leaving prison.
In her heart, Luna kept telling herself that everything would be fine. There was nothing she needed to fear.
While the makeup artist worked on her face, Luna began to feel sleepy again. After leaving prison, it seemed her body simply wanted to rest as much as possible.
“Thank goodness she fell asleep again. I might faint from fear if she keeps staring at me.”
“Yeah… I don’t know why, but her eyes always make me nervous.”
“She won’t hurt us, right?”
The servants and makeup artists in the room whispered among themselves. They felt relieved when it looked like Luna had fallen asleep again.
Now they could finish her makeup calmly without fear.
...
After some time…
They finished preparing Luna. Her face looked sweet and beautiful, and her hair was left down, flowing in soft, stunning waves.
Meanwhile, the dress for Luna was placed behind her so she could put it on herself later.
After finishing the makeup, they preferred to leave immediately rather than help Luna put on the dress.
“Miss, we’re finished…”
“We’ll wait outside. This is the dress you’ll be wearing.”
One of the maids tapped Luna’s shoulder to wake her. The moment Luna opened her eyes, the maid hurried out of the room.
Luna sat silently for a moment. Then her lips pouted slightly, her brows furrowed, and her round eyes stared toward the closed door.
“They look at me like I’m some kind of monster.”
“But I wouldn’t hurt them either.”
“So annoying.”
She muttered softly, then stood up with irritation as she looked at the striking red dress she was supposed to wear.
“Besides, why do I have to wear such a flashy red dress?”
“What kind of event am I even supposed to attend?”
“And the most terrifying part is that I’ll be with that man.”
“Just imagining it already gives me chills.” Luna grumbled to herself, but her hands still reached for the dress.
Luna was smart enough to understand her situation. She could not refuse the request of a man who had bought her for such an astonishing price.
That meant the man was extremely powerful, and Luna should not oppose him or make him angry.
After putting on the dress, Luna looked at herself in the mirror.
She truly looked beautiful.
But the dress was too glamorous and made her look like a seductive woman, it clung tightly to her body, emphasizing her beautiful curves.
Luna felt uncomfortable wearing it.
...
At the same time…
Matthias was already inside his car, on his way home. His mood was terrible because of the many problems happening in the company.
His gaze looked sharp, and his aura felt intimidating.
Even Matthias’s personal driver did not dare greet him or breathe too loudly because his master’s mood looked so bad.
After driving for a while, Matthias arrived at his house.
In the lobby, Luna and several servants were already waiting.
Matthias had ordered Luna to be brought to the lobby so he could take her directly to his father’s house.
Luna tightly gripped the fabric of her dress when she saw Matthias’s car approaching. Fear immediately spread through her body.
Especially when Matthias did not step out of the car.
Instead, it was his personal driver who came out and opened the door for Luna.
Feeling nervous and uneasy, Luna sat beside Matthias, who immediately looked at her from head to toe.
“Hm…”
“It suits you.”
“But you’re not naughty enough.” Matthias whispered.
Luna was startled and instinctively turned toward him.
But before she could react, Matthias suddenly grabbed Luna’s dress and easily tore the skirt.
The torn fabric exposed more of her thigh, making her look even more seductive.
“Ah! What are you doing, Sir?!” Luna cried out while covering her thigh.
But Matthias only smirked sharply and looked at her with his piercing gaze... “I’m tearing the dress of the woman I bought. What’s wrong with that?”
“Now you’re perfect to become my toy.” Matthias’s low whisper sent chills down Luna’s spine.
Her dignity felt wounded, and the man in front of her seemed even more terrifying.
No one knew what Matthias wanted from Luna Sharon…
...
To be continued…
