Chapter 7 The Show Begins

Jason finished his apology and left happily.

Everyone in the Rodriguez family was busy with the banquet preparations, and the villa returned to peace.

Ten minutes later, the peace was broken. Ethan arrived.

He appeared at Abigail's bedroom door, with servants behind him carrying several orange gift boxes.

Abigail sneered inwardly. She knew the drill—when Ethan bought bags for Sandra, what he gave her were just the add-ons.

Scarves, perfumes, little charms—all those accessories from the counter that "needed to be purchased together."

In her past life, she would have been happy about these gifts for a long time. Now she just thought she had been incredibly stupid.

"Abigail, you had quite a scare today." Ethan walked straight into her bedroom. "I specially picked out these gifts for you."

The servants placed the gift boxes in the bedroom and left.

Ethan sat on the sofa, his eyes practically glued to Abigail.

She wore a loose cardigan, the neckline slightly open, revealing glimpses of the purple bruises on her neck.

Her hair wasn't completely dry yet. A few damp strands clung to her collarbone, water droplets running down her skin and sliding into the depths of her neckline.

Her shirt clung to her body. Ethan could see she wasn't wearing a bra, the shape of her nipples faintly visible.

His Adam's apple bobbed. His mouth felt dry.

He'd always known Abigail was good-looking.

The Rodriguez family's eldest daughter, famously beautiful in their circle, but maybe because he'd known her too long, he'd found this woman who chased after him uninteresting.

That's why when Sandra appeared, he fell hard.

But today's Abigail was very different.

The shirt wrapped around her body. For the first time, Ethan realized how large her breasts were, how slim her waist, and those long legs—they gave him an urge to tear everything apart.

"Abigail." Ethan stood up and walked over to her, looking down at her from above. "You must have been terrified today?"

He held her hand, constantly stroking her smooth skin.

Abigail looked up to meet his gaze, the rage inside her nearly impossible to contain.

She was too familiar with that look in Ethan's eyes.

In her past life at the club, every man who walked toward her had that same look—disgusting, sticky gazes.

She suddenly felt like laughing.

In her past life, Ethan claimed to love Sandra. For Sandra's sake, he wouldn't even touch Abigail.

Back then, Abigail thought he loved her and was therefore being respectful. Later she learned he didn't lack desire—he just thought she wasn't worthy.

He made her pregnant through IVF, never touching her throughout the process, just to avoid upsetting Sandra.

Now, this "devoted" man was looking at her like she was prey.

Abigail felt disgusted.

But she didn't pull away.

She lowered her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly. "Ethan, I was so scared today."

"Don't be afraid." He pulled her into his arms, his hands wandering inappropriately across her back. "I'm here."

Abigail lifted her head, looking at him with slightly reddened eyes.

Those eyes held a watery gleam—vulnerability and hesitant uncertainty.

Abigail knew this was when she looked most beautiful—fragile enough to make every man want to take her hard.

After all, she'd practiced this many times. As long as those men could release their desires, at least they wouldn't hit her.

Ethan felt something squeeze his heart—then that squeeze quickly transformed into a more primal, direct impulse.

He tightened his grip on her waist, pressing their bodies closer.

He leaned forward, moving toward her lips. Abigail didn't dodge or lean in. Her eyes were full of panic.

Ethan's breathing grew heavier.

Feeling his arousal, Abigail suddenly turned her head away and broke free from his embrace. "Ethan, I'm not in a good mood today."

She raised her hand. "I'm injured too."

Ethan's movements froze.

His chest was still heaving violently, the desire in his eyes not yet gone. His penis was already erect.

Abigail turned back. "You should go. Sandra's still in the hospital. I'm not in the mood."

When she mentioned Sandra's name, Ethan took a deep breath and forced his desire down.

He straightened his collar, his voice still somewhat hoarse. "Get some rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

As he turned to leave, he didn't dare look at Abigail again, afraid he'd lose control.

The sound of a car engine came from outside. Abigail knew Ethan had left.

She clicked her tongue, then walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

She kept rinsing her body with cold water, scrubbing her skin hard until it turned red, almost raw.

Looking at her intact body, images from her past life flashed through her mind—those men at the club, that laughter, those hands touching her body.

She bent over and dry-heaved twice, but nothing came up.

Abigail straightened up, wiped the water from her face, took a deep breath, and smiled at herself in the mirror.

She needed to find some fun to vent, or she'd go crazy.

The hospital.

The VIP floor was quiet except for a woman's flirtatious laughter and a man's heavy panting.

Abigail stood at the hospital room door, quietly watching the two intertwined figures inside—Ethan and Sandra.

They were kissing passionately. Sandra had been stripped down to just her underwear. Ethan's hand reached for her panties when Sandra suddenly stopped him. "Ethan, wait. We can't do it here."

Abigail didn't keep watching. Instead, she turned and went downstairs to a vending machine on the first floor and bought a box of latex condoms.

She knew Ethan was severely allergic to latex. Contact would cause him to break out in a rash, even have difficulty breathing.

Looking at the condoms in her hand, her lips curved upward.

Then she found a delivery person and had him deliver the condoms to the VIP room.

If Ethan could see those condoms and still resist using them, he wouldn't be a man.

When the delivery person brought the condoms, Sandra was in the bathroom.

"Ms. Rodriguez asked me to deliver these."

Just one sentence eliminated all of Ethan's doubts.

He took the condoms with a bright smile, completely ignoring the material issue.

When Sandra came out, Ethan immediately pressed her onto the bed. "Baby, you're so thoughtful."

Sandra's expression showed a moment of confusion, but it was quickly covered by shyness. She assumed Ethan had prepared them himself.

Abigail figured the timing was about right and decided to go watch the show.

"Enjoying the view?"

A deep voice came from behind her. Abigail's body tensed instantly.

She turned around.

Robert was standing behind her—she didn't know when he'd arrived. He still wore the black suit from today, almost blending into the dim corridor lighting, only his eyes remarkably bright.

But he wasn't looking at her.

His gaze fell on something at the end of the corridor.

Abigail nervously clenched her fists, but quickly calmed down.

She took a step back, creating some distance between them. "Mr. Davis, taking a late-night stroll at the hospital?"

Robert didn't respond. Instead, he turned to leave.

He left her with just one sentence: "Your older brother is downstairs."