Chapter 3 Painted Fury

"Doctor, please step outside for a moment." Diana feigned the hollow, shattered demeanor of a rape victim, subtly withdrawing her hand.

Diana feared that if she looked at Mandy for one more second, she might sink her teeth into the woman's throat.

The doctor bowed respectfully and left the bedroom, leaving only Diana and Mandy alone.

Taking in the marks covering Diana's body, Mandy's voice was filled with concern. "Diana, I know you despise Nicholas, but he holds all the power. We're no match for him."

Mandy knew Diana all too well—she was nothing but a complete fool.

To put it kindly, Diana had been sheltered and overprotected by her family. To put it bluntly, she was naive and obsessed with nothing but romantic fantasies.

Whatever sweet nothings Derek whispered, Diana would fall head over heels in love with him.

Whatever Mandy said, Diana believed without question.

Most importantly, the more others pushed Diana to do something, the more she refused to comply.

The more Mandy warned her against defying Nicholas, the more Diana would clash with him head-on.

Knowing that Nicholas would eventually grow tired of Diana, Mandy's smile deepened.

She grasped Diana's hand again, adopting a tone of earnest concern. "Nicholas isn't someone we can fight against. You must appease him. The Windsor Corporation's overseas projects have been suspended, and I heard if construction doesn't resume soon, the company will go bankrupt. For the sake of the company, don't antagonize Nicholas anymore, understand?"

Diana gripped her hand tightly, her long nails digging into Mandy's flesh until the woman quickly pulled away in pain.

Diana stared at her nails—not even a drop of blood. A wave of irritation washed over her. Was she still not ruthless enough?

In her previous life, Mandy had fed her these same half-truths, making her believe that the Windsor Corporation's project suspension was Nicholas's doing.

In reality, it had all been Derek and Mandy's handiwork. The two had bribed company executives to deliberately submit incomplete documentation, prompting the authorities to demand corrective measures.

It was a minor issue, but they had blown it out of proportion, making it seem like the Windsor Corporation was on the brink of bankruptcy.

In the end, Diana had foolishly handed the company over to Derek, elevating his status within the family while the Windsor Corporation was destroyed completely.

Remembering the past, Diana stood abruptly and walked toward the bathroom without a word.

"Diana, what's wrong?" Mandy called out twice, receiving no response. She assumed Diana was in shock.

Given Diana's strong personality, being violated by Nicholas would naturally be traumatic.

But thinking about Diana and Nicholas spending the entire night making love, Mandy felt a pang of jealousy.

Mandy rose as well, calling toward the bathroom. "That Nicholas treated you so horribly—I'm going to confront him right now! This can't go unpunished!"

Hearing the door slam shut, Diana let out a cold laugh.

Moments ago, Mandy warned her not to cross Nicholas. Now she was sprinting off to pick a fight—what, did she want him to see her as some self-righteous crusader riding to her friend's rescue?

Remembering the massive dose of aphrodisiac Nicholas had been given yesterday, Diana scoffed.

If Nicholas wanted to investigate, what couldn't he uncover?

Without her protection, she was curious to see if Mandy could escape unscathed.

She looked up at her reflection in the mirror, and her laughter died instantly.

Her wig had disappeared somewhere, leaving a mess of tangled hair atop her head.

Her face was a patchwork of white, black, and red—like an artist's palette gone wrong.

She leaned closer to the mirror for a better look, finally understanding why both the doctor and Mandy had reacted as if they'd seen a ghost.

She looked terrifying enough to frighten herself. Not only had Nicholas been able to stomach her appearance, but he'd kissed her with apparent enthusiasm?

Diana rubbed her forehead in exasperation, then felt the white paint on her fingers. Disgusted, she turned on the faucet to wash her hands.

Just then, Mandy burst back in, her face flushed with excitement.

"I just stood up for you! Nicholas didn't dare say a word in his defense!"

Her eyes sparkled with barely contained joy—clearly thrilled to have spoken with Nicholas.

Diana secretly rolled her eyes.

Because Mandy was her only friend, Nicholas tolerated her free access to the house.

Mandy thought Nicholas didn't dare argue back, when in reality, he simply couldn't be bothered with her.

Seeing Diana's silence, Mandy grabbed her hand. "Nicholas has work to do. I'm taking you to meet someone—we need to hurry."

Regardless of Diana's disheveled state, Mandy urgently pulled her toward the door.

Diana, exhausted from hours of Nicholas's passionate attention the night before, couldn't break free from Mandy's grip.

Mandy had only one goal—to humiliate Diana.

Sure enough, the moment anyone in the mansion saw Diana, they reacted as if they'd seen a specter. Someone even screamed before being quickly silenced by a companion.

Screaming at Diana? Did they have a death wish?

Mandy acted oblivious to the commotion, deliberately taking Diana on a circuitous route through the mansion before finally leading her to the garden.

"Don't thank me too much," she said, giving Diana a push that nearly sent her tumbling.

Derek's voice cut off abruptly, "Diana, are you alright?"

Seeing Diana's appearance, his disgust was barely concealed.

Diana steadied herself, pretending not to notice his emotional shift.

"How did you get in here?" she asked coldly.

Derek's gaze fell on the love bites covering Diana's neck. His hands clenched into fists as he looked at her with disappointment.

"Diana, I never imagined you'd degrade yourself to this extent! Didn't you once say we belonged only to each other? You actually did this with Nicholas for money—what do our vows mean to you?"

His eyes glistened with tears, the picture of wounded pride.

Diana nearly laughed out loud.

How dare this man—who'd slept with countless women—question her virtue?

Unable to see her expression clearly through the makeup, Derek assumed she was consumed with guilt.

That's when he produced a contract.

"Diana, Nicholas is targeting the Windsor family now. The Windsor Corporation's projects have been suspended. Just sign this legal document, and leave everything else to me."

He pressed a pen into Diana's hand. "Your parents are gone, but you still have me. I'll help you through this."

He flipped to the final page of the contract. "Just sign here—I brought ink."

He reached for his bag to retrieve the ink pad.

Just then, a sharp slap landed across his face without warning.

He clutched his left cheek, staring at Diana in disbelief. "You hit me?"

Another blow. Diana flexed her wrist and tossed the contract to the ground.

"So what if I did?" Diana's laugh was ice-cold.

Before Derek could respond, she struck again.

"That's for tricking me into eloping with you, dragging the Windsor name through the mud!"

Another slap.

"That's for being too cowardly to face Nicholas—then blaming me for not staying 'pure' for you."

The next blow landed.

"And that's for the audacity to try to steal Windsor Corporation's projects and assets."