Chapter 3 Painted Fury

"Doctor, please step outside for a moment." Diana put on the empty, broken look of a rape victim, quietly pulling her hand away.

Diana worried that if she looked at Mandy any longer, she might lose control and attack her.

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 very well. In her eyes, Diana was completely foolish.

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 words Derek whispered, Diana would fall head over heels for him.

Whatever Mandy said, Diana believed without question.

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

The more Mandy warned her not to defy Nicholas, the more Diana would confront him head-on.

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

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

Diana tightened her grip, her long nails digging into Mandy's flesh until Mandy pulled away in pain.

Diana stared at her nails. There wasn’t even a drop of blood. She felt a flash of irritation. Was she still not tough enough?

In her previous life, Mandy had fed her these same half-truths, making her believe the Windsor Corporation's troubles were caused by Nicholas.

In reality, it had all been Derek and Mandy's doing. They had bribed company executives to submit incomplete documentation, prompting the authorities to demand correctionss.

It was a minor issue, yet they exaggerated it, making it seem as though the company was on the brink of collapse.

In the end, Diana had foolishly handed the company over to Derek, elevating his position while the Windsor Corporation was completely ruined.

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

"Diana, what's wrong?" Mandy called after her twice, but there was no response. She assumed Diana was in shock.

Given Diana's personality, being violated by Nicholas would naturally leave her shaken.

But the thought of Diana and Nicholas spending the entire night making love stirred jealousy in Mandy.

Mandy stood up and called toward the bathroom, "Nicholas treated you so horribly. I’m going to confront him right now! He can’t get away with this!"

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

Just a moment ago, Mandy told her not to upset Nicholas. Now she was sprinting off confront him. Was she trying to act like a hero?

Thinking about the large dose of aphrodisiac Nicholas had been given the night before, Diana scoffed. 

If he chose to investigate, what wouldn’t he uncover?

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

Diana lifted her head and looked at herself in the mirror. Her expression froze.

Her wig was gone, leaving her hair in a tangled mess.

Her face was covered in smeared white, black, and red, making her look like a painting ruined.

She leaned closer, finally understanding why both the doctor and Mandy had reacted as if they had seen a ghost.

She looked terrifying, even to herself. And yet, Nicholas had not only tolerated her appearance, but had kissed her as if he didn’t mind at all?

Diana pressed her fingers to her forehead, then noticed the white paint smudged across her skin. Disgusted, she turned on the faucet and began washing her hands.

At that moment, Mandy rushed back in, her face flushed with excitement.

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

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly happy she’d talked to him.

Diana rolled her eyes inwardly.

Because Mandy was her only friend, Nicholas allowed her to come and go as she pleased.

Mandy thought Nicholas had been intimidated when, in reality, he simply couldn't be bothered with her.

When Diana stayed quiet, Mandy grabbed her hand. "Nicholas has work to do. I'm taking you to meet someone, so we need to hurry."

Ignoring Diana's disheveled appearance, Mandy dragged her toward the door.

Diana, exhausted after the previous night, couldn’t break free from her grip.

Mandy had only one goal—to humiliate her.

Sure enough, as soon as they appeared, the staff reacted as if they had seen a ghost. Someone even screamed before being quickly silenced.

Screaming at Diana? Were they asking for trouble?

Mandy pretended not to notice, deliberately leading Diana through a long, winding route before finally bringing her to the garden.

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

Derek's voice suddenly rang out, "Diana, are you alright?"

The moment he saw her, his disgust was barely concealed.

Diana steadied herself, pretending not to notice the change in his expression. 

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

Derek's gaze fell on the marks on her neck. His hands clenched as disappointment filled his eyes. 

"Diana, I never thought you'd degrade yourself to this! Didn't you 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, as if he were deeply wounded.

Diana nearly laughed. 

How dare a man who had slept with countless women question her virtue?

Unable to see her expression clearly, Derek assumed she was overwhelmed with guilt.

He pulled out a contract. 

"Diana, Nicholas is targeting the Windsor family. The company’s projects have been suspended. Just sign document and leave everything to me."

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

He turned to the last page. "Sign here. I brought ink."

He reached for his bag to retrieve the ink pad.

A sharp slap landed across his face without warning. 

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

Another slap followed. Diana flexed her wrist and threw the contract to the ground.

"So what if I did?" Her voice was icy.

Before Derek could react, she struck again.

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

She slapped him again.

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

Another blow landed.

"And that's for trying to steal Windsor Corporation's projects and assets."