Chapter 4
When she woke up again, she found herself back in a hospital bed, though she had no idea who had moved her.
Greg was sitting beside her, face cold and unreadable.
“I told you not to mess with Talia. She has people protecting her.
“Now that her protectors taught you a lesson, I hope it sinks in this time.”
Liora froze. Then suddenly, she let out a laugh–tears streaming down her blood–stained face.
She hated him.
Hated that she’d loved the wrong man. Hated that she gave her all in her first relationship and ended up with nothing but betrayal.
Greg watched her quietly weep, and a strange flicker of regret stirred in his heart. But he quickly shut it down.
After all, hadn’t Liora almost destroyed Talia’s life and family all those years ago?
He couldn’t possibly feel pity for a woman this venomous.
Liora looked up at him, her eyes trembling as she hesitated, wanting to speak the truth.
“I never bullied Talia. It was always her who-”
Before she could finish, Greg’s phone rang.
0.00%
Chapter 4
It was the leader of the Guardians of Talia.
“Mr. Alston, Ms. Renner just called. She asked me to thank you on her behalf. But, uh… there’s something else…”
288 Wouchers
Hearing it involved Talia, Greg didn’t wait for Liora to finish her sentence and hurried out.
“What happened to Talia?”
“She started crying while we were talking. She said Liora texted her this morning, taunting her and saying that if she knew how things would turn out, she should’ve let Ms. Renner fall to her death three years ago.
“Ms. Renner’s really upset. She asked if we could let some ants crawl over Liora’s wounds to teach her a lesson.”
Greg’s gaze darkened, his expression turning icy.
r
“Liora really is vicious. Do it. Make sure Talia feels better.”
“Yes, sir.”
**
%
An hour later, the Guardians of Talia returned to the hospital room.
Seeing them again, Liora instantly understood.
That phone call Greg had just taken–of course, it had something to do with Talia.
And, of course, Talia wouldn’t let her off so easily.
The lead man took out four thick ropes and roughly tied Liora’s limbs to the bed in a spread–eagle position.
Then someone poured sticky syrup over her burned arms and legs before
16 89
Chapter 4
releasing a canister full of live ants.
Dozens of them crawled across her skin, licking at her wounds.
288 Vouchers
The unbearable combination of burning pain and relentless itching sent Liora’s body into violent spasms. She writhed in agony, hopeless screams tearing from deep within her throat.
But the men didn’t stop.
They picked up their phones to record everything, only leaving once Liora had passed out from the pain.
She had no idea how much time had passed before a hard slap brought her back to consciousness.
Talia stood at her bedside, casually retracting her hand with a sneer.
“Mr. Alston really dotes on me. The second something feels wrong, he makes it right no questions asked.
“Oh, by the way, Liora, I heard from him that you once stripped down to your underwear in a bar just to impress a guy. Desperate, weren’t you? Like some pitiful little dog.
“And guess what? I shared that little strip show story–and the video of you screaming just now–with our college group chat. Want to know what they said? They said you’re such a slut. Everyone’s wondering how wild you must be in bed, and how hard you must cry when you’re pinned down.”
Talia laughed with open delight.
Then, she ground her lit cigarette into one of the fresh burn wounds on Liora’s wrist, searing a black hole into her skin.
36.67%
Chapter 4
“Face it, Liora.
288 Vouchers
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut and leave Davis for good. Never show your face again.
)
“Oh, and I heard Mr. Alston plans to propose to me on my birthday. I’ll be the future Mrs. Alston soon. You and I–we’ll never be on the same level.”
Liora stared at the ceiling, eyes blank and lifeless.
She would leave./
She’d go to New York soon and marry the man she was meant to marry.
Three days later, Greg came to pick her up from the hospital.
On the ride home, Liora sat silently, staring out the window. Her face was blank–expressionless, like a doll drained of life.
Noticing her mood, Greg deliberately took a detour to buy her favorite pastries.
When they got home, she immediately noticed three white wedding gowns hanging in the living room. Her brows knit together.
Greg came up behind her, slipping his arms around her slender waist.
“Liora, I picked out three wedding dresses for you. We’re getting married in three days.”
Liora pushed his hands away, her voice trembling slightly.
“Does it have to be in three days?”
Greg paused, then gently ruffled her hair.
58.59%
Chapter 4
“We already talked about this, didn’t we? It’s a special day. Besides the wedding, I’ve prepared a special surprise for you.”
298 Vouchers
Liora looked up at the man who could lie so effortlessly and then smiled faintly.
“How funny. I’ve got a surprise planned for that day, too.”
“Oh?” Greg raised a brow. “What kind of surprise?”
Liora walked over to the desk and turned on the computer, her lips curling into a slow smile.
“It’s a secret. But first, I need to borrow your laptop.”
Thinking she was simply too in love to deceive him, Greg let his guard down completely–and entered the password without hesitation.
Greg turned around and walked into the living room, sending a message to his assistant.
“She agreed. She’ll help set up the wedding venue in the next couple of days.”
While he was in the living room, Liora quickly opened his laptop.
Her hands trembled as she deleted the video taken during her nude loan ordeal. Then, she replaced it with the evidence she’d compiled of Talia bullying her and the “accidental” fall from the building.
Finally, she renamed the file to match the name of the deleted nude loan video.
Just as she finished, she received a call from a delivery guy–her package had been dropped off at the door.
She opened the door, but the moment she did, something struck her shoulder hard–and everything went black.
