I approached, my hand tracing the bark of the trunk, as if cherishing an ancient artifact.
Abruptly, a large hand clamped over my mouth, and I was dragged, utterly helpless, toward the back garden.
The figure wore a mask and hat, tall and imposing; he was no mere Bodyguard, certainly not a servant.
My heart hammered in my chest, every nerve stretched taut, a helpless whimper escaping my lips.
He dragged me into the garden’s depths, threw me to the ground, and pressed a knife against my throat. “Serve me well, and I might spare your life.”
My chest rose and fell sharply: “You wouldn’t dare! I am Marcus Chase’s fiancée.”
A slap struck me, and a searing pain instantly blazed across my
face.
“Tsk, tsk, still clinging to your delusions of marrying into wealth! After tonight, you’ll be nothing but worthless,
unwanted refuse.”
He produced a small vial from his pocket, containing a chillingly white powder, and smirked lasciviously, “This is quite the little treasure. Ingest it, and even the most virtuous maiden will degenerate into a harlot ridden by a thousand men.”
Upon opening the vial, a pungent, medicinal stench filled the air.
My mind erupted in a deafening roar.
This powder… it’s identical to what I discovered in my pocket in my previous life.
Verily, there are those who, across lifetimes, remain determined to ruin me.
I fixed my gaze upon the bandit before me, and said with a chilling composure, “How much are they offering? H double it. Let me go.”
He scoffed.
“Enough with the drivel. Open your mouth.”
A cold dread washed over me. Not for money? Then what was the purpose?
A knife forced my mouth open, the blade tearing at the corner of my lips, drawing a crimson flow.
With practiced efficiency, he positioned the medicine bottle near my mouth.
I stared at him, then, a faint smile touched my lips: “Thank you.”
His hand faltered.
In the next instant, a piercing alarm shattered the silence around the Villa, and a blinding light flooded the grounds.
The sudden, blinding light forced his eyes shut. Seizing the moment, I kicked his knife away and then deliver brutal kick to his groin.
The bodyguards, arriving belatedly, swarmed the man and pinned him to the ground.
Summer Sue and Marcus Chase arrived in quick succession.
