Chapter 4
“You’ll be let out as soon as tomorrow’s investors‘ meeting ends.”
I clung desperately to the door frame, refusing to let go. He clenched his jaw, then shoved the door hard, slamming it shut against me.
My fingers got caught between the door and frame, agony shooting through my hand and heart. Cold sweat broke out instantly, forcing me to release my grip.
The door locked from outside.
The basement was pitch black. Trembling, I dragged myself along the walls searching for the light switch.
But no matter how I tried, it wouldn’t turn on.
Darkness surrounded me like a monster, swallowing me whole. I huddled in the corner, gripped by overwhelming fear.
Time passed indistinctly before I heard a noise at the door.
Rushing toward it, I saw it crack open briefly, then quickly slam shut again.
A sudden flash of light blinded me momentarily as a large black dog was tossed inside.
“No-!”
I couldn’t evade it. The dog lunged, biting fiercely into my thighs, arms, and stomach…
As consciousness slipped away, I hallucinated that someone burst open the door and rescued me.
When I awoke, I was already in a hospital bed.
Spencer sat beside me. My body was wrapped in thick bandages.
“What on earth happened to you? I couldn’t reach you when I came to finalize our agreement, so I searched everywhere.”
“Then I heard dogs barking and your screams from inside. Who locked you down there?”
I clenched my fists, staring at the daylight outside the window.
“We can discuss that later. For now, get me some clothes. I’ve got a special onboarding gift for you.”
Worried I’d sabotage the investment? Now I was determined not just to sabotage it, but to take it all away.
The moment I arrived at the company, my heart froze. My mother lay collapsed at the entrance, foam at her mouth, while security guards threw filthy water on her.
“These scammers never learn. Don’t they realize we have cameras here?”
“Yeah, good thing Madeline was quick–witted. But this old lady sure is persistent. Even with this heat and dirty water, she hasn’t woken up.”
S
“Maybe the water wasn’t nasty enough. Let me fetch some from the toilet!”
“You’re disgusting… Haha!”
Seeing red, I pushed the guards aside furiously.
“Get away! Get away!”
My mother’s lips were purple–she was having a heart attack, and they were humiliating her like this?
“Wait, isn’t that Ms. Harper? Damn, that’s her mom!”
“We didn’t have a choice–We were just following Gavin’s orders!”
“He said she was trying to scam us and told us to kick her out. It was Madeline who came up with the idea…” Chapter 4
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With that, the security guards quickly scattered.
My fingers trembled, my heart clenched in agony.
Memories from my past life flooded back–my mother dying alone at home. The overwhelming terror suffocated me.
“Someone, call an ambulance!”
With no phone, I dropped to my knees in panic, pleading desperately to the crowd around me.
No one moved.
“I’ve already called. The ambulance is almost here, don’t worry!”
Spencer rushed to my side, helping move my mother to a shaded area and cleaning away the dirt.
The ambulance arrived quickly. After emergency first aid, my mother regained consciousness.
Tears spilled from her eyes as soon as she woke.
“Sloane, what’s going on with you and Gavin? I saw him kissing another girl. That girl even said you’d abandoned the company and wouldn’t survive. I tried to ask her clearly, but she started screaming, accusing me of bullying her.”
My lips turned white with pain. How could Gavin do this to my mother?
After his parents‘ divorce, he’d lived with us. My parents treated him as their own son.
Suppressing my pain, I comforted her softly.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll handle everything. Just focus on getting better.”
After the ambulance left, I cleaned myself up in a restroom and stormed directly into the company.
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