The already cramped room felt even more confined with the addition of four burly men, an overwhelming sense of intimidation loomed before me.
“Who are you-”
I had barely begun to speak when a rough hand immediately covered my mouth, cutting off my question.
Strong arms yanked me away from the sleeping Billy.
I struggled desperately but couldn’t break free as they dragged me out of the room. I didn’t even get a chance to see their faces clearly before being hauled into a completely empty room–no furniture, no windows, just bare walls.
The four men surrounded me like sentinels. Their size was terrifying–each towered over me by at least a foot, with shoulders twice the width of mine.
Remembering the wealthy woman’s warning from earlier today, I mustered the courage to speak.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded sharply, trying to mask my fear with anger. “This is a police station! What you’re doing is illegal!”
When they had dragged me here, their strength was frightening–I was completely outmatched. If they wanted to kill me,
it would be effortless.
One of them bent down, roughly lifting my chin with his fingers. His smile never reached his eyes, which remained cold- like a snake sizing up its prey.
“Refusing to apologize, are we?” he said softly, his dirty, hot breath hitting my face.
“Then we’ll have some fun with you. Don’t worry, we won’t hit you or yell at you. We just want to take some… After all, everyone wants to see what Henry Harding’s wife looks like, don’t they?”
As they exchanged jokes, their hands reached for my clothing.
ands trap
Panic surged through me. I felt like a trapped animal, fighting with every ounce of strength I had left.
pictures.
At Maple Grove across town, Henry suddenly clutched his chest, a sharp pain interrupting his work, feeling as if someone was stabbing his heart with a knife.
Henry collapsed back into his chair, gasping for air. With trembling fingers, he fumbled for the medication his doctor had prescribed, dumping several pills into his mouth and swallowing them dry.
Twenty minutes passed before the pain finally began to subside.
Now, Henry’s mind was filled with images of Sophia’s face. That stubborn, foolish woman–what was happening to her
now?
To be honest, he didn’t want to see her. This woman who claimed to love him but had only been using him as a replacement. Whenever he thought about being nothing more than a substitute, disgust and anger bubbled up inside him.
He wanted to get revenge, to make her suffer as he was suffering. Yet he couldn’t stop thinking about her. This torturous
1/2
Chapter 307
back–and–forth of love and hate had been going on for a week.
He was like a walking contradiction, swinging from one extreme to another, never finding peace.
After the pain subsided, his throbbing head finally cleared enough for rational thought. Sophia had been in the police station for over twenty–four hours now–surely she’d learned her lesson.
He called James. “How is she?” His voice was hoarse with fatigue.
James had already been asleep, his response confused: “Who are you asking about?”
Henry’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who else would I be asking about?”
James quickly came to his senses: “Oh, you mean Mrs. Harding. She’s still at the police station, with young Billy. The other party’s demands are outrageous–they want her to kneel and apologize publicly in front of the media, plus pay them a million dollars in compensation. Knowing Mrs. Harding, she’ll never agree to such unreasonable terms.”
Henry’s frown deepened. “Who exactly is behind this? They’re quite bold!”
Did they think the Harding family was powerless? How dare they make such demands! He needed to know who had such audacity!
Hearing his boss’s anger, James quickly responded: “It’s the Smith family. They own the second–largest business conglomerate in the city. They’ve always opposed the Harding family. The recent drop in our stock prices was partly their doing.”
Chapter Comments
POST COMMENT NOW
LIKE
