Chapter 4

Samuel locked me away in the guest room.

He said, "Lily, don't even think about running away. If you do, you and Charles will both suffer a horrible fate."

I kept my mouth shut, terrified that if I annoyed him, he would toss me to some filthy old creeps without a second thought.

For two days, I didn't cry or make a scene. I barely dared to sleep, scared out of my mind that if I closed my eyes, I would wake up in some dangerous place I couldn't escape from.

Seeing me so quiet, Samuel thought I had reverted to the old Lily—the one who always put him first and followed his every word. Relieved, he dropped his guard around me.

I seized my opportunity in the evening. I smashed the window upstairs and leaped from the second floor, bolting out of the Watson residence.

However, I had barely gone far before someone yanked a black hood over my head and dragged me off. The stench inside was so overpowering that it knocked me out.

When I woke up, I was lying in an abandoned warehouse. Three old men stood in the middle, with a bunch of thugs surrounding them. Their faces were haggard and pale, looking like death was knocking at their door.

One of the old men asked, "Is it true that her kiss can cure anything?"

A bald guy flashed a sleazy grin. "Do you know the Watson family's youngest heir over in Vormill? He was supposed to drop dead before he hit twenty, but after this chick kissed him, boom—he's all better:"

The whole warehouse echoed with filthy laughter.

After the bald guy talked them up, the three old men whipped out their credit cards and paid like it was nothing, all of them hungrily eyeing me as if I was their prize.

Every time they opened their mouths, drool dangled from their lips, their faces were blotched with age spots, and they reeked of sweat and something even nastier.

A wave of disgust and fear crashed down on me, and I scrambled back in horror, desperate to escape.

One of the old creeps grabbed my arm, his eyes gleaming like a predator's, his nose pressed shamelessly against my skin as he sniffed me up and down.

He flashed a grin so wide I could see his yellow, rotting teeth. "You smell amazing. Don't be scared, sweetheart. If you serve me right, you'll get tons of cash."

Anger, fear, and disgust all hit me at once.

"The Warren family won't let you get away with this," I said, my voice trembling.

They leered at me, eyes full of greed. "Not our fault, sweetheart. You pissed off someone you really shouldn't have."

I bit down hard on my lips, shaking with terror.

"Samuel, I'll make you pay for this," I screamed.

Suddenly, with a thunderous bang, a familiar figure came crashing through the door, swinging a metal rod and going straight for the thugs. Then I was totally stunned—it was Samuel.

He swiped the blood off his mouth, his lips curling into a cocky little smirk.

He said, "So, Lily, how are you gonna make me pay?"

I just stood there like I had been struck by lightning, staring at Samuel, bloody and battered, unable to even breathe.

The old creeps around me realized things had gone south—they collapsed to the ground, begging and scrambling to run.

Samuel strode over and started untying me. "What's wrong? Are you surprised to see me?"

Before I could even get a word out, the whole warehouse went up in flames. The thugs and those old creeps bolted for the exits.

I couldn't help but sneer. "Samuel, what's with this? Why are your people trying to kill you?"

Samuel looked totally lost, grabbed my hand, and pulled me along. "I'm here to save you."

Suddenly, a beam crashed down from above. Samuel lunged, shielding me with his body. I heard the sickening crack of bone breaking.

He frowned, coughed up blood, but forced a smile and tried to stroke my head. "Lily, it's okay."

My eyes stung with tears, and with our arms around each other, we limped toward the exit together.

From not far away, a woman's frantic shout cut through the chaos. "Samuel, where are you? Ahh!"

When Samuel heard Janet's scream, his face twisted in panic. He immediately let go of my hand and rushed off toward her.

Outside the warehouse, Samuel was pressing a towel to Janet's injury.

Only when the rescue team left did he realize I was missing. Panicked, he asked Ronald, but the latter looked puzzled.

Ronald said, "Ms. Gale said earlier that as long as we kept you safe, nobody else mattered. You love her so much, so, naturally, we trusted her."

Samuel frowned, shooting Janet a quick look—she couldn't hide how guilty she was. Without hesitating for a second, he dashed back into the crumbling warehouse.