Chapter 4

One of Marcus's guys saw how messed up I looked and grinned, trying to smooth things over.

He said, "Anna, don't get mad. Marcus still cares about you. You're about to be his wife, so you gotta show some real tolerance."

I was so pissed that I almost burst out laughing at their nonsense.

Marcus really thought he was some big shot, playing the whole harem game.

The rough, makeshift cloth strips around my wrists were cutting into my skin and drawing blood. Every tiny movement made my hands tremble with pain.

I had no idea how long I'd been out when someone finally yanked the blindfold off. The first thing I saw was Taffy, curled up on the floor, gasping for breath, barely hanging on.

"Taffy!" I cried out.

Amy kicked me hard in the stomach, and the agony knocked me to the ground, leaving me hacking and gasping for air.

Ignoring the blood smeared across the floor, I frantically crawled on my knees to get to Taffy's side, my heart racing with fear.

My hands were still tied, so I could only lean in close, my face almost touching Taffy's fragile, barely breathing body.

Taffy was covered in wounds, her body dangerously cold from severe hypothermia.

My eyes were swimming with tears, and my heart ached so much that I wanted to let out a silent scream, but not a single sound came out.

But Amy wasn't done with me. She yanked my hair and slapped me back and forth across the face, over and over, showing no mercy.

She sneered, "Look at you, all pathetic and slutty. Still think you can seduce Marcus?"

I was completely helpless. My eyes were so swollen that I could barely open them, and tears streamed down my face.

Amy still wasn't satisfied. She picked up the glowing red branding iron and aimed it right at me. She said, "Didn't you say you'd take the punishment for that little bastard?

"Hey, all you good boys watching the stream, where do you think I should burn the word 'slut' on her?"

The livestream chat exploded again.

One commented: [Brand her face. That way, everyone will know she's a total slut!]

Another commented: [Burn it on her chest. That's way more exciting.]

Someone commented: [Quit stalling. I'm sending you gifts, just do it already.]

No one watching this cat-torture stream had a shred of decency.

They didn't care if I lived or died. All they wanted was to see if my suffering could thrill them.

Amy's face twisted with cruelty as I desperately tried to dodge, yet the stench of burnt flesh still rose from my leg.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. The pain made me convulse, and I screamed out loud.

Seeing me try to dodge, Amy got even more pissed. She snapped, "Where do you think you're going? You said you'd take the punishment for that cat. Hold her down!"

Marcus's guys swarmed around me, grabbing me from all sides and pinning me down.

Marcus crouched down in front of me, smiling gently. He said, "Anna, I've seen everything you've done for me. After thinking it over, I've decided to marry you.

"Since you've already gotten what you wanted, let Amy vent her anger today. Just think of it as making it up to her."

Tears streamed down my face from the pain. I shouted, "I never owed her a damn thing. What do I have to make up for?

"If you love Amy so much, why don't you just go marry her?"

Marcus frowned; he clearly didn't agree with me.

He said, "I'm not from a good family. If I marry Amy, what kind of future would our kids even have?

"But you? You're just right for me. You're nothing but a street punk. If you died out there, no one would even care enough to claim your body."

Marcus acted like he was bestowing some grand favor on me.

He sneered, "Besides, who else would ever want you?"

It was like I was born to be their dog, supposed to grovel at their feet and be grateful for whatever scraps they threw my way.

I forced myself to laugh through the tearing pain, throwing my head back as tears streamed down my face.

I shouted, "Amy, Marcus, you'll regret this.

"Every single one of you here, I'm coming for every last one of you."

Amy gritted her teeth and said, "Go ahead, then. Let's see what kind of storm you can stir up. Come on, slut, try to get back at me."

Marcus kicked me hard, sending me crashing to the floor. The taste of blood flooded my mouth.

Just then, one of Marcus's guys rushed over, his voice low and urgent as he reported, "Mr. Reed, a bunch of cars just pulled up outside. We're surrounded."

Marcus's face changed in an instant. He whipped his head around to glare at me. He demanded, "Did you call Zack and the others?"

The guy was shaking so hard that he could barely get the words out. He stammered, "N-Not just them.

"The boss and his crew are here, too. Every single one of them just showed up."