Chapter 2
Staring at her reflection, the girl's face was ghostly pale, her eyes filled with terror. The brilliant diamonds only made the scene feel eerily shattered, as if something beautiful had been broken in the most unsettling way.
I fiddled with the diamond necklace for ages, but there was no clasp, no switch—just a flawless, unbreakable loop.
Damn, what kind of crazy tech was this? Was it supposed to be permanent? Panic was creeping into my mind.
Feeling desperate, I started clawing at it with my nails, even considering just biting it off.
If I wore this in the shower, was it gonna zap me? Or worse, if I slept with it on, would it strangle me in my sleep? Panic was bubbling up inside.
No way, I knew I had to get it down! Sell it, take the money, and run! Run to the ends of the earth, so that madman Norton would never find me again!
Just as I was grimacing at the mirror, wrestling with the diamond necklace, the bathroom door slid open without a sound.
The bathroom door slid open without a sound.
I froze, my hand suspended in mid-air.
In the mirror, I caught sight of Norton standing silently in the doorway, watching me.
He'd changed into comfy home clothes, looking less like the sharp businessman and more like someone just chilling at home. But his eyes were still as deep and unreadable as ever.
He was holding a cup of warm milk in his hand.
"What's wrong?" Norton asked, stepping in and casually wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder as he stared at our reflection in the mirror.
His eyes landed on the diamond necklace around my neck, then flicked to my red, sore fingers.
"Don't you like it?" he murmured.
It wasn't just dislike—I had wanted to smash it into pieces!
Terrified, I shook my head frantically, as if my life depended on it.
"No, no, no! I absolutely love it! It's just... I'm worried I might accidentally damage something so valuable," I stammered, desperately searching for an excuse.
He let out a soft chuckle, his warm breath brushing against my ear.
"Break it? I'll just buy you another one," Norton said, almost teasing.
He took my hand, lacing our fingers together, holding it up in front of us.
"Whatever you want, it's yours," he whispered.
What I had wanted was your life...no, scratch that—a life far away from you!
"But..." Norton suddenly changed his tone, tightening his grip on my hand. "I don't like it when someone tries to get rid of something that's mine."
My heart skipped a beat.
'How the hell did he know? A cold shiver ran down my spine.
"The clasp on the diamond necklace is custom-made," Norton explained slowly, almost as if he could see right through me. "It's voice and fingerprint activated—only my voice and fingerprint can unlock it."
I just stared at him, lost for words.
Wow, even a GPS tracker wasn't as sophisticated as this.
"You look disappointed," Norton said, giving me a dangerous look as he narrowed his eyes.
How could I not be disappointed! Step one of the escape plan—dead on arrival.
I instantly put on my best surprised-and-delighted face. "No way! I'm just so moved! Norton, you treat me so well!"
I turned around and kissed up to him with a big smack on his cheek.
Norton froze, his body going stiff for a second.
He looked genuinely surprised that I'd made the first move.
The darkness in his eyes eased, replaced by something deeper—an emotion I couldn't even begin to figure out.
"Good girl," he murmured.
He ruffled my hair, like he was soothing a pet.
Then he pulled a velvet box out of his pocket.
He opened it.
Inside was a diamond necklace, perfectly matching the one around my neck.
Under the lights, it glinted with the same hopeless shine as the necklace, like a matching set of despair.
"Gotta shackle your wrist too, so everything lines up," Norton said with a smile.
My smile froze right there on my face.
Wearing a 10,000,000-dollar necklace and a 15,000,000-dollar bracelet, I felt like a walking safe—complete with a self-locking system.
Escape? Yeah, that was off the table.
It was time for a new strategy.
If I could make him hate me enough, maybe he'll dump me himself.
The best way was to destroy what he cared about—his reputation and his career.
This plan was foolproof! I felt a surge of determination.
I decided to barge into Norton's company and cause a scene.
A woman making a fuss over money is the kind of embarrassment any high-society guy would dump without a second thought.
I skipped the makeup, threw on the cheapest street clothes I could find, and messed up my hair until I looked like someone life had chewed up and spit out—a resentful, worn-down woman with nothing left to lose.
"Excuse me, ma'am, do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked, her tone polite but distant.
In the dazzling lobby of the Ashford Group, the receptionist—polite yet distant—blocked my way.
"Appointment? Are you kidding me? I'm here to blow up the place, not book a slot!" I scoffed, ready to stir up trouble.
I sucked in a deep breath, hyped myself up, then plopped right down on the floor with a dramatic howl, smacking my thighs and wailing like a soap opera queen.
"Norton! You cheating jerk! Get your ass out here!" I shrieked, my voice bouncing off the marble walls.
"You swore you'd love me till the end of time, and now you've vanished into thin air!" I wailed, dialing up the drama.
"Why is my life so damn tragic!" I cried, milking it for all it was worth.
As I wailed, I kept an eye on the crowd, watching their reactions out of the corner of my eye.
Perfect!
Everyone had stopped in their tracks, staring at me in utter shock.