Chapter 3
As Samara was dragged to the door, she caught sight of Evander standing nearby, still holding the woman from the private room in his arms.
"Mr. Hale, who exactly is she?" the woman asked.
Evander calmly flicked the ash from his cigarette, shooting Samara a look of pure contempt.
"Just a petty thief," Evander scoffed.
He absentmindedly squeezed the woman's cheek.
"She took advantage of my goodwill, thinking she could use it as a stepping stone to become Mrs. Hale. Pathetic," he sneered.
Evander watched her figure as she was taken away, and everything he'd heard before came rushing back to him.
"They all spilled the truth in prison. The Thorne family was behind the kidnapping, and they had a hand in Mrs. Hale's death too..."
His gaze turned stormy, shadows swirling in his eyes.
Luckily, since Samara didn't have anything from the Hale family on her, they let her go the next morning.
By morning, her phone was flooded with missed calls.
With shaking hands, she called back.
The doctor's voice was urgent. "Samara, at last! You finally picked up!
"Her condition's taken a turn for the worse. She needs surgery no later than tomorrow!"
Silent tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to count, with trembling hands, just how much more she needed for her mom's surgery.
But when she reached into her pocket, it hit her that all the money she'd scrambled to collect these past few days, even the cash Evander had begrudgingly given her, was still left behind at the villa.
Standing at the doorway, she couldn't help but hear the servants' gossip ringing in her ears.
"Just look at her. I always said she was trouble, and now she actually thinks she can make it to the top," one sneered.
"She even snuck into the villa last night to steal stuff. What a shameless piece of trash!" another scoffed.
Samara started to walk away, but the thought of her mom lying helpless in that hospital bed made her hesitate. She just couldn't leave, so she turned back.
She hadn't even noticed when Evander came up behind her.
Evander grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"I thought you were tough. So you really think you can dump me?" Evander sneered.
"Please lend me 70 thousand dollars," Samara pleaded.
Evander's gaze darkened, barely holding back his simmering anger.
"Get on your knees," he ordered coldly.
Samara didn't hesitate for a second. She was just about to kneel when Evander's hand clamped around her throat, hauling her upright.
"You want the money? Take off your clothes and please me. I'll consider the 70 thousand dollars a tip for a prostitute," Evander spat coldly.
Rain was a constant in April.
As soon as Evander finished speaking, a relentless rain began to fall.
Samara's hands trembled as she undid each button, her fingers shaking with every movement.
Evander stood with his arms crossed, face dark as thunder, watching her shrug off her jacket.
Evander sneered, "Weren't you all high and mighty in the private room?"
She hated it, but her mom's life was on the line. She just couldn't afford to hesitate.
She kept silent, her expression empty as she undressed, left standing in nothing but her underwear.
"So now, just for money, you're tossing away your precious pride?" Evander sneered.
As Samara's hands moved to the buttons of her blouse, Evander's voice suddenly boomed out.
"Samara, aren't you always putting on that innocent act?" Evander taunted.
After two years together, he had her move in with him at the villa.
That night, they shared a bed for the first time.
Her whole body was shaking with nerves.
He held her close. "Samara, I'll be gentle," he whispered.
Even as she nodded with her eyes shut, anxious tears still slid down her face.
His kisses chased away her anxiety, one after another.
"Still scared, Samara?" he murmured softly.
He spoke gentle words by her ear, trying to soothe her nerves.
"I was hoping... we could wait until we're married," she whispered.
At her words, his movements stilled. He just held her close, hugging her tightly.
"Then we'll wait until our wedding day," he whispered.
And now, just for 70 thousand dollars, she was actually ready to undress in front of everyone. Her pride and dignity crushed by desperation.
"Samara, so now that I've uncovered everything, you don't even care to keep up the act?" Evander sneered.
She couldn't make sense of what Evander was saying.
She could only cling to one thought.
All she cared about was saving her mom.
Her hands trembled as she kept working at the buttons.
The rain pelted her hands, and she couldn't tell if she was shaking from fear or the cold. Her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.
Even something as simple as unbuttoning her blouse took her ages, her fingers fumbling and slipping over and over.
"Didn't you want 70 thousand dollars? What, now you can't even bring yourself to take it off?" Evander sneered.
He spun her around and, with a single, effortless motion, unhooked her bra.
"Samara, seriously? You're still trying to play the innocent saint? Don't you think you look ridiculous?" Evander scoffed.
Suddenly, as if something clicked, Evander snapped at the crowd behind him. "Get lost! Every last one of you!"
Samara froze.
She'd totally forgotten. They weren't alone in the villa.
Anyone driving by could see everything.
She let out a hollow, broken laugh.
'None of it matters anymore. Evander was right,' she thought.