Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stormed down the dimly lit hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Drunken laughter and lewd whispers brushed past me from all sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A fire raged in my chest, scorching everything in its path. I needed cold air, space, anything to douse it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only when I stepped outside the club did I finally manage a full breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To clear my head, I didn\u2019t call a car and decided to walk back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t gone far when a black SUV screeched to a halt beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instinctively, I stopped, fingers closing around my phone as I dialed my emergency contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The line connected to Bainbridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next second, several masked men in black jumped out of the car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A coarse sack was yanked over my head. A brutal blow to my temple sent me spiraling into darkness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I came to, I was in an abandoned warehouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My wrists and ankles were bound tight, my body hoisted high off the ground.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the masked men barked, \u201cLower her a bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ropes jerked, and my body dropped abruptly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
MON\u00a0<\/p>\n
S\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:52\u00a0<\/p>\n
pathetic whimpers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew my only chance was to stay calm, wait for them to remove the gag, and then talk-negotiate, stall, find a chance to survive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before I could do anything, a burly man slapped me hard across the\u00a0<\/p>\n
face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stars exploded in my vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Behind a mask, he spoke evenly. \u201cMs. Ortiz, no offense. We\u2019re just paid to do a job. You crossed the wrong person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur employer said if you behave and endure one hundred slaps, you\u2019ll walk out safely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you scream or go to the cops afterward\u2026 well, he\u2019ll make sure\u00a0<\/p>\n
live every day of your life looking over your shoulder for the next hit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears blurred my vision, pain and terror twisting together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man gestured toward the surveillance camera above. \u201cSir, may we begin?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A single, familiar syllable came through the speaker. \u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt like lightning cracking through my spine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even in one word, I recognized that voice immediately. It was Bainbridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything fell into place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d arranged this. He had me kidnapped. He wanted me beaten-one\u00a0<\/p>\n
24.49%\u00a0<\/p>\n
MON\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
hundred slaps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was his way of avenging Evelynn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I bit down on the rag, sobbing against it, staring desperately at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He truly loved her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The slightest bruise on her pride, and he couldn\u2019t bear it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never imagined that one slap could unleash this kind of cruelty from him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if he didn\u2019t love me, I\u2019d given him five years of my heart-three of them as his girlfriend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even if I meant nothing romantically, I was still his best friend\u2019s little sister.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could Bainbridge do this to me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thrashed and wailed into the gag, praying for one flicker of mercy, one moment of remorse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The camera stayed silent. Then the blows began-one after another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My cheeks swelled, the pain turning from fire to a dull, throbbing numbness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blood trickled from my split lips, warm and metallic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I regained consciousness again, I was lying in a pristine bed in the Wilde family\u2019s private hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bainbridge was there, standing before a floor-to-ceiling window, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
52.62%\u00a0<\/p>\n
MON\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\u00a0<\/p>\n
18 52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
1288 iVouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
silhouette tall and imposing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned as I stirred. \u201cYou\u2019re awake.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I managed a broken smile. \u201cDisappointed I\u2019m not dead?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His face was a mask of wintry calm. \u201cYou went too far last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLynn just got back, and you humiliated her in front of everyone. How is she supposed to hold her head up in our circle after that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you pay it back a hundredfold?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rage surged through me. I grabbed the water glass from the bedside table and hurled it at him with all the strength I had left. \u201cYou worried about her reputation and her feelings, but what about mine?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you love her, then chase her. Stop hiding behind the \u2018brother and sister\u2019 bullshit. Game\u2019s over. I\u2019m not your pawn anymore.!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAngelique Ortiz!\u201d he roared, his voice cracking like thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man who never showed emotion was finally crumbling. A dark, predatory fury swirled in his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
77.84%\u00a0<\/p>\n
18.52\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Royal Furline Betrayed BY Mark Twain 4 Chapter 4\u00a0 I stormed down the dimly lit hallway.\u00a0 Drunken laughter and lewd […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-let-the-game-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22956"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}