Margaret’s face lit up with sudden excitement.
"Really? I’ll go greet her right away!"
With a dismissive glance at me, she barked, "Full of lies and nonsense!"
"Get rid of this scumbag. We can’t have President Miller walk in and spoil her mood!"
The only person Margaret ever referred to as "President Miller" was Brenda. Could it really be her?
A lump lodged in my throat, but there was no time for sentimental thoughts.
I had no idea what they intended to do with me, but I knew this was my one shot at freedom.
As the person who had tied me up dragged me toward the door, I seized the moment. In a flash, I slammed my nose into their face, my heart pounding.
The person let out a howl of pain, their grip loosening just enough.
I bolted, my feet pounding the floor as I ran for my life.
But the karaoke bar was dark, the dim lights casting long shadows that blurred my way. I wasn’t familiar with the layout and as I raced forward, my foot caught on a step.
I crashed to the floor with a thud; my body jarred from the fall.
My ankle twisted painfully and my forehead slammed against the stairs, leaving my mind in a haze.
But even in my foggy state, I saw her, Brenda, standing in the shadows, holding a wine glass.
A string of crystals dangled from her wrist, the very same birthday gift I had given her just last year.
I opened my mouth to shout, but before a sound could escape, someone clamped a hand over my mouth, silencing me in an instant.
Brenda glanced in my direction, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, but ultimately, she saw nothing.
The person dragged me back into the shadows and, in one swift motion, struck the back of my head with a brutal force.
"You bastard, how dare you run into me? Let’s see if you don’t regret that later!"
And with that, everything went black.
When I came to, I found myself tied up in a dark, cramped basement, tape sealing my mouth shut.
No one was around. Had they all gone to welcome Brenda?
I steadied my breathing, whispering to myself. As long as Brenda hadn’t left, there was still hope.
Summoning every ounce of strength, I struggled to sit up and inch my way to the corner, hoping to loosen the ropes that bound me.
Just then, I heard low voices drifting from outside the door.
I quietly moved closer, my heart skipping when I recognized James' voice.
A rush of relief flooded through me.
When I had been tied up, James had just stepped away to the bathroom and I'd been worried about him.
But now that I knew he was okay, my chances of escaping seemed much brighter.
However, as I listened to his conversation with the person outside, my hope shattered.
"Sis, did you get the money? Hurry up and give me my share!"
"You still have the nerve to say that? Didn’t you win five million? How come you can’t even come up with three million? Are you trying to scam me?"
"Sis, I swear I didn’t! I went with him to claim the prize. He’s just being stubborn. You’ll have to use stronger tactics!"
"Yeah, and earlier, he pretended to be President Miller’s brother. He’s really asking for it. But... he’s not bad-looking and he reminds me of my first love. It’d be a waste to just get rid of him! Hehe…"
The moment I heard those words, a chill ran down my spine.
For the longest time, I had believed James was completely unaware of what was happening. I had been counting on him noticing my absence and rushing to call the police to save me.
But to my horror, I now realized he was in on it all along.
I had treated him well and trusted him, so why would he betray me like this?
Was it really just for the five million?
I couldn’t bear to listen to their conversation anymore.
Instead, I threw all my energy into rubbing at the rope, desperate to break free. If I escaped, there was no way I’d let him get away with it.
Before long, I had managed to cut through one of the ropes.
A surge of joy rushed through me and I was just about to finish the last one when I heard keys turning in the door.
Panic gripped me. "This is bad!"
I grabbed the broken rope and quickly pulled myself back to my original position.
The door creaked open and in stepped a plump middle-aged woman who promptly yanked the tape from my mouth.
