With a casual wave of his hand, Devin issued the command, and two of his men rushed forward to grab Thea with no restraint.
"What are you doing?" Thea cried out as panic overwhelmed her, and she fought desperately against their grip. She twisted toward Melinda, her voice breaking. "Mom, help me! Please save me!"
Melinda surged forward on instinct, but Archie yelled sharply, "Justine, hurry up! Hold Melinda back!"
Justine immediately restrained Melinda, holding her back as Archie walked straight up to Thea. Without hesitation, he caught her chin and forced the entire bottle of pink liquid down her throat.
"Dad..." Thea gasped weakly, her eyes unfocused. "What did you make me drink?"
Letting go, Archie brushed her pale cheek with unsettling gentleness, and his voice dropped to a cold whisper. "Listen carefully. Stay with Mr. Kirby for three days and behave yourself. When it is over, I will come get you."
Turning toward Devin, Archie forced a flattering smile onto his face. "Mr. Kirby, please remember your promise."
"Relax. I never go back on my word." Leaning heavily on his cane, Devin let out a satisfied laugh as he started toward the door.
Behind him, his men dragged Thea away as she cried and struggled, "Mom, help me! Dad, please. You cannot do this to me!"
Her cries grew distant until nothing was left but silence.
Breaking free from Justine's grip, Melinda rushed forward and struck Archie hard across the face. "Are you even human anymore? Thea is your own daughter!"
Archie shouted back at her, his eyes red with fury, "Do you think I wanted this? Do you think I had any other option?"
"You shouldn't have forced her to drink that thing!"
"If I had not done it, do you really believe Devin would have shown mercy? I did it because it was the only way she would suffer less."
Strength drained from Melinda's body, and she sank to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
From inside the storage room, Vivian could hear every curse and every broken sob with painful clarity.
Her fingers tightened around the thin fabric of her clothes as her nails pressed deep into her palms.
Thea had been taken away and handed over by their own father to someone worse than a monster.
Yet, no sense of relief touched Vivian's heart, only a deep and freezing hatred. If they had not been so desperate to force her into marrying Devin, none of this would have happened. Those beasts deserved it.
Three full days passed without a single person stepping inside the storage room.
Pressed against the cold wall, Vivian lay curled in on herself as hunger and thirst slowly drained what little strength she had left.
"William should be coming to get me today," she whispered weakly, her lips split and dry, her voice rough and barely holding together.
The next moment, the door burst open with a violent crash.
A maid stood in the doorway, her expression filled with open contempt. "Your stepsister wants to see you. Get up."
Using the wall for support, Vivian tried to steady herself, but darkness swam in her vision.
"Hurry up!" the maid snapped, losing patience as she grabbed Vivian by the hair and dragged her out.
Vivian staggered into the living room and collapsed heavily onto the floor. Lifting her head, she saw Thea seated squarely in the middle of the sofa.
Thea's gaze locked onto Vivian, sharp and icy as it traced every inch of her face.
"Vivian," Thea called out quietly, her tone soft yet unsettling. "Do you have any idea what the past three days were like for me?"
Keeping her head lowered, Vivian concealed her feelings and answered faintly, "I was locked up. I did not know what happened."
"You did not know?" Thea let out a hollow laugh as she seized Vivian's hair. "Then listen carefully. Those three days were worse than dying. And every second of it happened because of you."
Without warning, she swung her hand and struck Vivian across the face.
Heat exploded along Vivian's cheek as it puffed up immediately, and the sharp ringing in her ears was followed by the bitter taste of blood.
Fuelled by rage, Thea lifted her heel and drove it down hard onto the back of Vivian's hand.
Agony shot through Vivian, and she screamed as her hand spasmed uncontrollably.
A curse spilled from Thea's mouth as she kicked Vivian with her heel.
All Vivian could do was curl into herself, raising her arms to protect her head and face while she endured the relentless blows.
"Thea, what do you think you are doing?" Archie's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
Hearing him, Thea turned toward her parents with tears streaming down her face. "Dad, Mom, this is all because of Vivian! If it were not for her, I never would have gone through any of this."
Melinda's gaze shifted from Thea to Vivian, and fury surged through her. Charging forward, she struck Vivian with full force. "You filthy little bitch! Look at what you have caused. We lost ten million because of you! When do you plan to pay that back?"
A sharp heat throbbed across Vivian's face as blood coated her tongue, yet she still lifted her eyes with stubborn resolve. "I do not owe you anything. Every bit of this mess was your own doing."
"You still have the nerve to talk back?" Archie snarled as he snatched up a thick glass ashtray, veins standing out on his forehead. "You ungrateful piece of trash! I will straighten you out today!"
The ashtray came down with force.
Reacting instantly, Vivian grabbed his wrist, her eyes burning with fury. "Lay a hand on me, and my husband will make you pay for it."
"Then let him try!" Archie snarled as he tore free and swung again.
Twisting aside, Vivian seized a cup from the table and flung it straight at him.
"You have completely lost your mind!" Archie yelled.
Melinda and Thea rushed at Vivian together.
Reeling backward, Vivian grabbed whatever was within reach. Fruit, ornaments, even ashtrays flew from her hands as she used the last of her strength to keep them away.
But her body could not hold out much longer. Thea soon caught her by the hair.
A cruel smile crept across Thea's face as three days of bottled rage finally surfaced. Lifting her foot, she aimed it viciously toward Vivian's belly.
A thunderous crash echoed through the house as the front door burst open.
Framed in the doorway stood a man, tall and commanding, every line of his body radiating strength. Sunlight poured in behind him, catching his features with a clarity that made him seem almost otherworldly.
A hush swept over the living room. Every movement froze in place.
William's gaze swept the chaos before settling on Vivian. His eyes darkened at the sight of her bruised cheek and the blood smeared at the corner of her mouth. A glacial fury sharpened his expression. "Restrain every last one of them," he ordered, voice like steel.
In an instant, a group of bodyguards surged into the room. Thea and her parents were pressed to the floor without a chance to resist.
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Thea shrieked, her voice wild with fear.
Without a single glance her way, William crossed the room straight to Vivian. He slipped off his jacket, the fabric warm and scented faintly of something clean, and wrapped it gently around her shivering shoulders.
Only then did he turn. His eyes, cold as winter, locked on Thea's panicked face, and the room seemed to shrink around his silent wrath. "My name is William Lewis," he said calmly, every word firm and unmistakable. "I came to bring my wife, Vivian, back with me."
Thea stood frozen, her eyes blown wide as she stared at his striking face, disbelief written all over her. "You are her husband?" she blurted out, her voice shaking. "That is not possible. She was supposed to marry some old, worthless man."
Before anyone had time to react, the television suddenly switched to the evening news. "Zeus Group's CEO, William Lewis, arrived in the country earlier today to attend the Global Technology Summit."
Thea slowly turned toward the screen, then back at William, her face draining of color. Her lips parted, but only a broken sound escaped before she finally forced the words out. "Y-you are actually William Lewis, the CEO of Zeus Group..."