I had been blinded by his handsome face and honeyed lies, foolishly believing that if I endured enough, my parents would pity me and finally agree to let me marry him.
But now, I knew better. No one was coming to save me. If I wanted to survive, I had to save myself.
I couldn’t keep this up. If I did, I’d be beaten to death before long.
Swallowing my pride, I forced a pitiful expression and looked up at Elion. "Elion, I was wrong. I’ll listen to you. Please, let me go."
His arrogance flared as he removed his foot, convinced of his control over me. He turned to his friends, gesturing smugly at my disheveled state. "See? I’ve got plenty of ways to make her obey."
He smirked, his tone dripping with misplaced pride. "A woman just needs coaxing at first. And if she doesn’t listen, you teach her a lesson. Trust me, she’ll submit."
Their laughter rang out, mocking me, and I forced myself to chuckle along, my stomach churning with rage.
Keep laughing, Elion. Your regret will come soon enough.
Feigning cheerfulness, I pointed toward the wine rack. "Do you guys want a drink? My dad brought these wines back from abroad. They’re worth tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands per bottle!"
As their eyes lit up with greed, my mind sharpened with purpose. The moment they got drunk would be my chance for revenge.
Elion’s friends exchanged glances before rushing toward the wine rack like ravenous wolves, only after Elion waved his hand lazily as though granting an audience.
They treated him like the undisputed master of the villa, their behavior as shameless as it was pathetic.
Watching their greedy scurry, Elion scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "A pack of fools who've never seen the world!"
He turned back to me, smugness radiating from every inch of his being. "By the way, I swapped out all your family’s wine ages ago and sold the real stuff. What’s left are just cheap fakes. Ha!"
Rage boiled in my chest, but I forced my expression to remain calm.
I had handed him tens of thousands every month, yet he had the audacity to sell off my family’s wine like a petty thief. What an ungrateful, greedy wolf in disguise!
Forcing a smile, I said, "It’s fine. As long as no one drops dead, I’ll grab some snacks to go with their drinks."
I turned toward the door, but Elion seized my arm, yanking me back with that same entitled smirk. "Forget it. Your job is to serve me, not them. I’m not hungry, so you’re not buying anything."
A surge of rage shot through me, and I had to swallow the urge to smash something over his arrogant head. But I wasn’t foolish. Against ten grown men, I knew I stood no chance.
Elion pulled me into his arms, the mockery in his gentleness as suffocating as his grip. "Vernia, you’ve been stirring up trouble for weeks, and your parents still haven’t agreed to let us get married."
His lips curled into a sinister smile. "It’s your birthday today. Let’s make it memorable; let’s die together. Once you’re gone, your parents will regret everything and spend the rest of their lives drowning in guilt."
My fists clenched tightly at his words, the veins on my hands bulging as I fought to stay composed.
Yes, my parents would suffer, would drown in sorrow, but Elion? He’d waltz away unscathed, basking in the pain he caused, free to live as if nothing had happened.
I broke free from his suffocating grip and painted on a foolish smile, mimicking the naive girl I once had been. "You’re absolutely right! Why don’t I call my parents first and give them something to panic about? That way, when they see my body later, it’ll hurt even more!"
Elion threw his head back in laughter, his arrogance on full display. "Vernia, you’re still the smartest of them all!"
Feigning hesitation, I asked, "Can I borrow your phone? Mine took a swim in the pool, thanks to your kick."
Elion, ever the fool, tossed his phone to me as if granting me some grand favor.
With the phone in hand, I began walking toward the door, pretending to dial my dad’s number. I could feel his presence like a shadow trailing behind me.
He was cautious, more than I had given him credit for.
I turned slightly and asked, as if genuinely curious, "Where do you think we should go to die together?"
Without missing a beat, Elion blurted, "Holden Tower, of course. It’s your family’s building. This way, your parents will have to pass by the spot you died every single day on their way to work. It’ll break them."
Holden Tower. The very place where my life had ended once before.
Elion’s laughter erupted again, his whole body shaking as though he could already see the aftermath of my death, my parents drowning in guilt and regret.
The moment my dad picked up, his voice erupted like thunder through the receiver. "Elion, you shameless dog! How dare you call me again? Ten billion dollars? Keep dreaming! You’ll never see a single cent from me!"
