Chapter 5
“Spreading lies. Amy!
I never said that–you dragged me here!”
Rachel’s alcohol–slowed mind couldn’t grasp the trap, her rash anger boiling over as she yelled at Amy.
“I… I was wrong. Rachel didn’t force me. I… I came willingly.”
Amy instantly shrank against Aaron’s chest, trembling with teary–eyed fragility.
Aaron’s sharp gaze swept over Rachel’s rash–blotched face and the bloodstained bandages on her fingers before locking onto the man nearest her–the one who’d forced drinks down her throat all evening.
“Explain. Now.” Aaron snapped.
“Mr. Jones, it… it was Rachel. She insisted we make Ms. Scott drink, saying…”
The man nervously glanced at Amy. Receiving her subtle nod, he gulped and continued, “Said once Ms. Scott was drunk… she’d be ours tonight!”
Rachel was utterly stunned. Only now did she belatedly realize tonight’s dinner party was Amy’s elaborate trap designed just for her.
“Rachel, you never learn!”
Aaron’s eyes brimmed with disgust and contempt. “Since you love drinking so much, enjoy yourself thoroughly tonight.”
At Aaron’s slight gesture, bodyguards grabbed a freshly opened whiskey bottle and slammed it onto the table before Rachel.
“Drink it. Not a single drop left.”
Aaron’s voice cut like ice, his slender fingers rapping the table twice with deliberate force.
Rachel stared blankly at Aaron–his sharp features pristine under the lights–when suddenly
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Chapter 5
Alex’s image surfaced in her mind.
Alex would have flour dusting his nose and cheeks, frowning slightly while intently crafting a non–alcoholic tiramisu. He’d say he didn’t want Rachel to miss out, wanted them to share the same sweetness, insisting they’d finish every last crumb together.
“Help her.”
Rachel remained motionless so long that Aaron snapped impatiently.
His words still hung in the air when bodyguards surged forward, scattering the already fading image of Alex into nothingness.
The bodyguards seized Rachel’s limbs, pried her mouth open with a liquor bottle, and poured the alcohol straight down her throat.
Rachel couldn’t swallow fast enough. The strong liquor flooded her windpipe, choking her until breathing became agony.
“Ghk!”
She thrashed like a gasping fish on land, but couldn’t break free.
Just as Rachel thought she’d suffocate, the bodyguards finally released her.
“Cough… cough… Gag!”
She collapsed like a rag doll, coughing and retching violently. Alcohol mixed with blood splattered across the bleach–white floor in grotesque patterns.
Amy watched with triumphant eyes, while Aaron remained stone–faced.
“She’s all yours. Enjoy.”
Without sparing Rachel another glance, Aaron scooped up Amy and strode away
The remaining men at the table exchanged glances before eagerly reaching for the seemingly unconscious Rachel.
“Ah!”
A bloodcurdling scream followed the sound of shattering glass.
One man crouched on the floor, clutching his bleeding head as crimson streams gushed
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between his fingers. The others surrounding Rachel scrambled back in terror.
Rachel staggered to her feet, gripping the broken bottle’s jagged edge against her own throat. She glared fiercely at the men. “If I die… none of you will get away with this.”
“…Ms. Hall, please… it was just… a joke!”
“Calm down! We’re leaving… leaving now!”
Not wanting murder charges, they seized the flimsy excuse and scurried away like rats.
Rachel was at the end of her rope. The moment the last man vanished, she collapsed onto the floor. Hysterical laughter burst from her–tears streaming down her face until her ribs ached, yet she couldn’t stop.
After spending the night at the hotel, Rachel woke with a pounding headache and leaden limbs. She skipped work and submitted her resignation letter.
As for the travel documents and flight tickets, Elijah had already arranged everything for her -the flight was scheduled for 10:20 tonight.
Rachel returned home, quickly gathered essential documents and a few changes of clothes, and prepared to leave. Before she could step out, Elijah called.
“…Don’t worry, everything here is… manageable. See
you then.”
After a brief exchange, Rachel hung up and turned to find Aaron standing at the doorway, his expression dark. She had no idea how much he’d overheard.
Aaron was in a foul mood. He’d suffered another sleepless night, haunted by vague, fragmented dreams where everything felt muffled and blurred. Yet in those dreams, he’d felt utterly at peace–so much so that waking up felt like plunging from heaven into hell.
“…Leaving?
Where to?”
Before he could process his own actions, Aaron had already grabbed Rachel’s wrist.
He couldn’t explain why he didn’t want this woman to leave, even though evidence repeatedly proved she was the vicious woman from the rumors.
But Aaron was horrified to find his usually rational mind couldn’t rein in his thoughts—
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Chapter 5
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1 288 Vouchers
something that had never happened before.
Rachel had been left behind in the private room last night when he stormed out in a fit of anger. Yet the moment he stepped outside, regret washed over him. He ordered his
bodyguards through gritted teeth to stand watch, and only when he confirmed Rachel had left safely did he truly feel at ease.
“Business trip.”
Rachel calmly shook off Aaron’s hand, her tone icy. “Any instructions, Mr. Jones?”
Her excessive coldness stung Aaron instantly, his own voice growing stern. “Not from me. I have no interest in you.
It’s Grandpa. Tonight’s his 70th birthday celebration. He hopes you’ll attend.”
Fine. I’ll be there.”
Rachel nodded calmly.
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