Under the heavy dark of night.
Her body was trapped against a broad, warm chest. A burning breath brushed across her neck, and the man’s thin lips barely grazed the side of her nose. It felt like a jolt of electricity, sharp and sudden, rushing through her whole body in an instant.
Lily Harmon clung hard to the tall figure in front of her. Her legs had gone so weak she could barely stay upright.
She let out a shaky little sound. "Sir, please... help me."
In the dark, a trace of coldness flashed through the man’s deep black eyes. Even so, his hand tightened around her slim, soft waist. "Did my grandmother send you?"
Lily couldn’t even process what he was saying anymore. Her limp, heated body kept pressing into his arms, chasing his warmth again and again, like that was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
A faint, sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose, spreading through him before he could stop it. Julian Ashford’s brows drew together hard. The drug in his system seemed to hit even faster under that scent, like it was being pushed to the max. This smell...
His striking, refined face was hidden in the shadows, but the look in his eyes was dark enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.
He gave a low chuckle, but there was zero warmth in it. In the darkness, his fingers slowly brushed over the girl’s slightly flushed cheek. "What do you want?"
The girl’s small hands gripped his shirt tightly. Her soft voice trembled with pleading. "Sir... please, be good to me."
A moment later.
Their clothes lay in a messy heap on the floor.
The girl’s broken sobs were swallowed completely.
At the same time.
In the villa, after hearing what was said on the other end of the call, the girl flew into a rage and smashed the glass in her hand. Her makeup was flawless, but her face now looked twisted and vicious. "What did you just say? She got away? Several grown men couldn’t even keep an eye on one woman? Useless. Every single one of you is trash!"
Her breathing turned sharp with fury as she snapped, "Find Lily Harmon and bring her back now!"
-
An hour earlier.
Lily Harmon ran out of the private room in a panic.
Because she knew she’d been drugged.
The one who drugged her was a bloated, pot-bellied man.
The look in his eyes was straight-up disgusting. To Lily Harmon, she wasn’t even a person right now—just prey laid out on a plate.
Dizzy and weak, she staggered down the hallway, her heart feeling like it was being ripped apart.
How did this happen?
Why were they doing this to her?
She had already given up everything.
So why the hell were they still refusing to let her go?
Several men were chasing her from behind, and Lily was so panicked she barely knew where she was running.
If they dragged her back and threw her to that fat pig to be humiliated...
She didn’t even dare finish the thought.
No!
She couldn’t just fold like this!
Lily rushed into the elevator and, at the very last second, slammed the doors shut, cutting off the men chasing after her outside.
But she knew it too well—those people weren’t going to let her off that easily.
She had to find somewhere to hide.
But where?
Where could she go to shake them off?
The elevator doors opened again.
Lily bolted out, but before she got far, she heard voices from the stairwell.
“Damn it, don’t let that bitch get away, or how are we supposed to answer to Miss Serena?”
Miss Serena?
So Serena Harmon was the one who sent them after her?
Lily Harmon pressed her lips tight and bolted without looking back.
But the sound of her footsteps still gave her away.
"She’s over here! Don’t let her get away!"
A few men came charging after Lily, panting hard as they ran. "Bitch, what are you running for? Just stop already and behave. You’re not getting away!"
Lily bit down on her lip. Her mind was getting hazier by the second, like a thick fog was swallowing up her thoughts, but she couldn’t stop. No matter what, she absolutely could not stop.
She dug her nails into her palm, trying to force herself awake, trying to stay sharp.
At the same time—
In the top-floor VIP suite.
A man stepped out of the elevator with a dark, icy expression. He was tall and lean, dressed in a black shirt that made his whole presence feel even colder. His features were sharp and clean-cut, and it was obvious he was in a seriously bad mood. Something ugly churned in his eyes, fierce and hard to ignore.
His assistant hurried after him, looking awkward as he explained, "Sir, that woman just now was sent in by Mrs. Ashford, so... that’s why..."