"Relax."

The man behind her spoke in a low, almost hypnotic voice. But instead of calming Chloe Ashford down, it only made every nerve in her body tighten harder.

Then she heard his muffled groan, deep and rough. The next second, her body was slammed even more fiercely against the glass wall.

From here, the city outside was blazing with light.

In the building across from them, people were still walking back and forth...

Shame crawled all over her skin. She just wanted it to end, fast, but she couldn't break free at all.

Because the one holding control in this game had always been him, never her.

What he wanted was simple.

To torment her.

And stupidly, pathetically, she still kept hoping that somewhere in all this cruelty, he might grow the tiniest bit of feeling for her...

She didn't know how much time had passed. The man on top of her trembled for a moment, then finally let go. He turned over and lay back on the bed, casually untying the ropes around her wrists and ankles.

She let out a shaky breath, like she'd just been dragged back from drowning. Her legs moved stiffly, numb and weak. It took her a long while to get even a little feeling back before she could slowly lower them from the table.

Then she shrank into herself and grabbed the blanket nearby, wrapping herself up tight like a ball.

Most days, she slept in the guest room. Only when he wanted her would she be allowed onto this bed.

And once he was done, she had to leave immediately.

But today, she had something to ask of him.

She didn't want to go.

Ethan Mercer went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. When he turned back and saw Chloe Ashford still sitting on the bed, his face instantly darkened.

"You still need something?"

Chloe Ashford hurriedly nodded and quickly pulled on her long shirt before getting out of bed.

He hated seeing her in underwear, so every time, she could only throw on a loose long shirt, something easy for him to take off.

Seeing her standing there, hesitant and unable to get the words out, Ethan Mercer was already losing patience. After washing his hands, he tossed the towel straight at her and asked coldly, "What is it?"

"Yeah..." Chloe Ashford swallowed hard, her voice small and shaky. "I... I want to borrow one million from you... is that okay?"

Ethan Mercer was halfway out of his shirt, about to take a shower. The second he heard that, his whole body paused. He turned his head, eyes full of mockery.

"Chloe Ashford, are you seriously overestimating yourself? You open your mouth and ask for a million? Even the top girl on Jinfang Street doesn’t charge as much as you."

Jinfang Street?

Wasn’t that... that kind of club district?

So in his eyes, what was she supposed to be?

Chloe’s face went white in an instant. She just stood there staring at him, stunned. A dense, prickling pain spread through her chest, so sharp she almost couldn’t breathe, let alone answer him.

Ethan was already irritated by the way she looked at him. He stepped over and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"You—"

Chloe instinctively struggled.

In the struggle, the collar of her clothes shifted, exposing a stretch of pale skin at her neck.

The man’s gaze brushed over it, and something dark flickered in his eyes. Desire rose fast, heavy and dangerous, filling his stare as he looked at her.

She looked terrified, like a startled fawn, eyes shaking, face drained of color.

But to him, it all looked fake as hell.

A woman who would stop at nothing to climb up, who could drug him and crawl into his bed for status—what was there to pity? What was there to cherish?

The next second, he suddenly shoved her hard, pinning her against the sink.

His lips curled coldly. "Chloe Ashford, back then you climbed into my bed and forced me to marry you. And after the wedding, you started acting all pure and above it all? Wow. You want to be a bitch and still keep a saint’s reputation? Fine. Since you love money that much, please me. I’d really like to see just how far you can go for cash."

"No... that’s not true... I didn’t..."

Chloe frowned faintly and bit her lip. Her eyes burned. But when the words reached her throat, she forced them back down.

She had explained it to him countless times. Back then, she had never climbed into his bed.

But he didn’t believe her. He was never going to believe her.

What mattered now was getting the money. Her grandmother truly couldn’t wait any longer.

She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes hard, then slowly rose on tiptoe and leaned toward him, trying to kiss Ethan Mercer.

But he caught her face in one hand, fingers tight on her jaw, and stared at her with naked disgust.

"Take. Off. Your. Clothes."

Chloe Ashford bit her lip in humiliation, tears trembling in her eyes. She looked at him, squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then slowly moved her hand to the waistband of his pants...

The bathroom light was dim and blurry, the water just warm enough. Her smooth body rose and sank with the soft slosh of the bathwater, like a leaf being tossed around.