"No... mm, no, please don't..."
The room was dim, almost swallowed by darkness. Clothes were scattered all over the floor in a mess.
Lily Hargrove's small body was pinned beneath a tall man.
"Please... let me go!"
"Be good. Don't move around, you'll get hurt."
Her breathing was totally messed up, and her voice was already turning hoarse from crying out.
But the man on top of her had zero intention of stopping. His low voice brushed against her neck, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Her skin was sticky with sweat. He reached out with one big hand, flipped her over, and started another round like he still wasn't done.
"Mmm..."
In the end, Lily really couldn't hold on anymore.
She blacked out.
The next morning.
Lily moved with difficulty, but the sharp soreness all over her body snapped her fully awake in an instant.
Something heavy pressed against her. The moment she lowered her eyes, she saw a large, well-defined hand resting across her front.
Even in his sleep, he still held her like he owned her.
Her eyes turned red. She tilted her head to look at him. His face was buried near her shoulder, so she couldn't see his features clearly. He was still fast asleep.
The longer she stared, the stronger the urge rose in her chest. She wanted to reach back, wrap her hands around his throat, and kill him right there.
But in the end, she didn't dare.
Last night, she had run into this room herself. Vivian Everett had said something happened and asked her to come save her.
But in the end... Vivian wasn't here.
Instead, there was only this strange man.
What the hell was going on?
Lily bit down hard on her lip, climbed out of bed, hurriedly put her clothes back on, and ran out of the room.
...
The Hargrove family villa sat on the mountaintop, cold and silent.
Lily Hargrove clutched her clothes shut with both hands and hurried inside. It was still very early. The servants in the villa clearly hadn’t gotten up yet, and the whole place was so quiet it felt eerie. She rushed upstairs, but when she passed the study, voices drifted out from inside.
"Vivian, are you sure it worked? Did Lily really sleep with Raymond Blackwell?"
"Dad, relax. I watched her walk into that room with my own eyes last night. By now, it’s basically a done deal. I’ll call Fourth Master Blackwell later and ask if he’s satisfied. If he is, he’ll definitely transfer the ten million!"
That was her father Gerald Hargrove’s voice. That part alone didn’t shock Lily.
What did shock her was hearing Vivian Everett too.
Vivian was supposed to be at the hotel. Why was she here at this hour? And more importantly... what had she just called her father?
If Lily hadn’t misheard, it was clearly one word—
"Dad."
What the hell was going on?
And what were they even talking about? "Worked"? "Lily slept with Raymond Blackwell"? Ten million?
Lily felt like she had dropped into some giant whirlpool, one that was spinning faster and faster, ready to drag her under whole. Her breathing turned uneven. She couldn’t help stepping closer to the study door, straining to catch every word.
Gerald spoke first again.
"Good. As long as we get this ten million, our business can finally survive."
Then came her mother, Diana Hargrove.
"Who would've thought that little bitch Lily, plain as she looks, would actually be worth so much money?"
Then Vivian said, all smug and vicious, "Exactly. She’s already sold her first time now, so there can be a second and a third. Ten million each time. Dad, if you want cash flow to expand the business, there’s nothing to worry about anymore."