Before dusk, Elizabeth Spencer walked out of the prison gates.
She was temporarily released on bail, with only one day of leave.
Elizabeth clutched an address in her hand and took a car from the prison gate. By the time she arrived at an old villa halfway up a hill, it was almost dark.
The gatekeeper led Elizabeth to an inner room.
The inner room was pitch black. As soon as she entered, she could smell a strong scent of blood. Before Elizabeth could adjust to the darkness, a pair of strong arms pulled her into a tight embrace.
Then, a hot breath assaulted her. The mysterious voice asked, "Are you the prostitute they found for me to have sex before I die?"
Prostitute?
Elizabeth's tears welled up in fear.
She suddenly spoke in a trembling voice, "Are you about to die?"
"Yes! I might die while having sex with you! Do you regret taking this job?" the man said and chuckled coldly.
"No," Elizabeth said sadly.
She had no room for regret.
Because her mother was still waiting for her to save her life.
The room was cloaked in darkness, making it impossible for her to see the man's face. She only sensed his domineering presence and raw strength, qualities that seemed at odds with someone on the brink of death. After two or three hours, the man finally fell asleep.
'Is he dead?' Elizabeth thought.
Elizabeth didn't care about being scared; she scrambled out of the villa.
A dense, cold rain was falling from the night sky as she sprinted through the downpour towards to The Guise Mansion.
It was eleven o'clock at night, and the gates of The Guise Mansion were tightly closed. However, Elizabeth could hear the sounds of celebration inside, as if something significant was happening.
Battered by the wind and rain, Elizabeth felt dizzy and unsteady, but she still had to muster the strength to pound on the door loudly. Elizabeth yelled out desperately, "Open the door! Open the door! Give me the money, I need to save my mom."
At that moment, the door opened, and a glimmer of hope flashed in Elizabeth's desperate eyes.
The person inside looked at Elizabeth with disdain and disgust.
Elizabeth knew she looked worse than a beggar.
She didn't care about her appearance and threw herself in front of the person who opened the door, her eyes full of pleading. "I've done what you asked, give me the money. My mom is critically ill and can't wait, please..." Elizabeth pleaded.
"Your mom is already dead, so you don't need the money," the person harshly remarked, then threw a black photo frame into the rain and mercilessly closed the door.
"What?" Elizabeth gasped while she was left stunned in the rain.
After a long time, she let out a piercing cry, "Mom!!!"
"Mom, am I too late? Did I miss the time to save you? My mom is dead, my mom is dead..." Elizabeth hugged her mother's portrait, curled up in the rain, muttering to herself.
Later, she got up and frantically pounded on the door. Elizabeth cursed out, "Liars! I did what you asked, but you didn't save my mom. Give my mom back to me! Liars! Your whole family will be cursed, liars, liars! I curse your whole family to die miserably!"
Elizabeth cried in agony and then fainted outside the gates of The Guise Mansion.
When she woke up, it was three days later, and Elizabeth had been sent back to prison.
She had been taken to the infirmary while unconscious due to a persistent fever. Three days later, after the fever subsided, she was sent back to her original cell.
A few female inmates gathered around her and gossiped amongst themselves.
Somebody remarked, "I thought she was bailed out and free for good, but she's back in just three days?"
Another chimed in, "I heard she was lent out and played with by a man all night?"
A burly female inmate grabbed Elizabeth's hair and laughed maliciously. She said, "How lucky you are! Let's see if I will beat you to death today!"
Elizabeth didn't even lift her eyelids.
Beat her to death, so she could reunite with her mother.
Just as the group of women was about to strip Elizabeth's clothes, a stern voice came from the door, asking, "What are you doing!"
The female inmates immediately smiled obsequiously. They claimed, "Elizabeth is sick, we're just concerned about her."
The guard didn't respond, only called out Elizabeth's number, "036, come out!"
Elizabeth walked out and asked numbly, "Did I do something wrong again?"
"You've been exonerated and released," the guard said expressionlessly.
"What?" Elizabeth exclaimed as she thought she was hallucinating. It wasn't until she walked out of the prison gates that she realized it was true.
She wept with joy and murmured, "Mom! I couldn't save your life, can you forgive me? I'm coming to see you now, where are you buried?"
"Are you Miss Spencer?" a cold male voice asked.
In front of Elizabeth stood a man in a suit, with a black car parked behind him. Inside the car, she could vaguely see a man wearing black sunglasses watching her.
She nodded in acknowledgment. Elizabeth responded, "I am. Who are you?"
The man didn't answer, only turned and respectfully said to the man in the car, "Mr. Windsor. It's her."
"Bring her in!" the man in sunglasses ordered.
Elizabeth, still in a daze, was pushed into the car and sat next to the man in sunglasses. She immediately felt a cold, murderous aura emanating from him.
Elizabeth felt her life was in his hands.
"My name is Alexander Windsor," Alexander introduced himself coldly.
Elizabeth couldn't help but shiver and asked in a faint voice, "Am I not actually being released, but being taken to be executed?"
"I'm taking you to register for Marriage!" Alexander said disdainfully, not even wanting to look at her.
Elizabeth suddenly felt his voice was familiar, very much like the voice of the man who had died that night.
But the man who had sex with her that night was already dead.
"What did you say?" Elizabeth questioned and thought she had misheard.