Chapter 10 Chapter 10
Overwhelming terror rendered Grace speechless. She clenched her teeth until they ground together and pressed her palms hard against the tabletop. She desperately tried to make enough noise to alert others or, better yet, leap up and bolt for the door.
But it was all futile. Her body slumped limply in the chair; her grip was too weak to even sweep the plate off the table.
Darkness washed over her vision. Just before she slipped into unconsciousness, she saw him sitting there, silently watching her, a cold smile on his face.
After an unknown amount of time, Grace jolted awake from the darkness. An oversized chandelier loomed overhead, its crystal pendants glistening and refracting a blinding light.
"Awake?" he asked.
She struggled to her feet, instinctively shrinking away from the sound. The room was vast. Benjamin sat on a distant sofa, watching her with an amused smile. "Ms. Hill, your physical condition is excellent. You woke up a full half hour earlier than I anticipated.”
Grace possessed not only physical resilience, but also extraordinary mental fortitude—otherwise, she never would have survived the incident four years ago.
Fear sent her into a panic, yet her mind urged her to calm down quickly. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again, she had accepted her situation. Her voice trembled as she asked, “Are you human or a ghost?”
Benjamin let out a soft, mocking snort. "How could the clever and decisive Ms. Hill ask such a foolish question?"
It was indeed a foolish question, fully exposing her panic.
There were no ghosts in this world, and Alex couldn't have come back from the dead. The only possibility was that he had never died. He was alive and had come to seek revenge.
Her former nightmare had become reality. The demon she feared most stood before her.
It felt like being thrust back to that scene four years ago. He sat there, coldly watching her with an indifferent gaze as sharp as a blade.
No! This was worse than four years ago. He seemed like a demon crawling out of hell for vengeance alone.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and her body shook. Yet, she wasn't a woman who would just cry and beg. Staring at him, her voice still trembling, she hardened her resolve. "What do you want? Kill me?"
"Kill you?" He chuckled softly and shook his head. "If I wanted to kill you, why would I need to expend any effort?"
If he wasn't there to kill her, then he must have been there to torment her. Crying and begging would only make things worse and fuel his cruelty. Suppressing her fear, she raced through her thoughts, searching for another way to survive. "Alex, let's both calm down and talk rationally, okay?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her. His demeanor was completely different from four years ago; this woman always managed to surprise him. "Talk about what?" he asked with interest. "That I should let you go and that you absolutely won't go to the police? That we should forget the past and start fresh?"
She had indeed intended to say that. Grace pressed her lips together, then changed her approach. "No, I'm genuinely curious. How did you escape from prison?"
He seemed slightly surprised, raising an eyebrow. "Ms. Hill, you never cease to surprise me. This only makes me more certain that our next game will be even more interesting."
Grace couldn't fathom his intentions and responded cautiously. "What game?"
He sat back on the sofa with his long legs crossed, exuding an air of effortless ease. "Taming a devout, respectable lady and turning her into a whore who craves nothing more than to kneel and lick dick."
An involuntary shiver ran through her.
Her reaction amused him, and he slowly curved his lips. "Ms. Hill, you come from a respectable background. You have a fine education. You are devout in your faith. You hold a respectable profession. Such a pristine person, gradually sullied until utterly filthy. Don't you think that would be amusing?"
It was the most vile malice, the filthiest revenge imaginable.
A soft knock sounded at the door. Three or four burly men stepped inside, one of them carrying a video camera. Grace sensed danger and tumbled off the wide bed, retreating until her back pressed against the cold wall.
Benjamin rose and approached, stopping a short distance away. He tossed a knife toward her feet. "Take it. Show me how you kill."
It was a paring knife—short and sharp—the very one she'd used four years ago.
A slender man stepped forward and grabbed her, yanking her toward the bed.
She struggled fiercely and snatched the knife from the floor. But before she could pierce the man with it, her wrist was seized.
Iron-like fingers clamped down on her wrist and effortlessly wrenched it outward. The knife clattered to the floor.
A fist slammed into her head, snapping it to the side. A buzzing roared in her ears, and everything around her began to sway. Through her blurred vision, she could see the man with the camera, the silent onlookers nearby, and Benjamin sitting on the sofa watching her.
She stopped struggling and slowly closed her eyes.
Benjamin leaned lazily against the sofa, his tone as casual as ever. "Is that all you've got? How boring. Let's try something different."
The gaunt man climbed off the bed, but two others closed in on her and pinned her limbs down while forcing a syringe into her body.
She felt as if she had fallen into hell. She let out a desperate whimper and struggled frantically once more. "Kill me, Alex! Kill me!"
He wore an expression of indifference and shook his head gently. "No. I told you, I won't kill you."
The drug's effects kicked in quickly. Her consciousness gradually faded, leaving only primal instincts as her body was controlled by the chemicals. The scene was even more unbearable than before; the air was thick with a lewd atmosphere. Heavy breathing mingled with blush-inducing sounds.
Of everyone in the room, only Benjamin seemed able to remain unflappable. Glancing at the restless figure beside him, he said calmly, "Michael, don't touch this woman. Be careful she doesn't bite your dick off when she gets the chance.”
Michael awkwardly protested by covering his groin with clasped hands, saying, "I... I wasn't going to touch her."
He shot a quick glance at the bed, then bent down and asked Benjamin cautiously, "Mr. Norman, how much longer will this filming go on? There are people waiting outside. As long as you don't call cut, we can keep going."
Benjamin glanced at his watch and said indifferently, "Cut it. Edit the footage. Let's see how it looks."