Chapter 153

Chapter 153
Roberto naturally noticed Rishima's probing gaze, the corner of his lips slightly curling up. Outwardly, he said nothing, but inwardly he was already on alert. He directly instructed the guards at the basement, “Keep a close watch on what’s inside. If she escapes, you can all disappear too.”
“Yes, sir.”
The two subordinates bowed respectfully in response. With a cold expression, Roberto walked away. No sooner had he disappeared than Rishima approached the basement. Fearing Roberto might hear any noise, she lowered her voice, “Open the door for me.”
Evidently, the two subordinates shook their heads. They dared not show attitude, but were firm in their refusal to open the basement door.
Rishima pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes fixed on the basement door. The screams from inside were so heart-wrenching they haunted her, impossible to erase. She truly couldn’t bear it. She wanted to rescue the one locked inside.
Rishima walked away in disappointment, and the two subordinates immediately called Roberto. Not long after, he rushed over and took her away from the villa.
...
As the pairing ceremony between Roberto and Rishima drew nearer, Zvonimir felt increasingly restless and uneasy.
During this time, he and Matthew had teamed up to suppress Roberto’s enterprises, and it was starting to work. Because of this, Roberto had hidden Rishima even more carefully, making it impossible for him to get close to her.
With no other choice, Zvonimir decided to use sheer force to overpower his enemy. Roberto stood coldly watching the group surround his suburban villa, hatred seething in his chest.
“Zvonimir, what are you doing? Don’t you know trespassing on someone’s property is illegal?”
“I know. So what?” Zvonimir led his males into the living room, treating Roberto like air. He turned to his subordinates and said, “Find Rishima and bring her to me.”
Matthew, standing beside Zvonimir, also ordered his males to search for Rishima.
Roberto didn’t expect Zvonimir to be so brazen and lawless. Furious, he pointed at him and shouted, “Zvonimir, don’t you dare! I’m calling the police right now!”
“Go ahead. I’ll call them too, to report you for kidnapping my mate. Let’s see who the police throw in jail.”
Zvonimir's words made Roberto hesitate. After capturing Rishima, he had only let everyone believe she was dead, never actually investigating whether Zvonimir and she had rebonded. Seeing Zvonimir's arrogant demeanor now, Roberto thought perhaps they really had. If that were true, wouldn’t that mean he couldn't perform the bonding ritual with her?
Roberto's heart immediately tightened, and he shouted, "What nonsense are you saying? She's Jenna, not your mate. Your mate died long ago in that surgery!"
Zvonimir gritted his teeth and stabbed straight into Roberto's wound. "Your little sister Jenna already died. She died because she was imprisoned by you!"
"Shut up! Jenna isn’t dead! I'll kill you!" Roberto lunged at Zvonimir, starting a fight.
But Zvonimir had brought many subordinates and wasn’t harmed at all. Right now, he wasn’t in the mood to brawl with Roberto. All he wanted was to find Rishima. Yet his males had already searched the entire villa and hadn’t caught sight of her anywhere.
"Keep searching. Don’t skip the basement or anything. Search the entire surrounding area of the villa. Leave no place unchecked."
Roberto’s villa was enormous. Zvonimir and Matthew split up to search. Compared to Zvonimir, Matthew was no less anxious. He was desperate to see Rishima. She was the one he truly loved. Once he saw her again, he would no longer pine for Emily.
Perhaps it was only because Emily had gone missing that he had grown restless and developed odd feelings for her. He would never love a lying female like Emily again.
At that moment, Matthew was standing before the basement door. No one was guarding it anymore. The place looked ancient and worn, even giving off a damp and musty smell, clearly abandoned for ages. Matthew thought there was no way Roberto would hide Rishima here.
But for some reason, he still wanted to open the basement door. As if something deeply important to him was hidden inside.
"Open this door for me."
Hearing the order, his subordinate quickly replied, "Boss, this is a steel door. Without the key, we can’t get in."
"Then break it down for me!"
Emily had been imprisoned in the basement without food or water, tortured day after day by Roberto until her skin peeled and her flesh was torn. Her mind had long slipped into delirium. Yet she still heard that deeply familiar voice. It was Matthew’s voice.
Was Matthew here to save her?
Emily opened her mouth, desperately trying to scream, but her throat could only produce hoarse, broken sounds. Not just those outside, even she herself could barely hear her own voice.
But Emily hadn't completely given up hope; she had heard Matthew ordering his males to break the door. He was coming to rescue her.
However, immediately after, she heard someone else speak: "Boss, we've found Ms. Rishima. She's at the forest edge."
"Alright, let’s go."
What followed was a flurry of footsteps moving away.
Emily panicked, her mouth open wide, letting out raspy, guttural cries.
"No... please help me, don’t leave me behind."
"Matthew..."
Emily lay helplessly on the damp ground, bitter tears streaming down her face and disappearing into the dirt. The injuries covering her body hurt terribly, but they were nothing compared to the pain in her heart. She was nothing but discarded trash, unwanted by anyone.
Emily shut her eyes in despair. There is no pain more searing than hope turning to hopelessness. Matthew only needed to break down the door to save her. Why did he leave?
She sobbed in agony, her chest heaving with suppressed cries, her entire body trembling. There was no part of her left unscathed. She was in so much pain, unbearably so...
She had no idea how much time had passed when the basement door finally opened, and Emily's heartbeat quickened. Could it be... had Matthew come back for her?

But reality cruelly slapped her in the face. Standing at the door was Roberto, looking like a demon risen straight from hell. Emily recoiled in fear, but her limbs were tightly bound, and the injuries made it impossible for her to move far.