Chapter 79: Pay

They both halted and slowly turned, swallowing hard when their gazes met his. It was the bloody red–eyed man from earlier, he was now dressed in a casual top and pants and looked more like one of their men.

“Do you like my new fit? I figured I would look less scary if I wore what your men wear. Looks like it worked,” the man said, taking a step forward.

Leia and Aria exchanged glances, their eyes saying the words their mouths failed to utter.

“But what are you doing? It breaks my heart to see you trying to escape, and I never forgive those who break my heart,” the man said, his tone turning cold, his expression so chilling it made both their hearts skip a beat.

“What do you plan to do with us?” Leia asked daringly, shooting him a glare.

“I think, right now, you should be worried about your punishment for trying to escape,” the man replied and raised his hand. In an instant, two bulky men entered the room, their appearances even more frightening than beasts.

“Seize our dear Luna,” the man ordered, and both men lunged forward. Before they could reach Leia, Aria suddenly stepped in front of her and stretched out her arms, blocking their paths.

“I initiated the escape plan. Seize me instead. Leave Luna out of this, or you will regret touching her later,” she threatened, biting her lip.

“No, what are you doing? Take me instead. This has nothing to do with her,” Leia stepped forward and grabbed Aria’s arm, her words directed at the man.

“Touché. Almost makes me want to cry. No wonder his women look so fragile. He trains them to die for each other instead of dying for themselves. I am suddenly annoyed,” the man commented, his gaze hard, his aura unmistakably filled with malicious intent.

“Seize her,” he ordered, and the bulky men moved again, only to be blocked by Aria, who stood firmly between them and Leia.

“Aria, stop! What are you doing?” Leia cried out in panic.

“Doing what I failed to do the first time,” Aria answered, determined to protect Leia.

The bulky men looked to the man for confirmation, and he gave them a nod.

“This should be fun,” he muttered, watching the scene unfold with amusement.

“Don’t you dare come…” before Aria could finish, one of the men struck her hard across the cheek, then yanked her aside, slamming her head against a nearby glass table that shattered on impact.

“Aria!” Leia screamed hysterically, rushing toward her, only for the men to grab her and stop her from moving.

“You bastard! I swear I will make you pay for this!” She swore, her eyes burning with fire and rage. When she looked back at Aria, her heart shattered at the sight of her best friend lying unconscious on the floor, blood pouring from her head.

“Don’t blame me. You caused this,” the man said with a shrug before bursting into laughter, fueling Leia’s fury.

She clenched her fists, praying for a miracle as she stared at Aria.

“Aria. Aria, wake up,” she called, a tear streaking down her face.

“Now, let’s teach our Luna a thing or two about obedience. Bring in the chair,” the man ordered, and someone came in with a wooden chair, placing it in front of him.

They tied her to the chair, and each man stood beside her, awaiting further orders.

Leia’s chest heaved, not with fear but with rage. Despite knowing she was about to be tortured, she didn’t care for her life.

“Don’t look at me that way. It only breaks my heart more. And remember what happens if that happens?” he said, his gaze dropping to Aria.

“I promise I will kill you myself if you don’t kill me first,” she sneered, her face twitching with anger.

“You may try, but it’s my turn now,” he said with a chuckle.

“Bring in our Luna’s dinner,” he ordered, his gaze never leaving Leia’s. Leia matched his stare, refusing to look away.

“Feed her,” he ordered, and only then did Leia avert her gaze to see what they were about to do.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, her head was plunged into a bucket of water. Leia struggled, muffled sounds escaping her as they drowned her.

“I knew you were going to like it,” the man mocked, raising his hand and prompting them to pull her head from the water.

“Ouu!! Maniac!” she cursed as she gasped for air.

“You are welcome,” he said with a smirk, and they shoved her head into the bucket again.

Leia thrashed against the chair, but her bound hands and legs gave her no chance to fight. In that moment, her life began flashing before her eyes, and she silently prayed for something…someone, to save her. ‘Casimir, please save me. Is this how I die?’ She thought.

“Ahh!” She cried out as her head was yanked from the bucket.

Coughing violently, her vision blurred, and she saw the image of a man she had never seen before flash before her eyes. Thinking she was already dead, she began to slip into darkness, until the man signaled for them to drown her again.

After a few more rounds, the hellish torture finally ended, but Leia was already weak. She lay on the floor, still tied to the chair, water spilling from her mouth as she blinked lifelessly.

“I think that’s enough food for now. Feed her again in an hour if her companions aren’t here yet. We need to be sure she waits for our remaining guests,” the bloody red–eyed man ordered, glancing at his wristwatch before walking out of the room.

Once they were gone, Leia gathered what little strength she had and slowly crawled toward where Aria lay unconscious. Tears streamed down her face as she drew closer, hoping and praying her friend was still alive.

“Aria. Talk to me. You have to say something,” she cried, sobbing uncontrollably.

She cried for so long that she didn’t know when sleep finally claimed her.

…

“Leia! Leia! Leia!” Leia stirred, groaning as she tried to place the voice calling her name. It was faint, distant, and soft, but the more she focused on it, the clearer it became.