Chapter 176 My Family Will Not Let You Off

Chapter 176 My Family Will Not Let You Off

 Juan nodded immediately. "Yes, Dad. I'll get on it right away."

"Good." Terry waved him off. "Go."

Juan turned and left.

Terry was alone in the room now.

He leaned against the headboard, brow furrowed, worry etched across his face.

---

At the same time, in an abandoned church on the outskirts of town.

Chloe's eyes slowly fluttered open.

Her head was pounding.

She tried to lift her hand to rub her temple, only to realize her hands were tied.

Not just her hands—her feet too.

She was suspended in midair, spread out in an X-shape.

Behind her loomed a massive cross.

She was bound to it like some kind of sacrifice.

Panic surged through her. She struggled, but the rope was too tight, biting into her wrists. She couldn't break free.

"Awake?"

A sinister voice drifted from nearby.

Chloe whipped her head around and saw Amber standing a few feet away, a leather whip in hand, watching her with a twisted smile.

It was her!

Chloe's eyes burned red.

"Amber! You bitch!"

"What the hell are you doing? Why am I tied up?"

"Let me down!"

Amber sneered and strolled closer.

She tapped the whip lightly against her palm. The sound echoed through the empty space.

"Let you down?"

"Ms. York, are you still half asleep?"

"I went through all this trouble to bring you here. You really think I'm just gonna let you go?"

Chloe trembled with rage. "What do you want?"

"I'm warning you—I'm part of the York family!"

"If you so much as touch me, my grandfather will make you pay!"

"The York family?" Amber burst out laughing like she'd just heard the funniest joke.

"The York family? What the hell are they?"

"You think I'm scared?"

She lashed out with the whip.

Crack!

The sharp sound reverberated through the hollow church.

Chloe gasped, her body jerking violently.

The whip struck her arm, leaving an angry red welt.

"You... you dare hit me?" Chloe stared at her in disbelief, hatred blazing in her eyes.

"Hit you? So what?" Amber sneered and struck again.

Crack!

This time it landed on Chloe's leg.

Tears welled in Chloe's eyes from the pain, but she bit down hard, refusing to cry out.

"Pathetic." Amber spat. "Chloe, are you really this desperate?"

"Don't you know what kind of person Travis is?"

"He's a heartless bastard, and you still threw yourself at him."

"What, were you that desperate for a man?"

"Want me to find you a few more?"

Chloe's chest heaved. "You're full of crap!"

"Travis and I truly love each other!"

"Truly love each other?" Amber laughed even harder, like it was the punchline of the century.

"Truly love each other?"

"Chloe, are you really that naive?"

"If Travis really loved you, would he hide your disappearance from your family?"

"He's probably hoping you die out here!"

"That way he can remarry."

"And of course, all your family's resources would flow straight to him!"

"That's a lie!" Chloe shouted. "Travis isn't like that!"

"He's looking for me! He's going to save me!"

"Save you?" Amber scoffed. "Keep dreaming."

"Right now he's probably off somewhere having the time of his life with another woman."

"He doesn't give a damn whether you live or die."

"Shut up!" Chloe's eyes turned bloodshot. "I don't want to hear your lies!"

"Don't want to hear it?" Amber sneered and struck again.

"Too bad."

Crack!

The whip landed on Chloe's shoulder. She flinched.

"Ungrateful brat." Amber cursed. "I'm doing you a favor telling you the truth, and you won't even listen."

"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for what happens next."

She lashed out repeatedly, the whip cracking down again and again.

The sharp sounds echoed through the church.

Chloe gritted her teeth, enduring in silence.

But tears still streamed down her face.

After a while, Amber stopped.

She looked at Chloe's battered body, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

"What's wrong? Not so mouthy now?"

Chloe lifted her head and glared at her with pure hatred.

"Amber, I won't let you get away with this."

"When I get out of here, I'll make you pay!"

"Get out?" Amber scoffed. "You think you're getting out?"

"Let me tell you something, Chloe. Now that you're in my hands, you're never leaving."

"I'm going to make you wish you were dead."

Her eyes were chillingly vicious. Chloe felt a shiver run down her spine.

Just then, the church doors creaked open.

Wilma walked in, frowning at the scene.

"What are you doing?"

She waved dismissively. "If you're going to kill her, just kill her. Stop dragging it out."

"It's annoying."

Amber turned. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

"If I didn't come, I wouldn't have known you were wasting time with this nonsense." Wilma walked over and glanced at Chloe tied to the cross. She frowned. "She's just some girl. Is this really necessary?"

"Just kill her and get it over with. The longer we wait, the more trouble we invite."

Chloe's heart clenched.

Kill her?

But Amber shook her head. "No, Mom. We can't just kill her."

"She's still useful."

"Useful how?" Wilma said impatiently. "She's just some York family heiress. Keeping her around is a liability."

"If the Yorks track her here, we're done for."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Amber sneered. "With Zach backing us, the Yorks are nothing."

"Besides, keeping her means we can use her to threaten them."

"When the time comes, they'll do whatever we want."

Wilma thought it over. Made sense.

"Fine. Do what you want."

"But stop making so much noise. It's irritating."

She turned to leave.

"Wait, Mom." Amber called out.

"What?"

Amber looked at Chloe, a flash of cruelty in her eyes.

"I changed my mind."

"This woman's too stubborn."

"Keeping her around is just asking for trouble."

"Might as well... just kill her now."

She pulled a knife from her waist.

The blade glinted coldly in the dim light.

Chloe's face went ghostly white.

She... she's really going to kill me?

Wilma raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You've come to your senses?"

"Yeah." Amber nodded, her eyes vicious. "Keeping her alive is just a waste of food."

"Better to kill her now and be done with it."

She walked toward Chloe, step by step.

The knife gleamed.

Chloe trembled, trying desperately to shrink back.

But she was tied to the cross. There was nowhere to go.

"Don't... don't come any closer..."

"If you kill me, my family won't let you get away with this..."